Masterson, J.P., Pope, J.P., Fienen, M.N., Monti, Jack Jr., Nardi, M.R., and Finkelstein, J.S., 2016, MODFLOW-NWT model used to assess groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York to North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey data release. https://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7MG7MKR
John Peter Masterson
John Masterson is a senior hydrologist at the USGS New England Water Science Center in Massachusetts and currently serves as the project coordinator for the ongoing NYSDEC-USGS cooperative investigation of groundwater sustainability of the Long Island regional aquifer system.
Biography
John Masterson is a senior hydrologist at the USGS New England Water Science Center in Massachusetts. He completed his B.A. in Geosciences at SUNY Geneseo and M.S. in Geosciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia. John began his career at the USGS Syosset, N.Y. office in 1987 and worked there for 3 years before transferring to the Northborough, Massachusetts office in 1990. He specializes in computer model applications to study groundwater flow dynamics, and is an author of numerous USGS technical reports and peer-reviewed articles on groundwater resources in coastal aquifer systems. Recently, John completed a regional groundwater availability assessment of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island to North Carolina. John is currently serving as the project coordinator for the ongoing NYSDEC-USGS cooperative investigation of groundwater sustainability of the Long Island regional aquifer system (Long Island Groundwater Sustainability Study).
Science and Products
Date published: March 1, 2018
Status: Active Groundwater Sustainability of the Long Island Aquifer System
Groundwater sustainability can be best defined as the development and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained for an indefinite time without causing unacceptable environmental or socioeconomic consequences. Informed management of the Long Island aquifer system can help ensure a regionally sustainable groundwater resource. The USGS...
Contacts: John Peter Masterson, Frederick Stumm
Date published: February 28, 2018
Status: Active Hydrogeologic-Framework Mapping - Long Island, New York
Long Island is underlain by unconsolidated Holocene deposits, glacial deposits of Pleistocene age, and coastal-plain deposits of Late Cretaceous age. These sediments...
Date published: February 28, 2018
Status: Active Saltwater-Interface Mapping - Long Island, New York
Saltwater intrusion is the most common type of water-quality degradation in coastal-plain aquifers. In coastal areas, the hydraulic head under predevelopment (nonpumping) conditions is higher on land than in the surrounding...
Date published: February 26, 2018
Status: Active Groundwater-Flow Modeling - Long Island, New York
Numerical models provide a means to synthesize existing hydrogeologic information into an internally consistent mathematical representation of a real system or process, and thus are useful tools for testing and improving...
Contacts: John Peter Masterson, Donald Walter
Date published: February 25, 2018
Status: Active Groundwater Sustainability - Long Island, New York
Groundwater sustainability can best be defined as the development and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained for an indefinite time without causing unacceptable environmental or socioeconomic consequences. Informed...
Contacts: John Peter Masterson
Date published: July 27, 2016
Status: Active Delineation of the Hydrogeologic Framework and Saltwater-Freshwater Interface and Determination of Water-Supply Sustainability of Long Island, New York
Problem Long Island’s sole-source aquifer system, which includes the Lloyd, Magothy, Jameco, and upper glacial aquifers, supplies groundwater to over 2.8 million people. As a coastal aquifer system, it is susceptible to saltwater intrusion. Past pumpage and sewering (fig. 1) resulted in increased salinity in most aquifers in all counties (Buxton and Shernoff, 1999; Misut and others, 2004;...
Contacts: John Peter Masterson, Frederick Stumm
Date published: December 4, 2015
Status: Active Groundwater Availability of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain
Background The North Atlantic Coastal Plain (NACP) covers a land area of approximately 34,000 mi 2 along the eastern seaboard of the United States from Long Island, N.Y., southward to the northern portion of North Carolina. This area is underlain by a thick wedge of sedimentary deposits that form a complex groundwater system in which the sands and gravels function as confined aquifers, and...
Contacts: John Peter Masterson, Jack Monti
Year Published: 2019
Water for Long Island: Now and for the future
Do you ever wonder where your water comes from? If you live in Nassau or Suffolk County, the answer is, groundwater. Groundwater is water that started out as precipitation (rain and snow melt) and seeped into the ground. This seepage recharges the freshwater stored underground, in the spaces between the grains of sand and gravel in what are...
Masterson, John; Breault, RobertAttribution: New York Water Science Center, New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Masterson, J.P., and Breault, R., 2019, Water for Long Island—Now and for the future: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2019–3052, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20193052.
Year Published: 2017
Development of simulated groundwater-contributing areas to selected streams, ponds, coastal water bodies, and production wells in the Plymouth-Carver region and Cape Cod, Massachusetts
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in support of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP), delineated groundwater-contributing areas to various hydrologic receptors including ponds, streams, and coastal water bodies throughout southeastern Massachusetts, including portions of the Plymouth-Carver aquifer system and all of Cape Cod....
