Edward Stets
Edward (Ted) Stets is a Research Ecologist with the USGS in Mounds View, MN. He studies water quality and environmental change mostly in freshwater systems. His expertise includes biogeochemistry, data analysis, statistical methods, trend analysis, and project management. Ted is currently involved with projects nationally (NAWQA, IWP) and focused in the Upper Mississipi and Boulder Cr
B.S. - 1996, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, Biological Sciences / Environmental Sciences
M.S. - 2001, University of South Alabama, Dauphin Island, AL, Marine Sciences
Ph.D. - 2007, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, Ecology
2019-PresentResearch Ecologist, Water Mission AreaMounds View, MN
2017-2019Research Ecologist, Water Mission AreaBoulder, CO
2011-2017Research Ecologist, National Research ProgramBoulder, CO
2009-2011Ecologist, National Research ProgramBoulder, CO
2007-2009Post-doctoral Fellow, National Academy of SciencesBoulder, CO
Science and Products
Network controls on mean and variance of nitrate loads from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico
Alkalinity in tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay
Variable impacts of contemporary versus legacy agricultural phosphorus on US river water quality
Metabolic rhythms in flowing waters: An approach for classifying river productivity regimes
Recent trends in nutrient and sediment loading to coastal areas of the conterminous U.S.: Insights and global context
The metabolic regimes of 356 rivers in the United States
Influence of climate on alpine stream chemistry and water sources
The metabolic regimes of flowing waters
Increasing chloride in rivers of the conterminous U.S. and linkages to potential corrosivity and lead action level exceedances in drinking water
Grand challenges for integrated USGS science — A workshop report
Carbonate buffering and metabolic controls on carbon dioxide in rivers
Water-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results
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Network controls on mean and variance of nitrate loads from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico
Excessive nitrate loading to the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has caused widespread hypoxia over many decades. Despite recent reductions in nitrate loads observed at local scales, decreases in nitrate loading from the MRB to the GoM have been small (1.58 % during 2002-2012) with a low level of analytical confidence in this trend. This work seeks to determine the reasons why local-scale improvements have nAuthorsJohn T. Crawford, Edward G. Stets, Lori A. SpragueAlkalinity in tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay
Despite the important role of alkalinity in estuarine carbon cycling, the seasonal and decadal variability of alkalinity, particularly within multiple tidal tributaries of the same estuary, is poorly understood. Here we analyze more than 26,000 alkalinity measurements, mostly from the 1980s and 1990s, in the major tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, a large, coastal-plain estuary of eastern NAuthorsRaymond G. Najjar, Maria Herrmann, Jaclyn R. Friedman, Marjorie A. M. Friedrichs, Lora A. Harris, Elizabeth H. Shadwick, Edward G. Stets, Ryan J. WoodlandVariable impacts of contemporary versus legacy agricultural phosphorus on US river water quality
Phosphorus (P) fertilizer has contributed to the eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems. Watershed-based conservation programs aiming to reduce external P loading to surface waters have not resulted in significant water-quality improvements. One factor that can help explain the lack of water-quality response is remobilization of accumulated legacy (historical) P within the terrestrial-aquatic conAuthorsSarah M. Stackpoole, Edward G. Stets, Lori A. SpragueMetabolic rhythms in flowing waters: An approach for classifying river productivity regimes
Although seasonal patterns of ecosystem productivity have been extensively described and analyzed with respect to their primary forcings in terrestrial and marine systems, comparatively little is known about these same processes in rivers. However, it is now possible to perform a large‐scale synthesis on the patterns and drivers of river productivity regimes because of the recent sensor advances aAuthorsPhilip Savoy, Emily S. Bernhardt, Alison P. Appling, James B. Heffernan, Edward G. Stets, Jordan S. Read, Judson HarveyRecent trends in nutrient and sediment loading to coastal areas of the conterminous U.S.: Insights and global context
Coastal areas in the U.S. and worldwide have experienced massive population and land use changes contributing to significant degradation of coastal ecosystems. Excess nutrient pollution causes coastal ecosystem degradation, and both regulatory and management efforts have targeted reducing nutrient and sediment loading to coastal rivers. Decadal trends in flow-normalized nutrient and sediment loadsAuthorsGretchen P. Oelsner, Edward G. StetsThe metabolic regimes of 356 rivers in the United States
