David M Rey, PhD
David Rey is a Research Hydrologist in the Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch of the Water Resources Mission Area.
David's specialty is in Arctic and alpine hydrology, however he has expertise in a variety of field, geophysical, and numerical modeling methods. His work focuses on geophysical methods development, and using cross-scale observations combined with numerical modeling to improve prediction and process representation. David's current research interests and efforts are focused on:
- Evolving hydrologic systems in permafrost environments
- Linking snowmelt to streamflow in alpine ecosystems
- The impact of wildfire on groundwater and snow processes
- Development of UAS-based geophysical methods, and systems for remote, autonomous geophysical monitoring
Presently, David is directly contributing to the USGS WB, WAIEE and NGWOS Water Mission Area Programs. He has a Ph.D. from the Colorado School of Mines in Hydrology, and a B.S. in Earth Science from Montana State University.
Science and Products
Delaware River near Wilmington Floating Electromagnetic Surveys from August 2020 Delaware River near Wilmington Floating Electromagnetic Surveys from August 2020
Electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods provide information about the bulk electrical conductivity of the subsurface. EM data has been widely used to investigate aquifers and geologic structures. In the following study, the United States Geological Survey conducted a boat-towed, waterborne transient electromagnetic (FloaTEM) survey to examine conductivity within the subsurface of the...
Near-surface geophysical data collected along streams near Silverton, Colorado, USA (ver. 2.0, May 2022) Near-surface geophysical data collected along streams near Silverton, Colorado, USA (ver. 2.0, May 2022)
Near-surface geophysical data from within the Bonita Peak Mining District in Silverton, Colorado, USA are presented. The data include fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) and frequency domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM) data collected in and around roughly 1 km reaches of Cement Creek and California Gulch. Additional data, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and...
Geophysical and related field data from the West Fork of Dall Creek, AK 2017-2019 Geophysical and related field data from the West Fork of Dall Creek, AK 2017-2019
The West Fork of Dall Creek is located ~100km southwest of Coldfoot, AK along the Dalton Highway, south of the Brooks Range. The West Fork of Dall Creek is composed of unburned black spruce forest with a burn scar from the 2004 Dall City Fire. Multi-season, multi-method geophysical data were collected both within the burned and unburned areas. Geophysical techniques used include Nuculear...
Alaska permafrost characterization: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2016-2017 Alaska permafrost characterization: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2016-2017
Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), downhole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and manual permafrost-probe measurements were used to quantify permafrost characteristics along transects within several catchments in interior Alaska in late summer 2016 and 2017. Geophysical sites were chosen to coincide with additional soil, hydrologic, and geochemical measurements adjacent to various...
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data and inverted resistivity models, western Yukon Flats, Alaska, February 2016 Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data and inverted resistivity models, western Yukon Flats, Alaska, February 2016
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected during February 2016 along 300 line kilometers in the western Yukon Flats near Stevens Village, Alaska. Data were acquired with the CGG RESOLVE frequency-domain helicopter-borne electromagnetic systems together with a Scintrex Cesium Vapour CS-3 magnetometer. The AEM average depth of investigation is about 100 m. The...
Filter Total Items: 17
Quantifying aspect-dependent snowpack response to high-elevation wildfire in the southern Rocky Mountains Quantifying aspect-dependent snowpack response to high-elevation wildfire in the southern Rocky Mountains
Increasing wildfire frequency and severity in high-elevation seasonal snow zones presents a considerable water resource management challenge across the western United States (U.S.). Wildfires can affect snowpack accumulation and melt patterns, altering the quantity and timing of runoff. While prior research has shown that wildfire generally increases snow melt rates and advances snow...
Authors
Wyatt Reis, Daniel McGrath, Kelly Elder, Stephanie Kampf, David M. Rey
Evaluating distributed snow model resolution and meteorology parameterizations against streamflow observations: Finer Is not always better Evaluating distributed snow model resolution and meteorology parameterizations against streamflow observations: Finer Is not always better
Estimating snow conditions is often done using numerical snowpack evolution models at spatial resolutions of 500 m and greater; however, snow depth in complex terrain often varies on sub-meter scales. This study investigated how the spatial distribution of simulated snow conditions varied across seven model spatial resolutions from 30 to 1,000 m and over two meteorological data sets...