Carlson, Carl S.; Masterson, John P.; Walter, Donald; Barbaro, Jeffrey R.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Carlson, C.S., Masterson, J.P., Walter, D.A., and Barbaro, J.R., 2017, Development of simulated groundwater-contributing areas to selected streams, ponds, coastal water bodies, and production wells in the Plymouth-Carver region and Cape Cod, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1074, 17 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1074.
Year Published: 2016
Assessment of groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system From Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey began a multiyear regional assessment of groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain (NACP) aquifer system in 2010 as part of its ongoing regional assessments of groundwater availability of the principal aquifers of the Nation. The goals of this national assessment are to document...
Masterson, John P.; Pope, Jason P.; Fienen, Michael N.; Monti, Jr., Jack; Nardi, Mark R.; Finkelstein, Jason S.Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Masterson, J.P., Pope, J.P., Fienen, M.N., Monti, Jack, Jr., Nardi, M.R., and Finkelstein, J.S., 2016, Assessment of groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1829, 76 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1829.
Year Published: 2016
Documentation of a groundwater flow model developed to assess groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
The U.S. Geological Survey developed a groundwater flow model for the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to northeastern North Carolina as part of a detailed assessment of the groundwater availability of the area and included an evaluation of how these resources have changed over time from stresses related...
Masterson, John P.; Pope, Jason P.; Fienen, Michael N.; Monti, Jr., Jack; Nardi, Mark R.; Finkelstein, Jason S.Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Masterson, J.P., Pope, J.P., Fienen, M.N., Monti, Jack Jr., Nardi, M.R., and Finkelstein, J.S., 2016, Documentation of a groundwater flow model developed to assess groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina (ver. 1.1, December 2016): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5076, 70 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20165076.
Year Published: 2016
Sustainability of groundwater supplies in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system
Groundwater is the Nation’s principal reserve of freshwater. It provides about half our drinking water, is essential to food production, and facilitates business and industry in developing economic well-being. Groundwater is also an important source of water for sustaining the ecosystem health of rivers, wetlands, and estuaries throughout...
Masterson, John P.; Pope, Jason P.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Masterson, J.P., and Pope, J.P., 2016, Sustainability of groundwater supplies in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2016–3046, 6 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20163046.
Year Published: 2016
Potential effects of sea-level rise on the depth to saturated sediments of the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Commission, and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, began an evaluation of the potential effects of sea-level rise on water table altitudes and depths to water on central and western Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Increases in atmospheric and...
Walter, Donald; McCobb, Timothy D.; Masterson, John P.; Fienen, Michael N.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Walter, D.A., McCobb, T.D., Masterson, J.P., and Fienen, M.N., 2016, Potential effects of sea-level rise on the depth to saturated sediments of the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts (ver. 1.1, October 18, 2016): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5058, 55 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20165058.
Year Published: 2015
Scientific information in support of water resource management of the Big River area, Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Water Resources Board (RIWRB) is concerned that the demand for water may exceed the available public water supply in central and southern Rhode Island. Although water is often assumed to be plentiful in Rhode Island because of abundant rainfall, an adequate supply of water is not always available everywhere in the state during dry...
Armstrong, David S.; Masterson, John P.; Robinson, Keith W.; Crawley, Kathleen M.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Armstrong, D.S., Masterson, J.P., Robinson, K.W., and Crawley, K.M., 2015, Scientific information in support of water resource management of the Big River area, Rhode Island: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2015–XXXX, x p., http://dx.doi.org/x.
Year Published: 2014
Science for the stewardship of the groundwater resources of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Groundwater is the sole source of drinking water and a major source of freshwater for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Groundwater discharged from aquifers also supports freshwater pond and stream ecosystems and coastal wetlands. Six hydraulically distinct groundwater-flow systems (lenses) have been...
Barbaro, Jeffrey R.; Masterson, John P.; LeBlanc, Denis R.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Science for the stewardship of the groundwater resources of Cape Cod, Massachusetts; 2014; FS; 2014-3067; Barbaro, Jeffrey R.; Masterson, John P.; LeBlanc, Denis R.
Year Published: 2014
Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness
Simulating groundwater flow in a water-table (unconfined) aquifer can be difficult because the saturated thickness available for flow depends on model-calculated hydraulic heads. It is often possible to realize substantial time savings and still obtain accurate head and flow solutions by specifying an approximate saturated thickness a priori, thus...
Sheets, Rodney A.; Hill, Mary C.; Haitjema, Henk M.; Provost, Alden M.; Masterson, John P.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness; 2014; Article; Journal; Groundwater; Sheets, Rodney A.; Hill, Mary C.; Haitjema, Henk M.; Provost, Alden M.; Masterson, John P.
Year Published: 2014
Effects of sea-level rise on barrier island groundwater system dynamics: ecohydrological implications
We used a numerical model to investigate how a barrier island groundwater system responds to increases of up to 60 cm in sea level. We found that a sea-level rise of 20 cm leads to substantial changes in the depth of the water table and the extent and depth of saltwater intrusion, which are key determinants in the establishment, distribution and...
