John A. Moody is a Scientist Emeritus Research Hydrologist with the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
I was born and raised in Colorado, and have a BA and MA in physics from the CU Boulder and SUNY at Stony Brook. In 1968, I studied Oceanography at MIT and WHOI. I taught Earth Sciences, Marine Biology and Oceanography on Cape Cod and worked as a Physical Oceanographer for the USGS doing environmental research on the Continental Shelf and in submarine canyons. I returned to Colorado in 1987 to coordinate a multidiscipline project studying sediment-transported pollutants in the Mississippi River, and to work on additional research that focuses on river geomorphology. A severe wildfire in Colorado and subsequent flooding in 1996 provided the opportunity to study the geomorphic response of burned watersheds.
Education
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9/1968. Minor: various oceanography courses
- State University of New York, 1967-1968. Major: Physics. Degree: M. A. 6/1968
- University of Colorado, 1962-1967. Major: Physics. Degree: B.A. 6/1967
Professional Studies/Experience
- Research Hydrologist, GS-15, U.S. Geological Survey
- October 1996 TO: Present - PROJECT TITLE: Erosion and Deposition Studies - Wildfire and its consequences have become major problems after 100 years of fire suppression in the United States. Process-based research has been conducted in Colorado, New Mexico and California to understand the changes in the complex hydrologic processes caused by the heat from a wildfire and to improve the predictions of rainfall-runoff, erosion and sedimentation at a watershed scale.
- October 1995 TO: Present - PROJECT TITLE: Flood plain dynamics - River restoration, dam removal, and management have generated a need for understanding the physical processes of river flood plain growth and evolution. The focus is on the short-time scale process (days to decades) that dominate flood plain dynamics. The primary research location is in southeastern Montana on the Powder River.
- October 1987 TO: 1995 - PROJECT TITLE: Studies of Large Rivers - Studies of sediment transport of contaminants in large rivers such as the Mississippi River in the United States of America and the Ob’ River in Russia used the Lagrangian sampling method to collect samples of the same water mass as it flowed downstream. Using this method the evolution of the properties of these water masses could be determined.
- October 1978 TO: 1987 - PROJECT TITLE: Physical Oceanography of Continental Shelf and Slope - This work involved the measurement of the circulation pattern and suspended sediment transport on the eastern continental shelf ofNorth America and in the submarine canyons along the edge of the shelf.
Science and Products
Powder River: Data for Cross-Channel Profiles at 22 Sites in Southeastern Montana, 1975 through 2019
Powder River rises in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and flows northward through a semi-arid landscape in Wyoming and Montana to the Yellowstone River. The river drains an area of 34,700 square kilometers and has an average discharge of about 500 million cubic meters per year. Cross-channel profile data were collected at 22 sites on the river and its tributaries from 1975 through 2014.
Hydrologic and Erosion Responses of Burned Watersheds
The enhanced probability of catastrophic wildfires has increased our need to understand the risk of floods, erosion, and debris and contaminant transport in burned watersheds. This project investigates the relation between rainfall intensity and peak discharge; erosion and deposition processes; and water-quality impacts to minimize the loss of life and property resulting from post-wildfire floods.
Science and Products
- Science
Powder River: Data for Cross-Channel Profiles at 22 Sites in Southeastern Montana, 1975 through 2019
Powder River rises in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and flows northward through a semi-arid landscape in Wyoming and Montana to the Yellowstone River. The river drains an area of 34,700 square kilometers and has an average discharge of about 500 million cubic meters per year. Cross-channel profile data were collected at 22 sites on the river and its tributaries from 1975 through 2014.Hydrologic and Erosion Responses of Burned Watersheds
The enhanced probability of catastrophic wildfires has increased our need to understand the risk of floods, erosion, and debris and contaminant transport in burned watersheds. This project investigates the relation between rainfall intensity and peak discharge; erosion and deposition processes; and water-quality impacts to minimize the loss of life and property resulting from post-wildfire floods. - Data
- Maps
- Publications