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David Soong

For more than 18 years with the USGS David Soong has conducted applied research in river hydraulics, sediment routing, and rainfall-runoff analyses.  He applies modeling and analytical techniques in assessing flow quantity and prediction uncertainty, river spill and oil-particle-aggregate transport, and restoration issues. He works in the USGS Central Midwest Water Science Center, Urbana, IL.

Awarded Projects:

  • Technical Review for DuPage River HSPF Watershed Model in Will County, Illinois. Funded by US Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District.
  • Evaluation Rainfall-Runoff Parameters in HSPF for Watersheds in Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting System. Funded by US Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District.
  • Flood-inundation Maps for a 1.6-mile reach of Salt Creek, Wood Dale, Illinois. Funded by Du Page County, Department of Environmental Concerns.
  • Effects of Detention Basin and Release Rates on Flood Characteristics for Blackberry Creek in Kane County. Funded by Kane County, Department of Environmental Management.
  • Flood-Hazard Analysis with Rainfall-Runoff Modeling for the Blackberry Creek Watershed, Kane County, Illinois. Funded by Kane County Department of Environmental Management.
  • Updated and Unified StreamStats Peak Discharges for Streams of Illinois. Funded by Illinois Center for Transportation.
  • Analysis and Adjustment of Flood-Peak Magnitudes Recorded at USGS Streamflow gages in Northeastern Illinois. Funded by Army Corps of Engineers – Chicago District.
  • Techniques for Estimating Flood Magnitudes and Frequencies for Rural Streams of Illinois. Funded by Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Office of Water Resources, Illinois Department of Transportation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and USGS.
  • Development and Evaluation of StreamStats for Rural Illinois Streams. Funded by Illinois Center for Transportation.
  • Development of an Oil-Particle Aggregate Transport Model. Funded provided through USGS Midewest Region.
  • Manning's roughness coefficients for Illinois Streams. Funded by Office of Water Resources, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and USGS..


 

Professional Experience

  • 2000-Present USGS, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Urbana, Illinois

Education and Certifications

  • PhD Water Resources Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 1986

  • MS Water Resources Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 1980

  • BS in Hydraulic Engineering, Feng-Chia College, Taiwan, 1975

Science and Products

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Embryonic grass carp

Early Life History of Bighead, Silver, Black, and Grass Carps

Grass, bighead, black, and silver carps spawn in turbulent rivers and their eggs develop and hatch while drifting downriver. The larvae also have a short period of developing in the drift, and then they must swim from the river and find appropriate low- or no-flow nursery areas. Rivers which are not long enough, turbulent enough, or without nursery areas in the correct locations are not likely to...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center
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Early Life History of Bighead, Silver, Black, and Grass Carps

Grass, bighead, black, and silver carps spawn in turbulent rivers and their eggs develop and hatch while drifting downriver. The larvae also have a short period of developing in the drift, and then they must swim from the river and find appropriate low- or no-flow nursery areas. Rivers which are not long enough, turbulent enough, or without nursery areas in the correct locations are not likely to...
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Lower St. Croix River Steady State Hydraulic Inputs for FluOil Workshop

This data release contains steady-state hydraulic input files for the FluOil model (Zhu and others, 2022) that describe the lower St. Croix River between St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, and Stillwater, Minnesota. These files are derived from the results of a steady-state one dimensional (1D) hydraulic model of the river reach at three discharges (10,000, 20,000, and 35,000 cubic feet per second (cfs))
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Models, Inputs, and Outputs for Estimating the Uncertainty of Discharge Simulations for the Lake Michigan Diversion Using the Hydrological Simulation Program - FORTRAN Model

This data release contains the models and their inputs and outputs needed to reproduce the findings for the publication by Soong and Over (2022), "Effect of Uncertainty of Discharge Data on Uncertainty of Discharge Simulation for the Lake Michigan Diversion, Northeastern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana." These data were developed in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago Dist
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

FluOil Model and Related Datasets for Kalamazoo River, Michigan Oil Spill: July 21 to October 31, 2010.