Masterson, John P.; Fienen, Michael N.; Thieler, E. Robert; Gesch, Dean B.; Gutierrez, Benjamin T.; Plant, Nathaniel G.Attribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, New England Water Science Center, Water Resources, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Effects of sea-level rise on barrier island groundwater system dynamics: ecohydrological implications; 2014; Article; Journal; Ecohydrology; Masterson, John P.; Fienen, Michael N.; Thieler, E. Robert; Gesch, Dean B.; Gutierrez, Benjamin T.; Plant, Nathaniel G.
Year Published: 2013
Hydrogeology and hydrologic conditions of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer System from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
The seaward-dipping sedimentary wedge that underlies the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain forms a complex groundwater system. This major source of water provides for public and domestic supply and serves as a vital source of freshwater for industrial and agricultural uses throughout the region. Population increases and land-use and climate changes...
Masterson, John P.; Pope, Jason P.; Monti, Jack; Nardi, Mark R.; Finkelstein, Jason S.; McCoy, Kurt J.Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Water Resources, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
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Masterson, J.P., Pope, J.P., Monti, Jack, Jr., Nardi, M.R., Finkelstein, J.S., and McCoy, K.J., 2015, Hydrogeology and hydrologic conditions of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina (ver. 1.1, September 2015): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5133, 76 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20135133.
Year Published: 2013
Bridging groundwater models and decision support with a Bayesian network
Resource managers need to make decisions to plan for future environmental conditions, particularly sea level rise, in the face of substantial uncertainty. Many interacting processes factor in to the decisions they face. Advances in process models and the quantification of uncertainty have made models a valuable tool for this purpose. Long-...
Fienen, Michael N.; Masterson, John P.; Plant, Nathaniel G.; Gutierrez, Benjamin T.; Thieler, E. RobertAttribution: New England Water Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Bridging groundwater models and decision support with a Bayesian network; 2013; Article; Journal; Water Resources Research; Fienen, Michael N.; Masterson, John P.; Plant, Nathaniel G.; Gutierrez, Benjamin T.; Thieler, E. Robert
Pre-USGS Publications
Masterson, J.P., Walter, D.A., Langevin, Christian, 2015, Effects of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Aquifer Systems – Potential Economic and Ecological Impacts, Eastern U.S.: in Proceedings of Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Baltimore MD, November, 2015.
Masterson, J. P., Banks, W.S., Johnson, C. D., Gutierrez, B., and Fienen, M. N., 2011, Hydrologic assessment of the potential effects of sea-level rise on Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland: in Proceedings of the National Ground Water Association National Groundwater Summit, Baltimore, Maryland,
May 1 – 5, 2011
Masterson, J. P., and Garabedian, S.P., 2006, Effects of sea-level rise on a coastal aquifer system, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the Geological Society of America National Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22-26, 2006.
Masterson, J. P., and D. A. Walter, 2001, Hydrologic Analysis of the Sources of Water
to Coastal Embayments, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the Geological Society of America National Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts,
November 1-10, 2001.
Masterson, J.P., 1998, Effects of natural and artificial stresses on the sources of water to
public-supply wells, streams, ponds, and coastal embayments, western Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the National Ground Water Association Northeast Focus Ground Water Conference, Burlington, Vermont, October 20-21, 1998.
Three dimensional computerized visualization of fluid-particle pathlines for simulated contaminant plumes in ground-water, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Sea
Masterson, J.P., Hess, K.M., Kruger, M.H., and Davis, J. C., 1994, Three dimensional
computerized visualization of fluid-particle pathlines for simulated contaminant plumes in ground-water, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, October 24-27, 1994, v. 26, No. 7.
Effects of simulated changes in ground-water withdrawals and recharge on the hydrology of the sole-source Cape Cod Aquifer, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the National Ground Water Association Focus Conference on Eastern Ground Water Issues
Masterson, J.P., and Barlow, P.M., 1994, Effects of simulated changes in ground-water
withdrawals and recharge on the hydrology of the sole-source Cape Cod Aquifer,
Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the National Ground Water Association Focus
Conference on Eastern Ground Water Issues, Burlington, Vermont, October 3-5,
1994.
Masterson, J.P., and Walter, D.A., 1994, The Effects of Changes in Aquifer Properties on Simulated Fluid Particle Pathlines, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Morganwalp, D.W., and Aronson, D. A., eds., 1994, U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program-- Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 20-24, 1993: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4014.
Date published: November 17, 2016
Study Assesses Threats to Groundwater Availability and Sustainability in Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain
The U.S. Geological Survey began a multiyear regional assessment of groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain (NACP) aquifer system in 2010 as part of its ongoing regional assessments of groundwater availability of the principal aquifers of the Nation.
Date published: September 6, 2016
Study Assesses Threats to Groundwater Availability and Sustainability in Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain
Threats to groundwater availability and sustainability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain are dependent to a large degree by the type of aquifers used for water supply, according to a new regional assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey.