Jeff Kennedy, PhD
Jeff Kennedy is a Research Hydrologist in the Arizona Water Science Center, Flagstaff Office.
My research focuses on measuring and interpreting small changes in gravity as they relate to the hydrology of alluvial basins in the southwestern U.S. Current projects focus on basin-scale monitoring of aquifer-storage change in response to pumping and artificial recharge in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
As the geophysics specialist at the Arizona Water Science Center, I oversee the Southwest Gravity Program, a joint effort of the New Mexico, Arizona, and California Water Science Centers to collect high-quality repeat microgravity data for hydrology studies throughout the western U.S.
Professional Experience
2018-present: Research Hydrologist, Arizona Water Science Center
2018-present: Adjunct Faculty, Northern Arizona University, School of Earth and Sustainability
2008-2018: Hydrologist, Arizona Water Science Center
2006-2008: Student Hydrologist, Arizona Water Science Center
2001-2003: Hydrologic Technician, USDA-ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed
Education and Certifications
2016: PhD in Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson
2008: M.S. in Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson
2000: B.S. in Geology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
Arizona Hydrological Society
National Groundwater Association
Abstracts and Presentations
Kennedy, J., 2022, Hydrologic model calibration with repeat microgravity (Invited): AGU Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting, June 20-24, San Juan, PR
Kennedy, J., and Wildermuth, L., 2020, Monitoring the movement of artificial-recharge water with repeat microgravity surveys: 17th Biannual Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge, Oct. 7-9, virtual.
Bell, M., Kahler, L., Kennedy, J., Robertson, A., 2019, A Microgravity Pilot Study: Insights into Storage Change, Specific Yield, and Groundwater/Surface Water Interaction in the Mesilla Groundwater Basin, New Mexico. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 9-13, San Francisco, CA
Kennedy, J., Van Westrum, D. 2019, Comparing approaches to network design and drift correction for relative-gravity surveys, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 9-13, San Francisco, CA
Kennedy, J., 2019, Using cosmic-ray soil neutron sensing to separate changes in soil moisture from aquifer-storage change in gravity data, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly, July 8-18, Montreal, Canada.
Kennedy, J., 2018, Hydro-gravity signals, from large to small, First workshop on the international geodynamics and Earth tide service, June 18-20, Potsdam, Germany.
Kennedy, J., Macy, J., 2017, Non-invasive water-table imaging with joint DC-resistivity/microgravity/hydrologic model inversion, AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 11-15, New Orleans, LA, Abstract NS11A-01
Kennedy, J., Bell, M., Norton, S., 2017, Using time-lapse gravity to monitor storage-change during a groundwater injection test in Albuquerque, NM, Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP 2017), Denver, CO, Mar. 20-22.
Pool, D.R., J. Kennedy, P. MacQueen, and T.M. Neibauer, 2016, Hydrologic Interpretations of Long-Term Gravity Records at Tucson, Arizona, AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 12-16, San Francisco, CA. Abstract H42D-06.
Kennedy, J., Ramirez-Hernandez, J., and E. Rodriguez Burgueño, 2015, Experimental Floods in a Time of Drought: The 2014 Pulse Flow in the Lower Colorado River, Arizona, USA, and Mexico, AGU Fall Meeting, Abstract H21B-1356.
Kennedy, J., and Ferré, T., 2014, Too Fast to Measure: Network Adjustment of Rapidly Changing Gravity Fields: AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 15-19, San Francisco, CA. Abstract 43C-02
Kennedy, J., Ferré, T.P., Abe, M., and Güntner, A., 2013, Increased accuracy through variable-baseline gradient measurements with multiple superconducting gravimeters: AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 9–13, San Francisco, CA. Abstract G11A-0906
Kennedy, J., Ferré, T., Creutzfeldt, B., Güntner, A., Neumeyer, J., Brinton, E., and Warburton, R., 2013, Smaller is better: first experiences using the iGrav superconducting gravimeter in a field enclosure. 17th International Symposium on Earth Tides, Apr. 15–19, Warsaw, Poland.