This data release contains the FluOil software and the inputs and outputs needed to reproduce the FluOil model findings for a related publication (Li and others, 2022). The FluOil model describes the fate and transport of oil-particle aggregates (OPAs) in inland waterbodies by using particle tracking algorithms to represent the advection, dispersion, deposition, and resuspension of OPAs in turbule
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center
Filter Total Items: 25

Effect of uncertainty of discharge data on uncertainty of discharge simulation for the Lake Michigan Diversion, northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana

Simulation models of watershed hydrology (also referred to as “rainfall-runoff models”) are calibrated to the best available streamflow data, which are typically published discharge time series at the outlet of the watershed. Even after calibration, the model generally cannot replicate the published discharges because of simplifications of the physical system embedded in the model structure and un
Authors
David T. Soong, Thomas M. Over
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

FluOil: A novel tool for modeling the transport of oil-particle aggregates in inland waterways

Spilled oil in inland waterways can aggregate with mineral and organic particles to form oil-particle aggregates (OPAs). OPAs can be transported in suspension or deposited to the bed. Modeling the fate and transport of OPAs can provide useful information for making mitigation decisions. A novel open-source tool, FluOil, is developed to predict where OPAs may deposit and when they arrive in affecte
Authors
Yilan Li, Zhenduo Zhu, David T. Soong, Hamed Khorasani, Shu Wang, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Marcelo H. Garcia
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Using reverse-time egg transport analysis for predicting Asian Carp spawning grounds in the Illinois River

Identifying spawning grounds of Asian carp is important for determining the reproductive front of invasive populations. Ichthyoplankton monitoring along the Illinois Waterway (IWW) has provided information on abundances of Asian carp eggs in the IWW's navigation pools. Post-fertilization times derived from egg development stages and water temperatures can be used to estimate spawning times of Asia
Authors
Zhenduo Zhu, David T. Soong, Tatiana Garcia, Mina Shahed Behrouz, Steven E. Butler, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Matthew J. Diana, James J. Duncker, David H. Wahl
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Flood-hazard analysis of four headwater streams draining the Argonne National Laboratory property, DuPage County, Illinois

Results of a flood-hazard analysis conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Argonne National Laboratory, for four headwater streams within the Argonne National Laboratory property indicate that the 1-percent and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability floods would cause multiple roads to be overtopped. Results indicate that most of the effects on the infrastructure would
Authors
David T. Soong, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Timothy D. Straub, Hannah L. Zeeb
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Adjusting annual maximum peak discharges at selected stations in northeastern Illinois for changes in land-use conditions

The effects of urbanization on annual maximum peak discharges in northeastern Illinois and nearby areas from 1945 to 2009 were analyzed with a two-step longitudinal-quantile linear regression approach. The peak discharges were then adjusted to 2010 land-use conditions. The explanatory variables used were daily precipitation at the time of the peak discharge event and a housing density-based measur
Authors
Thomas M. Over, Riki J. Saito, David T. Soong
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Estimation of peak discharge quantiles for selected annual exceedance probabilities in northeastern Illinois

This report provides two sets of equations for estimating peak discharge quantiles at annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) of 0.50, 0.20, 0.10, 0.04, 0.02, 0.01, 0.005, and 0.002 (recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 years, respectively) for watersheds in Illinois based on annual maximum peak discharge data from 117 watersheds in and near northeastern Illinois. One set of
Authors
Thomas M. Over, Riki J. Saito, Andrea G. Veilleux, Padraic S. O'Shea, Jennifer B. Sharpe, David T. Soong, Audrey L. Ishii
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center, StreamStats

Integrated modeling approach for fate and transport of submerged oil and oil-particle aggregates in a freshwater riverine environment

The Enbridge Line 6B pipeline release of diluted bitumen into the Kalamazoo River downstream of Marshall, Michigan, U.S.A., in July 2010 was one of the largest oil spills into freshwater in North American history. A portion of the oil interacted with river sediment and submerged requiring the development and implementation of new approaches for detection and recovery of oil mixed with river sedime
Authors
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Rex Johnson, Zhenduo Zhu, David Waterman, Richard D. McCulloch, Earl Hayter, Marcelo H. Garcia, Michel C. Boufadel, Timothy Dekker, Jacob S. Hassan, David T. Soong, Christopher J. Hoard, Kenneth Lee
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Hydrodynamic assessment data associated with the July 2010 line 6B spill into the Kalamazoo River, Michigan, 2012–14

