Jennifer A Curtis
Biography
Jenny Curtis is a geomorphologist with the USGS California Water Science Center. Her office is located in Eureka, CA and in 1999 she joined the Regional Watershed Hydrology Research Group. For the past 20 years she has investigated “source to sink” research with study areas in mountainous uplands, alluvial lowlands, estuaries and oceanic systems. Recent geomorphic and hydrologic studies include low altitude remote sensing using small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), image classification, change detection using repeat geomorphic and vegetation mapping, sediment dynamics, and regional water balance studies under historic and future climates.
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Publications - see full list on Google Scholar
Science and Products
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...
Klamath River Geomorphic Assessment
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...
Assessing Suspended-Sediment Supply and Marsh Accretion in 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 system-wide riverine geomorphic change in support of science-based restoration on the mainstem Trinity River, northern California
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...
Annual streamflow, runoff and baseflow, estimated for the period of record using six hydrograph-separation methods, for 312 gaged basins in the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA, 1904-2015.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Availability and Use Study Program (WAUSP) (https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/activities/regional.html) supports quantitative assessments of groundwater availability in areas of critical importance. As part of a WAUSP study in the arid to semi-arid Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (...
Average-annual streamflow, runoff and baseflow, estimated for the period of record using six hydrograph-separation methods, for 312 gaged basins in the Northwestern Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA, 1904-2015.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Availability and Use Study Program (WAUSP) (https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/activities/regional.html) supports quantitative assessments of groundwater availability in areas of critical importance. As part of a WAUSP study in the arid to semi-arid Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (...
Hydrologic disturbance classification used to describe anthropogenic impairments for gaged basins located in the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Availability and Use Study Program (WAUSP) (https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/activities/regional.html) supports quantitative assessments of groundwater availability in areas of critical importance. As part of a WAUSP study in the arid to semi-arid Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (...
Polygon locations and contributing area for 312 gaged basins, used to estimate runoff and baseflow using six hydrograph-separation methods, in the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Availability and Use Study Program (WAUSP) (https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/activities/regional.html) supports quantitative assessments of groundwater availability in areas of critical importance. As part of a WAUSP study in the arid to semi-arid Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (...
Table 1. Station descriptions for 312 continuous-record streamflow gages, used to estimate runoff and baseflow using six hydrograph-separation methods, in the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Availability and Use Study Program (WAUSP) (https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/activities/regional.html) supports quantitative assessments of groundwater availability in areas of critical importance. As part of a WAUSP study in the arid to semi-arid Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (...
Geomorphic Map Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in California’s Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHP’s 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 ter
2014 DEM Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in California’s Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHP’s 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 ter
Study Area Boundary Malakoff DIggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in California’s Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHP’s 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 ter
1992 digital surface model Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in California’s Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHP’s 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 ter
1992 orthophoto mosaic Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in California’s Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHP’s 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 ter
1992 pruned digital surface model Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, California
One of the largest hydraulic mines (1.6 km2) is located in California’s Sierra Nevada within the Humbug Creek watershed and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park (MDSHP). MDSHP’s 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 ter
Quantifying 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...
Howle, James F.; Alpers, Charles N.; Ward, Alfred J.; Bond, Sandra; Curtis, Jennifer A.
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...
Burns, Erick; Gannett, Marshall W.; Sherrod, David R.; Keith, Mackenzie K.; Curtis, Jennifer A.; Bartolino, James R.; Engott, John A.; Scandella, Benjamin P.; Stern, Michelle A.; Flint, Alan L.
Assessing 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...
Curtis, Jennifer A.; Wright, Scott A.; Minear, Justin T.; Flint, Lorraine E.
Geomorphic 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...
Curtis, Jennifer A.; Guerrero, Timothy M. Estimating 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...
Curtis, Jennifer A. Incorporating 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...
Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Flint, Alan L.; Lundquist, Jessica D.; Hudgens, Brian; Boydston, Erin E.; Young, Julie K. Estimating floodplain sedimentation in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA
We present a conceptual and analytical framework for predicting the spatial distribution of floodplain sedimentation for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA. We assess the role of the floodplain as a sink for fine-grained sediment and investigate concerns regarding the potential loss of flood storage capacity due to historic sedimentation...
Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Hupp, Cliff R.
Summary of Optical-Backscatter and Suspended-Sediment Data, Tomales Bay Watershed, California, Water Years 2004, 2005, and 2006
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Point Reyes National Seashore, is studying suspended-sediment transport dynamics in the two primary tributaries to Tomales Bay, Lagunitas Creek and Walker Creek. Suspended-sediment samples and continuous optical backscatter (turbidity) data were collected at three locations during water years 2004?06...
Curtis, Jennifer A. Use of sediment rating curves and optical backscatter data to characterize sediment transport in the Upper Yuba River watershed, California, 2001-03
Sediment transport in the upper Yuba River watershed, California, was evaluated from October 2001 through September 2003. This report presents results of a three-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the California Ecosystem Restoration Program of the California Bay-Delta Authority and the California Resources Agency....
Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Alpers, Charles N.; Wright, Scott A.; Snyder, Noah P. Conceptual model of sediment processes in the upper Yuba River watershed, Sierra Nevada, CA
This study examines the development of a conceptual model of sediment processes in the upper Yuba River watershed; and we hypothesize how components of the conceptual model may be spatially distributed using a geographical information system (GIS). The conceptual model illustrates key processes controlling sediment dynamics in the upper Yuba River...
Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Alpers, Charles N.; Yarnell, S.M. Report on the May-June 2002 Englebright Lake Deep Coring Campaign
This report describes the May-June 2002 Englebright Lake coring project. Englebright Lake is a 14- km-long reservoir on the Yuba River of northern California, impounded by Englebright Dam, which was completed in 1940. The sediments were cored to assess the current conditions in the reservoir as part of the California Bay-Delta Authority?s Upper...
Snyder, Noah P.; Alpers, Charles N.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Curtins, Jennifer A.; Hampton, Margaret A.; Haskell, Brian J.; Nielson, Dennis L. Estimating accumulation rates and physical properties of sediment behind a dam: Englebright Lake, Yuba River, northern California
Studies of reservoir sedimentation are vital to understanding scientific and management issues related to watershed sediment budgets, depositional processes, reservoir operations, and dam decommissioning. Here we quantify the mass, organic content, and grain-size distribution of a reservoir deposit in northern California by two methods of...
Snyder, Noah P.; Rubin, David M.; Alpers, Charles N.; Childs, Jonathan R.; Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Wright, Scott A.