Darius Semmens
Darius Semmens is a Research Physical Scientist with the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
His current research interests include the development of new methods and tools for the assessment and valuation of ecosystem goods and services - the specific benefits that we derive from nature. More specifically, his work involves developing methods and tools that can account for the spatial and temporal dynamics of service production and incorporate that and other information into more rigorous analyses of the tradeoffs associated with landscape management. Darius' current work includes cultural ecosystem services modeling with the Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) tool, quantifying ecosystem service flows from migratory species to inform cross-jurisdictional management and conservation, and multi-resource analysis for energy and minerals.
Professional Experience
2008: Research Physical Scientist with the USGS
2004-2007: Postdoctoral fellow with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development
Education and Certifications
2004: University of Arizona: Ph.D. in Watershed Management (minor in Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis)
1998: Northern Arizona University: M.S. in Geology (emphasis in Geomorphology)
1995: University of Minnesota: B.S. in Geology
Science and Products
Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): Documentation and user manual, version 2.0
KINEROS2/AGWA: Model use, calibration and validation
A GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services
Accounting for the ecosystem services of migratory species: Quantifying migration support and spatial subsidies
The use of scenario analysis to assess water ecosystem services in response to future land use change in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon
Assessment of goods and valuation of ecosystem services (AGAVES) San Pedro River Basin, United States and Mexico
Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): A GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services-Documentation and user manual, version 1.0
Flood hazard awareness and hydrologic modelling at Ambos Nogales, United States–Mexico border
Planning for an uncertain future - Monitoring, integration, and adaptation
Using a coupled groundwater/surface-water model to predict climate-change impacts to lakes in the Trout Lake Watershed, northern Wisconsin
Evaluating hydrological response to forecasted land-use change—scenario testing with the automated geospatial watershed assessment (AGWA) tool
A formal framework for scenario development in support of environmental decision-making
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 74
Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): Documentation and user manual, version 2.0
In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center (RMGSC), in collaboration with Colorado State University, developed a geographic information system (GIS) application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). With version 2.0 (SolVES 2.0), RMGSC has improvedAuthorsBenson C. Sherrouse, Darius J. SemmensKINEROS2/AGWA: Model use, calibration and validation
KINEROS (KINematic runoff and EROSion) originated in the 1960s as a distributed event-based model that conceptualizes a watershed as a cascade of overland flow model elements that flow into trapezoidal channel model elements. KINEROS was one of the first widely available watershed models that interactively coupled a finite difference approximation of the kinematic overland flow equations to a physAuthorsD.C. Goodrich, I.S. Burns, C.L. Unkrich, Darius J. Semmens, D.P. Guertin, M. Hernandez, S. Yatheendradas, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Lainie R. LevickA GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services
As human pressures on ecosystems continue to increase, research involving the effective incorporation of social values information into the context of comprehensive ecosystem services assessments is becoming more important. Including quantified, spatially explicit social value metrics in such assessments will improve the analysis of relative tradeoffs among ecosystem services. This paper describesAuthorsBenson C. Sherrouse, Jessica M. Clement, Darius J. SemmensAccounting for the ecosystem services of migratory species: Quantifying migration support and spatial subsidies
Migratory species support ecosystem process and function in multiple areas, establishing ecological linkages between their different habitats. As they travel, migratory species also provide ecosystem services to people in many different locations. Previous research suggests there may be spatial mismatches between locations where humans use services and the ecosystems that produce them. This occursAuthorsDarius J. Semmens, James E. Diffendorfer, Laura López-Hoffman, Carl D. ShapiroThe use of scenario analysis to assess water ecosystem services in response to future land use change in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon
Human pressures on the natural resources of the United States have resulted in many unintended changes in our ecosystems, e.g., loss of biodiversity, habitat degradation, increases in the number of endangered species, and increases in contamination and water pollution. Environmental managers are concerned about broad-scale changes in land use and landscape pattern and their cumulative impact on hyAuthorsM. Hernandez, W. G. Kepner, D. G. Goodrich, Darius J. SemmensAssessment of goods and valuation of ecosystem services (AGAVES) San Pedro River Basin, United States and Mexico
A consortium of federal, academic, and nongovernment organization (NGO) partners have established a collaborative research enterprise in the San Pedro River Basin to develop methods, standards, and tools to assess and value ecosystem goods and services. The central premise of ecosystem services research is that human condition is intrinsically linked to the environment. Human health and well-beingAuthorsDarius J. Semmens, William Kepner, David GoodrichSocial values for ecosystem services (SolVES): A GIS application for assessing, mapping, and quantifying the social values of ecosystem services-Documentation and user manual, version 1.0