Authors
Theodore B. Barnhart, Annie L. Putman, Aaron Joseph Heldmyer, David M. Rey, John C. Hammond, Jessica M. Driscoll, Graham A. Sexstone
Diel temperature signals track seasonal shifts in localized groundwater contributions to headwater streamflow generation at network scale Diel temperature signals track seasonal shifts in localized groundwater contributions to headwater streamflow generation at network scale
Groundwater contributions to streamflow sustain aquatic ecosystem resilience; streams without significant groundwater inputs often have well-coupled air and water temperatures that degrade cold-water habitat during warm low flow periods. Widespread uncertainty in stream-groundwater connectivity across space and time has created disparate predictions of energy and nutrient fluxes across...
Authors
David M. Rey, Danielle K. Hare, Jennifer H. Fair, Martin A. Briggs
Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are spatially extensive areas of preferential seepage that are exposed to air at low river flow. Some conceptual hydrologic models indicate discharge faces represent the spatial convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, while others indicate greater consistency in source groundwater characteristics. Our detailed field...
Authors
Adam Haynes, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, Kevin Jackson, James Knighton, David M. Rey, Ashley Helton
Wildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses Wildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses
Within the western United States, increasingly severe and frequent wildfires may alter the magnitude, timing, and quality of water exported from burned areas by streams. Post-fire hydrologic studies often focus on peak stream flow responses to shifts in runoff generation or on annual streamflow yield response to changes in evapotranspiration following fire. However, the magnitude and...
Authors
David M. Rey, Martin A. Briggs, Michelle A. Walvoord, Brian A. Ebel
High resolution SnowModel simulations reveal future elevation-dependent snow loss and earlier, flashier surface water input for the Upper Colorado River Basin High resolution SnowModel simulations reveal future elevation-dependent snow loss and earlier, flashier surface water input for the Upper Colorado River Basin
Continued climate warming is reducing seasonal snowpacks in the western United States, where >50% of historical water supplies were snowmelt-derived. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, declining snow water equivalent (SWE) and altered surface water input (SWI, rainfall and snowmelt available to enter the soil) timing and magnitude affect streamflow generation and water availability. To...
Authors
John C. Hammond, Graham A. Sexstone, Annie L. Putman, Theodore B. Barnhart, David M. Rey, Jessica M. Driscoll, Glen Liston, Kristen L. Rasmussen, Daniel McGrath, Steven R. Fassnacht, Stephanie K. Kampf
Science and Products
Delaware River near Wilmington Floating Electromagnetic Surveys from August 2020 Delaware River near Wilmington Floating Electromagnetic Surveys from August 2020
Electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods provide information about the bulk electrical conductivity of the subsurface. EM data has been widely used to investigate aquifers and geologic structures. In the following study, the United States Geological Survey conducted a boat-towed, waterborne transient electromagnetic (FloaTEM) survey to examine conductivity within the subsurface of the...
Near-surface geophysical data collected along streams near Silverton, Colorado, USA (ver. 2.0, May 2022) Near-surface geophysical data collected along streams near Silverton, Colorado, USA (ver. 2.0, May 2022)
Near-surface geophysical data from within the Bonita Peak Mining District in Silverton, Colorado, USA are presented. The data include fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) and frequency domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM) data collected in and around roughly 1 km reaches of Cement Creek and California Gulch. Additional data, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and...
Geophysical and related field data from the West Fork of Dall Creek, AK 2017-2019 Geophysical and related field data from the West Fork of Dall Creek, AK 2017-2019
The West Fork of Dall Creek is located ~100km southwest of Coldfoot, AK along the Dalton Highway, south of the Brooks Range. The West Fork of Dall Creek is composed of unburned black spruce forest with a burn scar from the 2004 Dall City Fire. Multi-season, multi-method geophysical data were collected both within the burned and unburned areas. Geophysical techniques used include Nuculear...
Alaska permafrost characterization: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2016-2017 Alaska permafrost characterization: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2016-2017
Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), downhole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and manual permafrost-probe measurements were used to quantify permafrost characteristics along transects within several catchments in interior Alaska in late summer 2016 and 2017. Geophysical sites were chosen to coincide with additional soil, hydrologic, and geochemical measurements adjacent to various...
