John Peter Masterson
Intro
John Masterson is the Associate Director for Science Operations in the New York Water Science Center. He completed his B.A. in Geosciences at SUNY Geneseo and M.S. in Geosciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia. John began his USGS career at the New York Water Science Center on Long Island in 1987, transferred to the New England Water Science Center in Massachusetts in 1990, and has returned to the New York Water Science Center in 2021. 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. 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.
Professional Experience
USGS the New York Water Science Center as Associate Director for Science Operations in 2021-present
New England Water Science Center in Massachusetts in 1990-2021
USGS the New York Water Science Center on Long Island in 1987-1990
Education and Certifications
M.S. in Geosciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
B.A. in Geosciences at SUNY Geneseo
Science and Products
Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources of the Coastal Aquifers of Southeastern Massachusetts
Effects of Water-Management Strategies on Water Resources in the Pawcatuck River Basin, Southwestern Rhode Island and Southeastern Connecticut
Transient simulations of nitrogen load for a coastal aquifer and embayment, Cape Cod, MA
Seasonal changes in submarine groundwater discharge to coastal salt ponds estimated using 226Ra and 228Ra as tracers
Monitoring Ground-Water Quality in Coastal Ecosystems
Hydrogeology and Simulated Ground-Water Flow in the Salt Pond Region of Southern Rhode Island
Effects of sea-level rise on ground water flow in a coastal aquifer system
Potential changes in ground-water flow and their effects on the ecology and water resources of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
Effects of aquifer travel time on nitrogen transport to a coastal embayment
Simulated interaction between freshwater and saltwater and effects of ground-water pumping and sea-level change, lower Cape Cod aquifer system, Massachusetts
Transient Analysis of the Source of Water to Wells: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Simulation of advective flow under steady-state and transient recharge conditions, Camp Edwards, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Non-USGS Publications**
May 1 – 5, 2011
to Coastal Embayments, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts: in Proceedings of the Geological Society of America National Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts,
November 1-10, 2001.
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.
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.
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.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 49
Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources of the Coastal Aquifers of Southeastern Massachusetts
The glacially derived aquifer systems of southeastern Massachusetts compose the largest groundwater reservoir in the State. Population increases, land-use changes, and climate change in this area could lead to three primary environmental effects that relate directly to groundwater resources - (1) increases in pumping that could adversely affect environmentally sensitive groundwater-fed surface watAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Donald A. WalterEffects of Water-Management Strategies on Water Resources in the Pawcatuck River Basin, Southwestern Rhode Island and Southeastern Connecticut
The Pawcatuck River Basin in southwestern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut is an important high-quality water resource for domestic and public supplies, irrigation, recreation, and the aquatic ecosystem. Concerns about the effects of water withdrawals on aquatic habitat in the basin have prompted local, State, and Federal agencies to explore water-management strategies that minimize the eAuthorsRobert F. Breault, Phillip J. Zarriello, Gardner C. Bent, John P. Masterson, Gregory E. Granato, J. Eric Scherer, Kathleen M. CrawleyTransient simulations of nitrogen load for a coastal aquifer and embayment, Cape Cod, MA
A time-varying, multispecies, modular, three-dimensional transport model (MT3DMS) was developed to simulate groundwater transport of nitrogen from increasing sources on land to the shore of Nauset Marsh, a coastal embayment of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Simulated time-dependent nitrogen loads at the coast can be used to correlate with current observed coastal eutrophic effects, to predict curAuthorsJ.A. Colman, John P. MastersonSeasonal changes in submarine groundwater discharge to coastal salt ponds estimated using 226Ra and 228Ra as tracers
Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to coastal southern Rhode Island was estimated from measurements of the naturally-occurring radioisotopes 226Ra (t1/2 = 1600??y) and 228Ra (t1/2 = 5.75??y). Surface water and porewater samples were collected quarterly in Winnapaug, Quonochontaug, Ninigret, Green Hill, and Pt. Judith-Potter Ponds, as well as nearly monthly in the surface water of Rhode Island SAuthorsA.L. Hougham, S.B. Moran, John P. Masterson, R.P. KellyMonitoring Ground-Water Quality in Coastal Ecosystems
INTRODUCTION The Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) extends along more than 70 km of Atlantic Ocean open-beach coastline and includes three large saltwater bays - Wellfleet Harbor, Nauset Marsh, and Pleasant Bay (fig. 1). CACO encompasses about 18,000 ha of uplands, lakes, wetlands, and tidal lands (Godfrey and others, 1999) including most habitats typical of the sandy coast in National seashoreAuthorsJohn A. Colman, John P. MastersonHydrogeology and Simulated Ground-Water Flow in the Salt Pond Region of Southern Rhode Island
The Salt Pond region of southern Rhode Island extends from Westerly to Narragansett Bay and forms the natural boundary between the Atlantic Ocean and the shallow, highly permeable freshwater aquifer of the South Coastal Basin. Large inputs of fresh ground water coupled with the low flushing rates to the open ocean make the salt ponds particularly susceptible to eutrophication and bacterial contamiAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Jason R. Sorenson, Janet Radway Stone, S. Bradley Moran, Andrea HoughamEffects of sea-level rise on ground water flow in a coastal aquifer system
The effects of sea-level rise on the depth to the fresh water/salt water interface were simulated by using a density-dependent, three-dimensional numerical ground water flow model for a simplified hypothetical fresh water lens that is similar to shallow, coastal aquifers found along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Simulations of sea-level rise of 2.65 mm/year from 1929 to 2050 resulted inAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, S. P. GarabedianPotential changes in ground-water flow and their effects on the ecology and water resources of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
No abstract available.AuthorsJohn P. Masterson, John W. PortnoyEffects of aquifer travel time on nitrogen transport to a coastal embayment
Effects of aquifer travel time on nitrogen reaction and loading to Popponesset Bay, a eutrophic coastal embayment on western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, are evaluated through hydrologic analysis of flow and transport. Approximately 10% of the total nitrogen load to the embayment is intercepted by fresh water ponds and delivered to the coast by connecting streams. For the nitrogen load not interceptedAuthorsJohn A. Colman, John P. Masterson, Wendy J. Pabich, Donald A. WalterSimulated interaction between freshwater and saltwater and effects of ground-water pumping and sea-level change, lower Cape Cod aquifer system, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Cape Cod Commission, and the Towns of Eastham, Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet, began an investigation in 2000 to improve the understanding of the hydrogeology of the four freshwater lenses of the Lower Cape Cod aquifer system and to assess the effects of changingAuthorsJohn P. MastersonTransient Analysis of the Source of Water to Wells: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A transient flow modeling analysis for potential public-supply wells on western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, demonstrates the difference between transient and steady-state recharge areas can have important implications for wellhead protection. An example of a single pumping well illustrates that commonly, used steady-state time-related capture areas do not represent the recharge area and travel timesAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, D. A. Walter, D.R. LeBlancSimulation of advective flow under steady-state and transient recharge conditions, Camp Edwards, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed several ground-water models in support of an investigation of ground-water contamination being conducted by the Army National Guard Bureau at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts Military Reservation on western Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Regional and subregional steady-state models and regional transient models were used to (1) improve understanding of the hydrologicAuthorsDonald A. Walter, John P. MastersonNon-USGS Publications**
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/F7MG7MKRMasterson, 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.
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.
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.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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