In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center, in collaboration with Colorado State University, has developed a geographic information system application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). SolVES can be used to assess, map, and quantify the perceiveAuthorsBenson C. Sherrouse, Jodi L. Riegle, Darius J. SemmensFlood hazard awareness and hydrologic modelling at Ambos Nogales, United States–Mexico border
Appropriate land‐use, watershed‐management, and flood‐attenuation plans are critical in the cross‐border urban environment known collectively as Ambos Nogales. This paper summarizes methodologies for predicting the watershed response associated with land‐use change within a spatial and temporal context through the use of a hydrological model in a cross‐border setting. The KINEROS2 model is implemeAuthorsLaura M. Norman, H. Huth, L. Levick, I. Shea Burns, D. Phillip Guertin, Francisco Lara-Valencia, Darius J. SemmensPlanning for an uncertain future - Monitoring, integration, and adaptation
The 6.7 billion human inhabitants of the earth have the ability to drastically alter ecosystems and the populations of species that have taken eons to evolve. By better understanding how our actions affect the environment, we stand a better chance of designing successful strategies to manage ecosystems sustainably. Toward this end, the Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds (ICUsing a coupled groundwater/surface-water model to predict climate-change impacts to lakes in the Trout Lake Watershed, northern Wisconsin
A major focus of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Trout Lake Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) project is the development of a watershed model to allow predictions of hydrologic response to future conditions including land-use and climate change. The coupled groundwater/surface-water model GSFLOW was chosen for this purpose because it could easily incorporate an existing groundwater floAuthorsRandall J. Hunt, John F. Walker, Steven L. Markstrom, Lauren E. Hay, John DohertyEvaluating hydrological response to forecasted land-use change—scenario testing with the automated geospatial watershed assessment (AGWA) tool
Envisioning and evaluating future scenarios has emerged as a critical component of both science and social decision-making. The ability to assess, report, map, and forecast the life support functions of ecosystems is absolutely critical to our capacity to make informed decisions to maintain the sustainable nature of our ecosystem services now and into the future. During the past two decades, imporAuthorsWilliam G. Kepner, Darius J. Semmens, Mariano Hernandez, David C. GoodrichA formal framework for scenario development in support of environmental decision-making
Scenarios are possible future states of the world that represent alternative plausible conditions under different assumptions. Often, scenarios are developed in a context relevant to stakeholders involved in their applications since the evaluation of scenario outcomes and implications can enhance decision-making activities. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of scenario development and proposAuthorsM. Mahmoud, Yajing Liu, H. Hartmann, S. Stewart, T. Wagener, D. Semmens, R. Stewart, H. Gupta, D. Dominguez, F. Dominguez, D. Hulse, R. Letcher, Brenda Rashleigh, C. Smith, R. Street, J. Ticehurst, M. Twery, Delden H. van, R. Waldick, D. White, L. WinterNon-USGS Publications**
Liu, Y., Mahmoud, M., Hartmann, H., Stewart, S., Wagener, T., Semmens, D., Stewart, R., Gupta, H., Dominguez, D., Hulse, D., Letcher, R., Rashleigh, B., Smith, C., Street, R., Ticehurst, J., Twery, M., van Delden, H., Waldick, R., White, D., and Winter, L., 2008, Formal scenario development for environmental impact assessment studies, in Jakeman, A., A. Voinov, A. E. Rizzoli, and S. Chen, (Eds.) Environmental Modelling, Software and Decision Support, 3. IDEA Book Series, Elsevier, 338 pp.Kepner, W.G., Hernandez, M., Semmens, D.J., and Goodrich D.C.,2008, The Use of Scenario Analysis to Assess Future Landscape Change on Watershed Condition in the Pacific Northwest (USA), in Use of Landscape Sciences for Environmental Security: NATO Security through Science Series, Springer Publishers, The Netherlands. ISBN 978-1-4020-6588-0, pp. 237-261.Kepner, W.G., Semmens, D.J., Hernandez, M., and Goodrich, D.C., 2008, Evaluating Hydrological Response to Forecasted Land-use Change, Chapter 15 in Special Issue of Association of American Geographers. North American Land Cover Summit. Washington, DC. pp. 275-292. ISBN 978-0-89291-271-1.Semmens, D.J., Goodrich, D.C., Unkrich, C.L., Smith, R.E., Woolhiser, D.A., and Miller, S.N., 2008, KINEROS2 and the AGWA modeling framework, in Wheater, H., Sorooshian, S., and Sharma, K.D., eds., Hydrological Modelling In Arid and Semi-Arid Areas: Cambridge University Press, New York, 206pp.Miller, S.N., Semmens, D.J., Goodrich, D.C., Hernandez, M., Miller, R.C., Kepner, W.G., and Guertin, D.P., 2007, The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool: Environmental Modeling and Software, v. 22, n. 3, p. 365-377.Nikolova, M., S. Nedkov, D. Semmens, and S. Iankov, 2007, Environmental quality and landscape-risk assessment in the Yantra River Basin, in W. Kepner, W., Müller, F., Petrosillio, I., Jones, B., Krauze, K., Victorov, S., and Zurlini, G., (eds.), Use of Landscape Sciences for the Assessment of Environmental Security: NATO Security Through Science Series, Springer Publications, p. 202-217.Kepner, W.G., Semmens, D.J., Basset, S.D., Mouat, D.A., Goodrich, D.C., 2004, Scenario analysis for the San Pedro River, analyzing hydrological consequences for a future environment: Environmental Modeling and Assessment, v. 94, p. 115-127.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.