Joel Blomquist is a Hydrologist at the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center
Professional Experience
Currently serves as a team leader for the USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Team and leader of the Maryland River Input Monitoring Program.
Research and technical interests include:
- Monitoring program design and evaluation
- Nutrient and Sediment transport
- Pesticides in water and drinking water
- Integrated analysis approaches
Previous leadership positions include:
- Project Leader, Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR)- USGS, USEPA Joint Assessment of Water Quality in the Mid Atlantic States
- Chief, National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Potomac River Basin Study Unit
- Studies Section Chief
Education and Certifications
BS: Biology, Augustana College, SD.
Science and Products
Updated 2020 Nutrient and Suspended-Sediment Trends for the Nine Major Rivers Entering the Chesapeake Bay
Issue: The amount of nutrients and suspended sediment entering the Chesapeake Bay affect water-quality conditions in tidal waters. Excess nutrients contribute to algal blooms that lower the oxygen levels in tidal waters that are important for fish and shellfish. The algal blooms, along with suspended sediment, also decrease visibility in shallow waters for submerged aquatic grasses. The grasses...
Improving Our Understanding and Helping with Water Quality Improvements
Understanding trends in stream chemistry is critical to watershed management and often complicated by multiple contaminant sources and landscape conditions changing over varying time scales.
Record Amounts of Rainwater Flow off the Land into Chesapeake Bay
As the Mid-Atlantic states' super-soaker summer draws to a close, record amounts of rainwater have flowed off the land and into Chesapeake Bay, with potential consequences for the nation's largest estuary. USGS measurements show freshwater flows into the bay in August 2018 were the highest ever recorded for that month by a wide margin. River flows into the bay have been unusually high since May.
Streamflow in the Watershed and Entering the Chesapeake Bay
The health of the Chesapeake Bay, and streams in the watershed, are affected by changes in surface-water flows. Runoff from storms carries pollutants, such as nutrients, sediments, and toxic contaminants, into streams throughout the 64,000 square-mile watershed, which drain to the Bay. The changes of stream flow, and associated pollutant loads, influence habitat conditions for fisheries and safe...
Science and Products
- Science
Updated 2020 Nutrient and Suspended-Sediment Trends for the Nine Major Rivers Entering the Chesapeake Bay
Issue: The amount of nutrients and suspended sediment entering the Chesapeake Bay affect water-quality conditions in tidal waters. Excess nutrients contribute to algal blooms that lower the oxygen levels in tidal waters that are important for fish and shellfish. The algal blooms, along with suspended sediment, also decrease visibility in shallow waters for submerged aquatic grasses. The grasses...Improving Our Understanding and Helping with Water Quality Improvements
Understanding trends in stream chemistry is critical to watershed management and often complicated by multiple contaminant sources and landscape conditions changing over varying time scales.Record Amounts of Rainwater Flow off the Land into Chesapeake Bay
As the Mid-Atlantic states' super-soaker summer draws to a close, record amounts of rainwater have flowed off the land and into Chesapeake Bay, with potential consequences for the nation's largest estuary. USGS measurements show freshwater flows into the bay in August 2018 were the highest ever recorded for that month by a wide margin. River flows into the bay have been unusually high since May.Streamflow in the Watershed and Entering the Chesapeake Bay
The health of the Chesapeake Bay, and streams in the watershed, are affected by changes in surface-water flows. Runoff from storms carries pollutants, such as nutrients, sediments, and toxic contaminants, into streams throughout the 64,000 square-mile watershed, which drain to the Bay. The changes of stream flow, and associated pollutant loads, influence habitat conditions for fisheries and safe... - News
- Multimedia