Jennifer A. Curtis - Research Geologist - California Water Science Center
Jenny Curtis is a geomorphologist and her research focuses on climate and human impacts in rivers and estuaries. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of topics: streamflow, floods, and drought; groundwater and surface water interactions; fluvial sediment transport and sediment budgets; sediment source analysis including sediment fingerprinting; and the effects of water management, land use, and climate change.
Science and Products
Klamath Dam Removal Studies
The influence of geomorphology on sediment accretion and soil carbon development in a restored tidal wetland, White Slough, Humboldt Bay National Refuge, CA
Improving Water Resilience and Availability Through Cultural Prescribed Fire as a Management Tool on Yurok Tribal Lands
Scotts Creek Nutrient Erosion Study, Lake County, California
Channel Complexity Synthesis - Trinity River Restoration Program
Sediment Mobility and Riparian Corridor Assessment, Klamath River, CA
Examining Erosion at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, a Sierra Nevada Gold Mine
Impact of Climate Change on Future Suitability of the Sierra Nevada for Wolverines
Sedimentation in the Lower Laguna-Mark West Drainage
Sediment supply, salt marsh monitoring, and the carbon budget of Humboldt Bay, CA
Assessing Geomorphic Change in Support of Science-Based Restoration, Trinity River, CA
Point cloud, digital surface model (DSM), and orthoimagery derived from historical aerial imagery of the South Cow Mountain Recreational Area, Lake County, California, May 27, 1977
Baseline High Resolution Land Cover Map for the Mainstem Klamath River Corridor Downstream of Iron Gate Dam, Klamath River, CA, 2018
Baseline geomorphic map and land-surface parameters, derived from integrated topobathymetric elevation data, for the mainstem Klamath River corridor downstream of Iron Gate Dam, CA, 2018
Salt marsh monitoring during water years 2013 to 2019, Humboldt Bay, CA – water levels, surface deposition, elevation change, and carbon storage
Model Archive Summary for a Suspended-Sediment Concentration Surrogate Regression Model for Station 405219124085601; Mad River Slough near Arcata, CA
Model Archive Summary for a Suspended-Sediment Concentration Surrogate Regression Model for Station 404038124131801; Hookton Slough near Loleta, CA
Sediment grain-size data from the Klamath estuary, California
Airborne thermal infrared imagery and longitudinal stream temperature profiles, Hat Creek, California, August 2018
This dataset includes georeferenced high-resolution, airborne thermal infrared (TIR) imagery, a polyline shapefile of the channel centerline, and a tabular file with longitudinal stream temperature profiles for Hat Creek, a tributary to the Pit River located in northeastern California.
Database of Geomorphic Features, Klamath River, California 2010
Sediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA - vegetation mapping
Geochemical, mineralogical, and grain-size data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediment at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California
Geomorphic map of Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
A summary of water-quality and salt marsh monitoring, Humboldt Bay, California
Amplified impact of climate change on fine-sediment delivery to a subsiding coast, Humboldt Bay, California
Sediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-kilometer segment of the main-stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California
Regional patterns in hydrologic response, a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis and implications for ecohydrology, Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA
Quantifying erosion rates by using terrestrial laser scanning at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California, 2014–17
Refining the Baseline Sediment Budget for the Klamath River, California
Four dams in the Klamath River Hydroelectric Project (KHP) in Oregon and California (Figure 1) are currently scheduled to be removed over a period of a few weeks or months, beginning in January 2021. The Klamath dam removal will be the largest in the world by almost all measures, and is an unprecedented opportunity to advance science of river responses to such events. The KHP contains approximatel
Geothermal implications of a refined composition-age geologic map for the volcanic terrains of southeast Oregon, northeast California, and southwest Idaho, USA
Assessing geomorphic change along the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011
Geomorphic mapping to support river restoration on the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011
Estimating changes in riparian and channel features along the Trinity River downstream of Lewiston Dam, California, 1980 to 2011
Incorporating cold-air pooling into downscaled climate models increases potential refugia for snow-dependent species within the Sierra Nevada Ecoregion, CA
Science and Products
- Science
Klamath Dam Removal Studies
Following the removal of four dams along the Klamath River, more naturally dynamic flow conditions may result in novel water quality, sediment transport, and geomorphic conditions leading to temporary or longer-term ecological impacts. USGS continuous and discrete monitoring data on aspects related to sediment and geomorphic conditions will be integral to post-dam removal assessments and...The influence of geomorphology on sediment accretion and soil carbon development in a restored tidal wetland, White Slough, Humboldt Bay National Refuge, CA
