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
Monitoring 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...
Colman, John A.; Masterson, John P.Hydrogeology 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...
Masterson, John P.; Sorenson, Jason R.; Stone, Janet Radway; Moran, S. Bradley; Hougham, AndreaEffects 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...
Masterson, John; Garabedian, S.P.Potential changes in ground-water flow and their effects on the ecology and water resources of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
Masterson, John P.; Portnoy, John W.Ground-water recharge areas and traveltimes to pumped wells, ponds, streams, and coastal water bodies, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Walter, Donald A.; Masterson, John P.; Hess, Kathyrn M.Effects 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...
Colman, John A.; Masterson, John P.; Pabich, Wendy J.; Walter, Donald A.Simulated 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...
Masterson, John P.Transient 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...
Masterson, John; Walter, D.A.; LeBlanc, D.R.Simulation 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...
Walter, Donald A.; Masterson, John P.Simulated pond-aquifer interactions under natural and stressed conditions near Snake Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A numerical model was used to simulate pond-aquifer interactions under natural and stressed conditions near Snake Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Simulation results show that pond-bottom hydraulic conductivity, which represents the degree of hydraulic connection between the pond and the aquifer, is an important control on these interactions. As...
Walter, Donald A.; Masterson, John P.; LeBlanc, Denis R.Simulated changes in the sources of ground water for public-supply wells, ponds, streams, and coastal areas on western Cape Cod, Massachusetts
No abstract available.
Masterson, John P.; Hess, Kathryn M.; Walter, Donald A.; LeBlanc, Denis R.Delineation of groundwater recharge areas, western Cape Cod, Massachusetts
The unconfined sand-and-gravel aquifer in western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which is the sole source of water supply for the communities in the area, is recharged primarily from precipitation. The rate of recharge from precipitation is estimated to be about 26 inches per year (in/yr), or about 60 percent of the precipitation rate. This recharge...
Masterson, John P.; Walter, Donald A.