Creutzfeldt, B., J. Kennedy, and P. A. Ferré., 2012, Water-storage change measured with high-precision gravimetry at a groundwater recharge facility in Tucson, USA (Invited): AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 3–7, San Francisco, CA. Abstract NS44A-02
Kennedy, J., B. Creutzfeldt, and P.A. Ferré., 2012, Monitoring vadose zone infiltration with time-lapse gravity data at a municipal recharge and withdrawal facility (Invited): Geological Society of America annual meeting, Nov. 4–7, Charlotte, NC.
Kennedy, J., Creutzfeldt, B., Ferré, P.A., and Güntner, A., 2012. Gravity-measured water storage change and subsurface hydraulic properties at a managed recharge facility in Tucson, AZ (Invited): EAGE Near Surface Meeting, Sep. 3–5, Paris, France.
Kennedy, J., Murdoch, L., Long, A., and Koth, K., 2011, Measuring groundwater flow at the Sanford Laboratory with coupled surface/subsurface time-lapse gravity measurements (Invited): American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 5–9, San Francisco, CA. Abstract NH54A-01
Kennedy, J., Pool, D., Ferré, P.A., and Wilson, C., 2011, Using high-resolution gravity and pumping data to infer aquifer parameters: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 5–9, San Francisco, CA. Abstract H43E-1273
Kennedy, J., 2009, Expanding the Usefulness of Existing Data-Collection Infrastructure with Wireless Sensor Networks: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 14–18, San Francisco, CA. Abstract IN23C-1073
Science and Products
Geophysical data collected during the 2014 minute 319 pulse flow on the Colorado River below Morelos Dam, United States and Mexico
Time-lapse gravity data for monitoring and modeling artificial recharge through a thick unsaturated zone
Groundwater response to the 2014 pulse flow in the Colorado River Delta
A history of the 2014 Minute 319 environmental pulse flow asdocumented by field measurements and satellite imagery
Gravity change from 2014 to 2015, Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Hydrological conditions and evaluation of sustainable groundwater use in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, southeastern Arizona
Accounting for time- and space-varying changes in the gravity field to improve the network adjustment of relative-gravity data
Initial characterization of the groundwater system near the Lower Colorado Water Supply Project, Imperial Valley, California
Gravity data from the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Hydrology of the middle San Pedro area, southeastern Arizona
Surface and subsurface microgravity data in the vicinity of Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota
Methods for estimating magnitude and frequency of floods in Arizona, developed with unregulated and rural peak-flow data through water year 2010
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: 38
Geophysical data collected during the 2014 minute 319 pulse flow on the Colorado River below Morelos Dam, United States and Mexico
Geophysical methods were used to monitor infiltration during a water release, referred to as a “pulse flow,” in the Colorado River delta in March and April 2014. The pulse flow was enabled by Minute 319 of the 1944 United States–Mexico Treaty concerning water of the Colorado River. Fieldwork was carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación SupAuthorsJeffrey R. Kennedy, James B. Callegary, Jamie P. Macy, Jaime Reyes-Lopez, Marco Pérez-FloresTime-lapse gravity data for monitoring and modeling artificial recharge through a thick unsaturated zone
Groundwater-level measurements in monitoring wells or piezometers are the most common, and often the only, hydrologic measurements made at artificial recharge facilities. Measurements of gravity change over time provide an additional source of information about changes in groundwater storage, infiltration, and for model calibration. We demonstrate that for an artificial recharge facility with a deAuthorsJeffrey R. Kennedy, Ty P.A. Ferre, Benjamin CreutzfeldtGroundwater response to the 2014 pulse flow in the Colorado River Delta
During the March-May 2014 Colorado River Delta pulse flow, approximately 102 × 106 m3 (82,000 acre-feet) of water was released into the channel at Morelos Dam, with additional releases further downstream. The majority of pulse flow water infiltrated and recharged the regional aquifer. Using groundwater-level and microgravity data we mapped the spatial and temporal distribution of changes in aquifeAuthorsJeffrey Kennedy, Eliana Rodriguez-Burgueno, Jorge Ramirez-HernandezA history of the 2014 Minute 319 environmental pulse flow asdocumented by field measurements and satellite imagery
As provided in Minute 319 of the U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty of 1944, a pulse flow of approximately 132 million cubic meters (mcm) was released to the riparian corridor of the Colorado River Delta over an eight-week period that began March 23, 2014 and ended May 18, 2014. Peak flows were released in the early part of the pulse to simulate a spring flood, with approximately 101.7 mcm released at MorelAuthorsSteven M. Nelson, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez, J. Eliana Rodriguez-Burgeueno, Jeff Milliken, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo, Karen Schlatter, Edith Santiago-Serrano, Edgar Carrera-VillaGravity change from 2014 to 2015, Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Relative-gravity data and absolute-gravity data were collected at 68 stations in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, in May–June 2015 for the purpose of estimating aquifer-storage change. Similar data from 2014 and a description of the survey network were published in U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1086. Data collection and network adjustment results are prAuthorsJeffrey R. KennedyHydrological conditions and evaluation of sustainable groundwater use in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, southeastern Arizona