Coastal vegetated habitats, such as tidal wetlands, play an active role in the global carbon cycle. This is done through the removal of CO2 by living vegetation through photosynthesis and by the decay of organic matter and its burial for hundreds to thousands of years.Improving Water Resilience and Availability Through Cultural Prescribed Fire as a Management Tool on Yurok Tribal Lands
Climate Change is making our environment unpredictable. Increased persistence of drought is causing deaths of plants and animals across our landscapes. However, drought amongst the western United States is not a new thing. Native American populations have been living with drought since time immemorial and practiced culturally prescribed fire practices to foster the landscape for an environment thaScotts Creek Nutrient Erosion Study, Lake County, California
Clear Lake, the largest natural lake entirely within California, has a severe problem with harmful algal blooms which can be detrimental to aquatic life by depriving it of oxygen when the algae dies, sinks, and decays. A driving factor of these conditions are the nutrient loads being carried into the lake by soil erosion and the transport of sediment from the lake’s tributaries. Recently, an...Channel Complexity Synthesis - Trinity River Restoration Program
The Trinity River Restoration Program implements the Department of Interior directive to restore the fisheries of the Trinity River impacted by dam construction and related diversions. The multi-agency program is one of the nation’s largest adaptively managed river restoration efforts and requires periodic assessment to determine its effectiveness in restoring channel dynamics and habitat features...Sediment Mobility and Riparian Corridor Assessment, Klamath River, CA
The Klamath River is the third largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the continental U.S. The headwaters of the Klamath are located in the Cascade Range in southeastern Oregon and the river flows through northern California to its estuary. Beginning in the 1860s, the flow and water quality of the Klamath started to change due to the building of dams and other water diversions for...Examining Erosion at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, a Sierra Nevada Gold Mine
Located in Nevada County, California, Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park was the Sierra Nevada’s largest hydraulic gold mine, operating from 1866 to 1884. Historically, part of the process of hydraulic mining included using mercury to extract gold from produced sediment through the process of amalgamation. This process left thousands of pounds of mercury and other heavy metals in the area...Impact of Climate Change on Future Suitability of the Sierra Nevada for Wolverines
The endeavor to ensure a viable population of the threatened wolverine to the mountains of California requires the characterization of suitable habitat.Sedimentation in the Lower Laguna-Mark West Drainage
The Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) and the San Francisco District office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS) have identified issues associated with sedimentation in the lower Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek in Sonoma County. Human activities in the watershed over the last 200 years have accelerated erosion and sediment delivery to the Laguna reducing the water storage capacity...Sediment supply, salt marsh monitoring, and the carbon budget of Humboldt Bay, CA
Suspended-sediment measurements are essential for coastal planning, resource management, and for assessing the sustainability of salt marshes in relation to expected sea-level rise. Suspended sediment can have positive or negative effects, depending on its characteristics and amount, and on the location and ecosystem services of interest. Sediment deposition in salt marshes helps sustain marsh...Assessing Geomorphic Change in Support of Science-Based Restoration, Trinity River, CA
Historic landuse, dam construction, water storage and flow diversion within the Trinity River watershed resulted in downstream geomorphic changes that simplified the river planform and lead to dramatic losses of salmonid habitat and significant population declines. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) requested the USGS complete an assessment of geomorphic change that could be used to... - Data
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Point cloud, digital surface model (DSM), and orthoimagery derived from historical aerial imagery of the South Cow Mountain Recreational Area, Lake County, California, May 27, 1977
The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), created a series of geospatial products of the South Cow Mountain Recreational Area, Lake County, California, using historic aerial imagery and structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods. Products were generated from stereo historical aerial imagery acquired by the BLM in May of 1977. The aerial imagery were downloadedBaseline High Resolution Land Cover Map for the Mainstem Klamath River Corridor Downstream of Iron Gate Dam, Klamath River, CA, 2018