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data and inverted resistivity models, western Yukon Flats, Alaska, February 2016 Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data and inverted resistivity models, western Yukon Flats, Alaska, February 2016
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected during February 2016 along 300 line kilometers in the western Yukon Flats near Stevens Village, Alaska. Data were acquired with the CGG RESOLVE frequency-domain helicopter-borne electromagnetic systems together with a Scintrex Cesium Vapour CS-3 magnetometer. The AEM average depth of investigation is about 100 m. The...
Filter Total Items: 17
Quantifying aspect-dependent snowpack response to high-elevation wildfire in the southern Rocky Mountains Quantifying aspect-dependent snowpack response to high-elevation wildfire in the southern Rocky Mountains
Increasing wildfire frequency and severity in high-elevation seasonal snow zones presents a considerable water resource management challenge across the western United States (U.S.). Wildfires can affect snowpack accumulation and melt patterns, altering the quantity and timing of runoff. While prior research has shown that wildfire generally increases snow melt rates and advances snow...
Authors
Wyatt Reis, Daniel McGrath, Kelly Elder, Stephanie Kampf, David M. Rey
Evaluating distributed snow model resolution and meteorology parameterizations against streamflow observations: Finer Is not always better Evaluating distributed snow model resolution and meteorology parameterizations against streamflow observations: Finer Is not always better
Estimating snow conditions is often done using numerical snowpack evolution models at spatial resolutions of 500 m and greater; however, snow depth in complex terrain often varies on sub-meter scales. This study investigated how the spatial distribution of simulated snow conditions varied across seven model spatial resolutions from 30 to 1,000 m and over two meteorological data sets...
Authors
Theodore B. Barnhart, Annie L. Putman, Aaron Joseph Heldmyer, David M. Rey, John C. Hammond, Jessica M. Driscoll, Graham A. Sexstone
Diel temperature signals track seasonal shifts in localized groundwater contributions to headwater streamflow generation at network scale Diel temperature signals track seasonal shifts in localized groundwater contributions to headwater streamflow generation at network scale
Groundwater contributions to streamflow sustain aquatic ecosystem resilience; streams without significant groundwater inputs often have well-coupled air and water temperatures that degrade cold-water habitat during warm low flow periods. Widespread uncertainty in stream-groundwater connectivity across space and time has created disparate predictions of energy and nutrient fluxes across...
Authors
David M. Rey, Danielle K. Hare, Jennifer H. Fair, Martin A. Briggs
Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are spatially extensive areas of preferential seepage that are exposed to air at low river flow. Some conceptual hydrologic models indicate discharge faces represent the spatial convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, while others indicate greater consistency in source groundwater characteristics. Our detailed field...
Authors
Adam Haynes, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, Kevin Jackson, James Knighton, David M. Rey, Ashley Helton
Wildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses Wildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses
Within the western United States, increasingly severe and frequent wildfires may alter the magnitude, timing, and quality of water exported from burned areas by streams. Post-fire hydrologic studies often focus on peak stream flow responses to shifts in runoff generation or on annual streamflow yield response to changes in evapotranspiration following fire. However, the magnitude and...
Authors
David M. Rey, Martin A. Briggs, Michelle A. Walvoord, Brian A. Ebel
High resolution SnowModel simulations reveal future elevation-dependent snow loss and earlier, flashier surface water input for the Upper Colorado River Basin High resolution SnowModel simulations reveal future elevation-dependent snow loss and earlier, flashier surface water input for the Upper Colorado River Basin
Continued climate warming is reducing seasonal snowpacks in the western United States, where >50% of historical water supplies were snowmelt-derived. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, declining snow water equivalent (SWE) and altered surface water input (SWI, rainfall and snowmelt available to enter the soil) timing and magnitude affect streamflow generation and water availability. To...
Authors
John C. Hammond, Graham A. Sexstone, Annie L. Putman, Theodore B. Barnhart, David M. Rey, Jessica M. Driscoll, Glen Liston, Kristen L. Rasmussen, Daniel McGrath, Steven R. Fassnacht, Stephanie K. Kampf