A national-scale quantification of metabolic energy flow in streams and rivers can improve understanding of the temporal dynamics of in-stream activity, links between energy cycling and ecosystem services, and the effects of human activities on aquatic metabolism. The two dominant terms in aquatic metabolism, gross primary production (GPP) and aerobic respiration (ER), have recently become practicAuthorsAlison P. Appling, Jordan S. Read, Luke A. Winslow, Maite Arroita, Emily S. Bernhardt, Natalie A. Griffiths, Robert O. Hall, Judson W. Harvey, James B. Heffernan, Emily H. Stanley, Edward G. Stets, Charles B. YackulicInfluence of climate on alpine stream chemistry and water sources
The resilience of alpine/subalpine watersheds may be viewed as the resistance of streamflow or stream chemistry to change under varying climatic conditions, which is governed by the relative size (volume) and transit time of surface and subsurface water sources. Here, we use end‐member mixing analysis in Andrews Creek, an alpine stream in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, from water year 199AuthorsSydney Foks, Edward G. Stets, Kamini Singha, David W. ClowThe metabolic regimes of flowing waters
The processes and biomass that characterize any ecosystem are fundamentally constrained by the total amount of energy that is either fixed within or delivered across its boundaries. Ultimately, ecosystems may be understood and classified by their rates of total and net productivity and by the seasonal patterns of photosynthesis and respiration. Such understanding is well developed for terrestrialAuthorsEmily S. Bernhardt, Jim B. Heffernan, Nancy B. Grimm, Emily H. Stanley, Judson Harvey, M. Arroita, Alison P. Appling, M.J. Cohen, William H. McDowell, R.O. Hall, Jordan S. Read, B.J. Roberts, Edward G. Stets, Charles B. YackulicIncreasing chloride in rivers of the conterminous U.S. and linkages to potential corrosivity and lead action level exceedances in drinking water
Corrosion in water-distribution systems is a costly problem and controlling corrosion is a primary focus of efforts to reduce lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) in tap water. High chloride concentrations can increase the tendency of water to cause corrosion in distribution systems. The effects of chloride are also expressed in several indices commonly used to describe the potential corrosivity of water, thAuthorsEdward G. Stets, Casey J. Lee, Darren A. Lytle, Michael R. SchockGrand challenges for integrated USGS science — A workshop report
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long history of advancing the traditional Earth science disciplines and identifying opportunities to integrate USGS science across disciplines to address complex societal problems. The USGS science strategy for 2007–2017 laid out key challenges in disciplinary and interdisciplinary arenas, culminating in a call for increased focus on a numbeAuthorsKaren E. Jenni, Martin B. Goldhaber, Julio L. Betancourt, Jill S. Baron, Sky Bristol, Mary Cantrill, Paul E. Exter, Michael J. Focazio, John W. Haines, Lauren E. Hay, Leslie Hsu, Victor F. Labson, Kevin D. Lafferty, K. A. Ludwig, Paul C. D. Milly, Toni L. Morelli, Suzette A. Morman, Nedal T. Nassar, Timothy R. Newman, Andrea C. Ostroff, Jordan S. Read, Sasha C. Reed, Carl D. Shapiro, Richard A. Smith, Ward E. Sanford, Terry L. Sohl, Edward G. Stets, Adam J. Terando, Donald E. Tillitt, Michael A. Tischler, Patricia L. Toccalino, David J. Wald, Mark P. Waldrop, Anne Wein, Jake F. Weltzin, Christian E. ZimmermanCarbonate buffering and metabolic controls on carbon dioxide in rivers
Multiple processes support the significant efflux of carbon dioxide (CO2) from rivers and streams. Attribution of CO2 oversaturation will lead to better quantification of the freshwater carbon cycle and provide insights into the net cycling of nutrients and pollutants. CO2 production is closely related to O2consumption because of the metabolic linkage of these gases. However, this relationship canAuthorsEdward G. Stets, David Butman, Cory P. McDonald, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Michael D. DeGrandpre, Robert G. StrieglWater-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results
Since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, Federal, State, and local governments have invested billions of dollars to reduce pollution entering rivers and streams. To understand the return on these investments and to effectively manage and protect the Nation’s water resources in the future, we need to know how and why water quality has been changing over time. As part of the National Water-QualAuthorsGretchen P. Oelsner, Lori A. Sprague, Jennifer C. Murphy, Robert E. Zuellig, Henry M. Johnson, Karen R. Ryberg, James A. Falcone, Edward G. Stets, Aldo V. Vecchia, Melissa L. Riskin, Laura A. De Cicco, Taylor J. Mills, William H. Farmer - News