This data release includes a file geodatabase with land cover maps for a 313-kilometer segment along the mainstem Klamath River corridor downstream from Iron Gate Dam, CA. The maps were derived from high-resolution (15cm) imagery and topobathymetric elevation data, collected by NV5 Geospatial (formerly QSI, Inc) and published on Open Topography (https://doi.org/10.5069/G9DN436N). Acquisition datesBaseline geomorphic map and land-surface parameters, derived from integrated topobathymetric elevation data, for the mainstem Klamath River corridor downstream of Iron Gate Dam, CA, 2018
This data release includes a file geodatabase with high-resolution geospatial products that illustrate the geomorphology and various land-surface parameters along a 313-kilometer segment of the mainstem Klamath River corridor downstream of Iron Gate Dam, CA. The geospatial products were derived from topobathymetric elevation data collected to document baseline topography and bathymetry before theSalt marsh monitoring during water years 2013 to 2019, Humboldt Bay, CA – water levels, surface deposition, elevation change, and carbon storage
This data release includes montorting data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Humboldt Bay Water Quality and Salt Marsh Monitoring Project. The datasets include continuous water levels collected at a 6-minute timestep collected in two study marshes (Mad River and Hookton). Surface deposition, elevation changes and carbon storage (in marsh edge environments) measured in five USGS studyModel Archive Summary for a Suspended-Sediment Concentration Surrogate Regression Model for Station 405219124085601; Mad River Slough near Arcata, CA
Model archive summary (MAS) describing the development of a suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) surrogate regression model for the Mad River Slough near Arcata, CA water quality station (USGS site ID# 405219124085601). A 15-minute SSC record was computed using this regression model for the period of record (03-04-2016 to 09-10-2019). The computed SSC record can be found on NWIS Web at https://wModel Archive Summary for a Suspended-Sediment Concentration Surrogate Regression Model for Station 404038124131801; Hookton Slough near Loleta, CA
Model archive summary (MAS) describing the development of a suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) surrogate regression model for the Hookton Slough near Loleta, CA water quality station (USGS site ID# 404038124131801). A continuous 15-minute SSC record was computed using this regression model for the period of record (03-04-2016 to 09-10-2019). The computed SSC record can be found on NWIS Web atSediment grain-size data from the Klamath estuary, California
This data release includes grain-size measurements of sediment samples collected from the substrate surface and uppermost 10 cm of sediment deposits in the Klamath estuary, northern California. Samples were collected using a BMH-60 bed-material sampler deployed from a boat, or by hand trowel from subaerial or shallow-water (less than 0.5 m water depth) regions along the estuary margins and side chAirborne thermal infrared imagery and longitudinal stream temperature profiles, Hat Creek, California, August 2018
This dataset includes georeferenced high-resolution, airborne thermal infrared (TIR) imagery, a polyline shapefile of the channel centerline, and a tabular file with longitudinal stream temperature profiles for Hat Creek, a tributary to the Pit River located in northeastern California.
Database of Geomorphic Features, Klamath River, California 2010
The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, compiled a map of geomorphic features along a 140-km segment of the main stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA. Flood disturbance within the study reach is produced by the combined effect of natural flows and reservoir releases. The physical response of the Klamath River to flood diSediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA - vegetation mapping
This report documents river response to hydrologic disturbance along a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA by assessing fundamental indicators of active sediment transport and dynamic changes in riparian vegetation. A combination of field and remote sensing methods were used to document river response to natural rainfall-runoff events (e.g., 2006 and 2017) and manaGeochemical, mineralogical, and grain-size data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediment at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California
This dataset includes data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediments from surface-water samples, as well as surface-water chemistry from samples collected during storm events at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California. In-situ solid samples were collected during 2015 along six vertical transects along the cliff walls of the mine pit. Surface-water samples were colGeomorphic map of Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in Californias Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHPs denuded and dissected landscape is composed of weathered Eocene auriferous sediments susceptible to chronic rill and gully erosion whereas block failures and debris flows occur in more cohesive terrain. This data release inc - Multimedia
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A summary of water-quality and salt marsh monitoring, Humboldt Bay, California