This study assessed progress toward achieving sustainable groundwater use in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed of the Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, through evaluation of 14 indicators of sustainable use. Sustainable use of groundwater in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed requires, at a minimum, a stable rate of groundwater discharge to, and thus base flow in, the San Pedro River. Many of the 14 indicatoAuthorsBruce Gungle, James B. Callegary, Nicholas V. Paretti, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Christopher J. Eastoe, Dale S. Turner, Jesse E. Dickinson, Lainie R. Levick, Zachary P. SuggAccounting for time- and space-varying changes in the gravity field to improve the network adjustment of relative-gravity data
The relative gravimeter is the primary terrestrial instrument for measuring spatially and temporally varying gravitational fields. The background noise of the instrument—that is, non-linear drift and random tares—typically requires some form of least-squares network adjustment to integrate data collected during a campaign that may take several days to weeks. Here, we present an approach to removeAuthorsJeffrey R. Kennedy, Ty P.A. FerreInitial characterization of the groundwater system near the Lower Colorado Water Supply Project, Imperial Valley, California
In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Needles, began a study of the hydrogeology along the All-American Canal, which conveys water from the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley. The focus of this study was to gain a better understanding of the effect of lining the All-American Canal, and other management actions, on future total dissolved solids concentrations in grAuthorsAlissa L. Coes, Michael Land, Jill N. Densmore, Michael T. Landrum, Kimberly R. Beisner, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Jamie P. Macy, Fred D. TillmanGravity data from the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Observations of very small changes of Earth’s gravitational field (time-lapse gravity) provide a direct, non-invasive method for measuring changes in aquifer storage change. An existing network of gravity stations in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed was revised in 2014 to better understand the spatial distribution of changes in aquifer storage, especially with relation to ephemeral channel recharge aAuthorsJeffrey R. KennedyHydrology of the middle San Pedro area, southeastern Arizona
In the middle San Pedro Watershed in southeastern Arizona, groundwater is the primary source of water supply for municipal, domestic, industrial, and agricultural use. The watershed comprises two smaller subareas, the Benson subarea and the Narrows-Redington subarea. Early 21st century projections for heavy population growth in the watershed have not yet become a reality, but increased groundwaterAuthorsJeffrey T. Cordova, Jesse E. Dickinson, Kimberly R. Beisner, Candice B. Hopkins, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Donald R. Pool, Edward P. Glenn, Pamela L. Nagler, Blakemore E. ThomasSurface and subsurface microgravity data in the vicinity of Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota
Absolute gravity data were collected at 32 stations in the vicinity of the Sanford Underground Research Facility from 2007 through 2014 for the purpose of monitoring groundwater storage change during dewatering of the former Homestake gold mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the largest and deepest underground mine in North America. Eight underground stations are at depths from 300 feet belowAuthorsJeffrey R. Kennedy, Karl R. Koth, Rob CarruthMethods for estimating magnitude and frequency of floods in Arizona, developed with unregulated and rural peak-flow data through water year 2010
Flooding is among the worst natural disasters responsible for loss of life and property in Arizona, underscoring the importance of accurate estimation of flood magnitude for proper structural design and floodplain mapping. Twenty-four years of additional peak-flow data have been recorded since the last comprehensive regional flood frequency analysis conducted in Arizona. Periodically, flood frequeAuthorsNicholas V. Paretti, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Lovina A. Turney, Andrea G. VeilleuxNon-USGS Publications**
Paige, G.B., Stone, J.J., Smith, J., and Kennedy, J.R., 2003. The Walnut Gulch rainfall simulator: A computer-controlled variable intensity rainfall simulator: Applied Engr. in Agric., vol. 20(1), p. 25-31.**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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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government