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
Science for the stewardship of the groundwater resources of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness
Hydrogeology and hydrologic conditions of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer System from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
Effects of sea-level rise on barrier island groundwater system dynamics: ecohydrological implications
Bridging groundwater models and decision support with a Bayesian network
Development of a numerical model to simulate groundwater flow in the shallow aquifer system of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia
Numerical simulation of groundwater and surface-water interactions in the Big River Management Area, central Rhode Island
Well network installation and hydrogeologic data collection, Assateague Island National Seashore, Worcester County, Maryland, 2010
Estimated hydrologic budgets of kettle-hole ponds in coastal aquifers of southeastern Massachusetts
Simulated effects of water withdrawals and land-use changes on streamflows and groundwater levels in the Pawcatuck River Basin, southwestern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut
Assessing groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system
Hydrogeology and Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury Aquifer System, Southeastern 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
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 delineated on Cape Cod. Of the approximately 450 million galAuthorsJeffrey R. Barbaro, John P. Masterson, Denis R. LeBlancSimulation 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 linearizing this aspect of the model. This specifiAuthorsRodney A. Sheets, Mary C. Hill, Henk M. Haitjema, Alden M. Provost, John P. MastersonHydrogeology 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, however, have led to competing demands for water.AuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Jason P. Pope, Jack Monti, Mark R. Nardi, Jason S. Finkelstein, Kurt J. McCoyEffects 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 succession of vegetation assemblages and habitat suiAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Michael N. Fienen, E. Robert Thieler, Dean B. Gesch, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. PlantBridging 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-simulation runtimes and, often, numerical instability makeAuthorsMichael N. Fienen, John P. Masterson, Nathaniel G. Plant, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, E. Robert ThielerDevelopment of a numerical model to simulate groundwater flow in the shallow aquifer system of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia
A three-dimensional groundwater-flow model was developed for Assateague Island in eastern Maryland and Virginia to simulate both groundwater flow and solute (salt) transport to evaluate the groundwater system response to sea-level rise. The model was constructed using geologic and spatial information to represent the island geometry, boundaries, and physical properties and was calibrated using anAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Michael N. Fienen, Dean B. Gesch, Carl S. CarlsonNumerical simulation of groundwater and surface-water interactions in the Big River Management Area, central Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Water Resources Board is considering use of groundwater resources from the Big River Management Area in central Rhode Island because increasing water demands in Rhode Island may exceed the capacity of current sources. Previous water-resources investigations in this glacially derived, valley-fill aquifer system have focused primarily on the effects of potential groundwater-pumpingAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Gregory E. GranatoWell network installation and hydrogeologic data collection, Assateague Island National Seashore, Worcester County, Maryland, 2010
The U.S. Geological Survey, as part of its Climate and Land Use Change Research and Development Program, is conducting a multi-year investigation to assess potential impacts on the natural resources of Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland that may result from changes in the hydrologic system in response to projected sea-level rise. As part of this effort, 26 monitoring wells were installeAuthorsWilliam S.L. Banks, John P. Masterson, Carole D. JohnsonEstimated hydrologic budgets of kettle-hole ponds in coastal aquifers of southeastern Massachusetts
Kettle-hole ponds in southeastern Massachusetts are in good hydraulic connection to an extensive coastal aquifer system that includes the Plymouth-Carver aquifer system on the mainland and aquifers underlying Cape Cod. The ponds receive water from, and contribute water to, the underlying glacial aquifer; ponds also receive water from precipitation and lose water to evaporation from the pond surfacAuthorsDonald A. Walter, John P. MastersonSimulated effects of water withdrawals and land-use changes on streamflows and groundwater levels in the Pawcatuck River Basin, southwestern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut
No abstract available.AuthorsGardner C. Bent, Phillip J. Zarriello, Gregory E. Granato, John P. Masterson, Donald A. Walter, Andrew M. Waite, Peter E. ChurchAssessing groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system
The U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Resources Program is conducting an assessment of groundwater availability throughout the United States to gain a better understanding of the status of the Nation's groundwater resources and how changes in land use, water use, and climate may affect those resources. The goal of this National assessment is to improve our ability to forecast water availabilityAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Jason P. Pope, Jack Monti, Mark R. NardiHydrogeology and Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury Aquifer System, Southeastern Massachusetts
The glacial sediments that underlie the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury area of southeastern Massachusetts compose an important aquifer system that is the primary source of water for a region undergoing rapid development. Population increases and land-use changes in this area has led to two primary environmental effects that relate directly to groundwater resources: (1) increases in pumping thatAuthorsJohn P. Masterson, Carl S. Carlson, Donald A. Walter, Gardner C. Other contributing authors: Bent, Andrew J. MasseyNon-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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