This report summarizes data-collection activities associated with the U.S. Geological Survey Humboldt Bay Water-Quality and Salt Marsh Monitoring Project. This work was undertaken to gain a comprehensive understanding of water-quality conditions, salt marsh accretion processes, marsh-edge erosion, and soil-carbon storage in Humboldt Bay, California. Multiparameter sondes recorded water temperatureAmplified impact of climate change on fine-sediment delivery to a subsiding coast, Humboldt Bay, California
In Humboldt Bay, tectonic subsidence exacerbates sea-level rise (SLR). To build surface elevations and to keep pace with SLR, the sediment demand created by subsidence and SLR must be balanced by an adequate sediment supply. This study used an ensemble of plausible future scenarios to predict potential climate change impacts on suspended-sediment discharge (Qss) from fluvial sources. Streamflow waSediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-kilometer segment of the main-stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California
This river corridor assessment documents sediment mobility and river response to flood disturbance along a 140-kilometer segment of the main-stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California. Field and remote sensing methods were used to assess fundamental indicators of active sediment transport and river response to a combination of natural runoff events and reservoir releases during the study pRegional patterns in hydrologic response, a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis and implications for ecohydrology, Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA
Study RegionOregon, California, Idaho, Nevada and UtahStudy FocusSpatial patterns of hydrologic response were examined for the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (NVASA). The utility of established hydrograph-separation methods for assessing hydrologic response in permeable volcanic terranes was assessed and a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis was developed. The new metric, whiQuantifying erosion rates by using terrestrial laser scanning at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California, 2014–17
The abandoned hydraulic mine pit at Malakoff Diggins near Grass Valley, California, can produce large volumes of eroded sediment transportable by storm runoff. Sediment-laden water discharged from the pit is a major source of heavy metals to Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River. To develop a comprehensive sediment budget for the Malakoff Diggins mine pit and identify sources of sediment and metalRefining the Baseline Sediment Budget for the Klamath River, California
Four dams in the Klamath River Hydroelectric Project (KHP) in Oregon and California (Figure 1) are currently scheduled to be removed over a period of a few weeks or months, beginning in January 2021. The Klamath dam removal will be the largest in the world by almost all measures, and is an unprecedented opportunity to advance science of river responses to such events. The KHP contains approximatel
Geothermal implications of a refined composition-age geologic map for the volcanic terrains of southeast Oregon, northeast California, and southwest Idaho, USA
Sufficient temperatures to generate steam likely exist under most of the dominantly volcanic terrains of southeast Oregon, northeast California, and southeast Idaho, USA, but finding sufficient permeability to allow efficient advective heat exchange is an outstanding challenge. A new thematic interpretation of existing state-level geologic maps provides an updated and refined distribution of the cAssessing geomorphic change along the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011
The Trinity River Restoration Program, one of the nation’s largest adaptively managed river restoration programs, requires periodic assessment to determine the effectiveness of management actions in restoring channel dynamics and habitat features. This study documents riparian and channel changes along an intensively managed 65-kilometer reach of the Trinity River in California, downstream from LeGeomorphic mapping to support river restoration on the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011
Historic land use, dam construction, water storage, and flow diversions in the Trinity River watershed have resulted in downstream geomorphic change, loss of salmonid habitat, and declines in salmonid populations. The USGS in cooperation with the Trinity River Restoration Program, a multi-agency partnership tasked with implementing federally mandated restoration, completed a geomorphic change asseEstimating changes in riparian and channel features along the Trinity River downstream of Lewiston Dam, California, 1980 to 2011
Dam construction, flow diversion, and legacy landuse effects reduced the transport capacity, sediment supply, channel complexity and floodplain-connectivity along the Trinity River, CA below Lewiston Dam. This study documents the geomorphic evolution of the Trinity River Restoration Program’s intensively managed 65-km long restoration reach from 1980 to 2011. The nature and extent of riparian andIncorporating cold-air pooling into downscaled climate models increases potential refugia for snow-dependent species within the Sierra Nevada Ecoregion, CA
We present a unique water-balance approach for modeling snowpack under historic, current and future climates throughout the Sierra Nevada Ecoregion. Our methodology uses a finer scale (270 m) than previous regional studies and incorporates cold-air pooling, an atmospheric process that sustains cooler temperatures in topographic depressions thereby mitigating snowmelt. Our results are intended to s