Hydrodynamic-assessment data for the Kalamazoo River were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during 2012–14 to augment other hydrodynamic data-collection efforts by Enbridge Energy L.P. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency associated with the 2010 Enbridge Line 6B oil spill. Specifically, the USGS data-collection efforts were focused on additional background data needed for 201
Authors
Paul C. Reneau, David T. Soong, Christopher J. Hoard, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Analysis of regional rainfall-runoff parameters for the Lake Michigan Diversion hydrological modeling

The Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting (LMDA) system has been developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District (USACE-Chicago) and the State of Illinois as a part of the interstate Great Lakes water regulatory program. The diverted Lake Michigan watershed is a 673-square-mile watershed that is comprised of the Chicago River and Calumet River watersheds. They originally drained into
Authors
David T. Soong, Thomas M. Over
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting land cover change estimation by use of the National Land Cover Dataset and raingage network partitioning analysis

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Chicago District, is responsible for monitoring and computation of the quantity of Lake Michigan water diverted by the State of Illinois. As part of this effort, the USACE uses the Hydrological Simulation Program–FORTRAN (HSPF) with measured meteorological data inputs to estimate runoff from the Lake Michigan diversion special contributing areas (SCAs), th
Authors
Jennifer B. Sharpe, David T. Soong
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Preliminary analysis of suspended sediment rating curves for the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries from Marshall to Kalamazoo, Michigan

Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) rating curves for the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries from Marshall to Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A., were developed based on measured data. The slopes of the atsite SSC rating curves were of two general types: either increasing or decreasing with increasing discharges. By examining the basin characteristics and flow patterns, streams with negative SSC rati
Authors
David T. Soong, Christopher J. Hoard, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Ronald B. Zelt
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Central Midwest Water Science Center

Land change in the Central Corn Belt Plains Ecoregion and hydrologic consequences in developed areas: 1939-2000

This report emphasizes the importance of a multi-disciplinary understanding of how land use and land cover can affect regional hydrology by collaboratively investigating how increases in developed land area may affect stream discharge by evaluating land-cover change from 1939 to 2000, urban housing density data from 1940 to 2010, and changes in annual peak streamflow from water years 1945 to 2009.
Authors
Krista Karstensen, David Shaver, Randal Alexander, Thomas Over, David T. Soong
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Soong, T.W. 2000 Workshop The First Sino-U.S. Joint Workshop on Sediment Transport and Sediment Induced Disasters, March 15-17, 1999; Beijing, China Journal of the International Water Resources Association, 25(1):162-165
Soong, T.W. and W.H. Ettinger 2000 After the 1993 Flood: A Water and Surficial Sediment Quality Scenario on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers. Journal of the American Water Resources Association: 36(1): 105-121
Soong, T.W. 1999 Fine Sediments of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and Their Associated Disaster Consequences International Journal of the Sediment Research, Special Issue on Sediment Transport and Disaster, Proceedings of the Sino-US Workshop on Sediment Transport and Disasters, 15-17 March 1999, Beijing, China 14(2):171-178
Borah, D.K., H.V. Knapp, R.K. Raman, S.D. Lin, and T.W.D. Soong 1999 HEC-5Q Model Applied to a Lake System for Water Quality Evaluations Water International, International Water Resources Association, 24(3):240-247
Ray, C., Soong, T.W., Borah, D.K., and G.S. Roadcap 1998 Flood Induced Loading of Agricultural Chemicals to Public Water Supply Wells in Selected Reaches of the Illinois River American Water Work Association July:90-100
Bhowmik, N.G., Xia, R., Mazumder, B.J., and T.W. Soong 1995 Distribution of Turbulent Velocity Fluctuations in a Natural Channel Journal of Hydraulic Research. Vol. 33, 1995, No.5
Bhowmik, N.G., Xia, R.J., Mazumder, B.S., and T.W. Soong 1995. Return Flow in Rivers Due to Navigation Traffic. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 121, No. 12, Dec, 1993. ASCE:914-918
Soong, T.W. and Y. Zhao. 1994. The Flood and Sediment Characteristics of the Lower Yellow River in China Water International Vol.19, No.3, September:129-137
Mazumder, B.S., Bhowmik, N.G., and T.W. Soong. 1993. Turbulence in Rivers due to Navigation Traffic. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 119, No. 5, May, 1993. ASCE:581-597

**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.

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