Justin Boldt
Justin is a Hydrologist for the USGS Indiana-Kentucky Water Science Center in Louisville, KY. He is experienced with hydroacoustic instruments, bathymetric surveying, programming, and hydraulic modeling.
Biography
Education
Master of Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013
Bachelor of Science, Engineering (Civil/Environmental Concentration), Calvin College, 2009
Science and Products
Sediment Acoustics
The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes the need to provide sediment acoustic training and to develop standardized techniques and practices.
Bridge Scour Countermeasures
Flood events on rivers can cause erosion of the soil around a bridge foundation. This process is frequently referred to as bridge scour. Over time, scour can lead to bridge failure. To manage the risk from bridge scour, countermeasures are now used on bridge foundations. USGS scientists will be evaluating these bridge scour countermeasures at bridges across the country on rivers of various...
River Meander Modeling - Wabash River
Significant flood events on the Wabash River between 3 mi downstream of Mt. Carmel, IL to 10 mi downstream from New Harmony, IN caused the collapse of the railroad pier, bridge, and trusses which crossed the river. Scientists are using two models to evaluate how future flooding may impact the current I-64 bridge and the river channel. One model will focus on river meander migration. The second...
Flood Inundation Mapping in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana
Flood inundation maps (FIMs) translate the stage of a river (shown on a hydrograph) to a map showing the extent and depth of flood waters. FIMS are created by combining datasets calculated by hydraulic models with ArcGIS, a geographic information system. FIMs can be used in conjunction with USGS real-time data and National Weather Service Flood Forecasts to plan and prepare for flood events....
Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis and Modeling
USGS scientists can perform numerical simulations with the FLOW-3D application. FLOW-3D is a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package with multi-physics modules. It solves the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes and continuity equations in a structured, rectangular grid. USGS scientists use CFD models to design equipment (such as the...
Bathymetric Surveys
Bathymetric surveys allow us to measure the depth of a water body as well as map the underwater features of a water body. Multiple methods can be used for bathymetric surveys including multi-beam and single-beam surveys, ADCPs, sub-bottom profilers, and the Ecomapper Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. We use bathymetric surveys for many different types of research including flood inundation,...
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)
Scientists are using the Ecomapper Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to collect imagery, bathymetry, and basic water-quality parameters. The Ecomapper provides a innovative visualization of data.
Advanced Mapping Technologies
USGS is developing new and innovative ways to map the world around us.
Bathymetric surveys of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana made with a multibeam echosounder, 2016, and comparison with previous surveys
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Citizens Energy Group, conducted a bathymetric survey of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana in April and May of 2016 with a multibeam echosounder. Both reservoirs serve as water supply, flood control, and recreational resources for the city of Indianapolis and the surrounding communities....
Boldt, Justin A.; Martin, Zachary W.Acoustic Sediment Estimation Toolbox (ASET): A software package for calibrating and processing TRDI ADCP data to compute suspended-sediment transport in sandy rivers
Quantifying suspended-sediment transport is critical for a variety of disciplines related to the management of water resources. However, the number of gauging stations and monitoring networks in most rivers around the world is insufficient to improve understanding of river dynamics and support water resource management decisions. This is mainly...
Dominguez Ruben, Lucas Gerardo; Szupiany, Ricardo; Latosinski, Francisco; Lopez Weibel, Cecilia; Wood, Molly S.; Boldt, Justin A.Dunes in the world's big rivers are characterized by low-angle lee-side slopes and a complex shape
Dunes form critical agents of bedload transport in all of the world’s big rivers, and constitute appreciable sources of bed roughness and flow resistance. Dunes also generate stratification that is the most common depositional feature of ancient riverine sediments. However, current models of dune dynamics and stratification are conditioned by...
Cisneros, Julia; Best, Jim L.; van Dijk, Thaienne; de Almeida, Renato Paes; Amsler, Mario; Boldt, Justin A.; Freitas, Bernardo; Galeazzi, Cristiano; Huizinga, Richard J.; Ianniruberto, Marco; Ma, Hongbo; Nittrouer, Jeff; Oberg, Kevin; Orfeo, Oscar; Parsons, Daniel; Szupiany, Ricardo N.; Wang, Ping; Zhang, YuanfengPotential interaction of groundwater and surface water including autonomous underwater vehicle reconnaissance at Nolin River Lake, Kentucky, 2016
The U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, on a synoptic study of water quality at Nolin River Lake during August 2016. The purpose of the study was to develop a better understanding of the potential for interaction between groundwater and surface water at Nolin River Lake, Kentucky....
Crain, Angela S.; Boldt, Justin A.; Bayless, E. Randall; Bunch, Aubrey R.; Young, Jade L.; Thomason, Jennifer C.; Wolf, Zachary L.Measuring suspended sediment in sand-bedded rivers using down-looking acoustic doppler current profilers
The use of side-looking acoustic Doppler velocity meters (ADVMs) to estimate fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) has become more operational by the U.S. Geological Survey in recent years; however, direct transfer of these techniques to down-looking acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) currently is not widely feasible. Key...
Wood, Molly S.; Szupiany, Ricardo N.; Boldt, Justin A.; Straub, Timothy; Domanski, Marian M.Flood-inundation maps for the North Fork Kentucky River at Hazard, Kentucky
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 7.1-mile reach of the North Fork Kentucky River at Hazard, Kentucky (Ky.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Kentucky Silver Jackets and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation...
Boldt, Justin A.; Lant, Jeremiah G.; Kolarik, Nicholas E.Development of a hydraulic model and flood-inundation maps for the Wabash River near the Interstate 64 Bridge near Grayville, Illinois
A two-dimensional hydraulic model and digital flood‑inundation maps were developed for a 30-mile reach of the Wabash River near the Interstate 64 Bridge near Grayville, Illinois. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Flood Inundation Mapping Science web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/...
Boldt, Justin A.River meander modeling of the Wabash River near the Interstate 64 Bridge near Grayville, Illinois
Natural river channels continually evolve and change shape over time. As a result, channel evolution or migration can cause problems for bridge structures that are fixed in the flood plain. A once-stable bridge structure that was uninfluenced by a river’s shape could be encroached upon by a migrating river channel. The potential effect of the...
Lant, Jeremiah G.; Boldt, Justin A.Estimating suspended sediment using acoustics in a fine-grained riverine system, Kickapoo Creek at Bloomington, Illinois
Acoustic technologies have the potential to be used as a surrogate for measuring suspended-sediment concentration (SSC). This potential was examined in a fine-grained (97-100 percent fines) riverine system in central Illinois by way of installation of an acoustic instrument. Acoustic data were collected continuously over the span of 5.5 years....
Manaster, Amanda D.; Domanski, Marian M.; Straub, Timothy D.; Boldt, Justin A.Flood-inundation maps for the East Fork White River at Shoals, Indiana
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.9-mile reach of the East Fork White River at Shoals, Indiana (Ind.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://...
Boldt, Justin A.From mobile ADCP to high-resolution SSC: a cross-section calibration tool
Sediment is a major cause of stream impairment, and improved sediment monitoring is a crucial need. Point samples of suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) are often not enough to provide an understanding to answer critical questions in a changing environment. As technology has improved, there now exists the opportunity to obtain discrete...
Boldt, Justin A.