Gerard L Salter, PhD

Gerard’s research interests include sediment transport and pattern formation in rivers. His undergraduate thesis at University of Pennsylvania focused on self-formed channel geometry in alluvial suspended-sediment dominated rivers in the laboratory. His PhD research at University of Minnesota was on the dynamics of sediment transport partitioning in delta distributary networks, using experiments, numerical modeling, and remote sensing. During his postdoc at Caltech, he studied sedimentation and silt/clay transport in river deltas through numerical modeling, remote sensing, and field work in the Mississippi River Delta. Since starting at USGS in 2022, he has worked to develop numerical models for predicting fine sediment transport in the Colorado River, with an emphasis on silt and clay, which via turbidity can affect native and non-native fish as well as gross primary productivity.