Jennifer Hamblen
Southeast Alaska Transboundary Rivers Water Quality Project Principal Investigator
Biography
Education
M.S. 2003 University of Arizona Hydrology
B.S. 1999 University of Georgia Forest Environmental Resources
Professional Experience
July 2020 – Present Hydrologist, USGS Alaska Science Center
2019 – 2020 Hydrologist, Takshanuk Watershed Council
2016 – 2018 Natural Resource Specialist, Sitka Tribe of Alaska
2015 Fisheries Biotechnician, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
2013 Fisheries Biotechnician, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Science and Products
Suspended-Sediment and Solids Sampling
Suspended-sediment samples are collected on each visit at both gage and border site locations.
Unuk River
The Unuk River is the second smallest watershed in the transboundary study of Southeast Alaska, but has three large mining projects in development (Kerr-Sulplherets-Mitchell (KSM), Brucejack, and Eskay Creek).
Alsek River
The Alsek River is the furthest north watershed in the transboundary study of Southeast Alaska, reaching 300 miles north of Haines Junction, Yukon Territory.
Taku River
Adverse water quality from a trio of historic mines in the Tulsequah River watershed, a tributary of the Taku River, have caused concern in local communities including Juneau, Alaska, and Atlin, British Columbia
Super Gages and Water Quality Sampling
Super gages provide real-time data specifically designed to improve understanding of watershed processes and to address specific water-resource issues such as climate and land-use effects or hazardous substance spills.
Stikine River
The Stikine River near Wrangell and Petersburg is the largest watershed in the transboundary study of Southeast Alaska.
Salmon River
The Salmon River, located near Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia, is the smallest watershed in the transboundary study of Southeast Alaska.
USGS Transboundary River Monitoring in Southeast Alaska
The USGS Alaska Science Center operates super gages on the Alsek, Taku, Stikine, Unuk and Salmon Rivers. Discrete water quality, sediment, and biological sampling are also collected at each gage location. Discrete water quality samples are also collected annually at the Canada-Alaska border crossings of the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers. Water quality data collection began in 2018 on the Unuk...