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Ken Eng, PhD

Ken Eng is a research hydrologist in the USGS Water Resources Mission Area focusing on changes to streamflow, low flows/droughts, and environmental flows using machine learning approaches. He is based in Reston, VA.   

Ken's recent work has focused on understanding and prediction of streamflow changes to unmonitored locations due to land and water management practices, such as dams, land cover, irrigation, and interbasin transfers, using machine learning approaches.  

Other areas of research include work on developing regional frameworks relating environmental flow changes to aquatic biota impairment. In addition, Ken has examined the integration of subsurface/baseflow models with machine learning methods to improve predictions of low flow/drought flow characteristics. 

Professional Experience

  • 2001 to Present: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Mission Area

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 2001

  • M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 1998

  • B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, 1996

Science and Products

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River Corridor hot spots for biogeochemical processing: a continental scale synthesis

Rivers are the veins of the landscape, providing environmental benefits that are disproportionately high relative to their aerial extent; shedding flood waters, hosting aquatic ecosystems, transporting solutes and energy-rich materials, and storing and transforming pollutants into less harmful forms. From uplands to the coasts, rivers facilitate key biogeochemical reactions that cumulatively influ
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John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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River Corridor hot spots for biogeochemical processing: a continental scale synthesis

Rivers are the veins of the landscape, providing environmental benefits that are disproportionately high relative to their aerial extent; shedding flood waters, hosting aquatic ecosystems, transporting solutes and energy-rich materials, and storing and transforming pollutants into less harmful forms. From uplands to the coasts, rivers facilitate key biogeochemical reactions that cumulatively influ
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Calculated baseflow recession characteristics for streamflow gauging locations for the western and eastern United States, 1900 to 2018

This metadata record describes observed and predicted baseflow recession characteristics for 300 streamflow gauges in the western United States and 282 streamflow gauges in the eastern United States. Specifically, this record describes (1) the streamflow gauge locations (west or east) in the United States (Location), (2) the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow gauge identification numbers (USGS_Site
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Water Resources Mission Area

Trends in selected streamflow metrics at reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, 1980-2014

This dataset includes four tables related to annual trends in streamflow metrics at 599 reference streamgages in the conterminous United States for the period 1955-2014. Reference streamgages are defined here as gages with drainage basins that are minimally impacted by anthropogenic effects such as reservoirs or urbanization. The four tables are: 1) computed annual values for 16 streamflow metrics
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Water Resources Mission Area

Hydrologic metric changes across the conterminous United States

This metadata record describes the following eight attributes: (1) the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow gage identification number, (2) aggregated level 2 ecoregion, (3) hydrologic metric abbreviation, (4) direct-human modification classification of watershed, (5) estimated hydrologic metric values for 1950 to 2014, (6) estimated hydrologic metric values for 1980 to 2014, (7) observed hydrologic
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Evaluation of machine learning approaches for predicting streamflow metrics across the conterminous United States

Few regional or national scale studies have evaluated machine learning approaches for predicting streamflow metrics at ungaged locations. Most such studies are limited by the number of dimensions of the streamflow regime investigated. This study, in contrast, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the streamflow regime based on three widely available machine learning approaches (support vector reg
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Water Resources Mission Area

Regionalization of surface-water statistics using multiple linear regression

This report serves as a reference document in support of the regionalization of surface-water statistics using multiple linear regression. Streamflow statistics are quantitative characterizations of hydrology and are often derived from observed streamflow records. In the absence of observed streamflow records, as at unmonitored or ungaged locations, other techniques are required. Multiple linear r
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Water Resources Mission Area

Severity and extent of alterations to natural streamflow regimes based on hydrologic metrics in the conterminous United States, 1980–2014

Alteration of the natural streamflow regime by land and water management, such as land-cover change and dams, is associated with aquatic ecosystem degradation. The severity and geographic extent of streamflow alteration at regional and national scales, however, remain largely unquantified. The primary goal of this study is to characterize the severity and extent of alterations to natural streamflo
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Water Resources Mission Area

Flow modification in the Nation’s streams and rivers

This report summarizes a national assessment of flowing waters conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project and addresses several pressing questions about the modification of natural flows in streams and rivers. The assessment is based on the integration, modeling, and synthesis of monitoring data collected by the USGS and the U.S. Environmenta
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Water Resources Mission Area

Regional-scale associations between indicators of biological integrity and indicators of streamflow modification

Although streamflow is widely recognized as a controlling factor in stream health, empirical relations between indicators of anthropogenic modification of streamflow and ecological indicators have been elusive. The objective of this report is to build upon specific findings reported in recent publications by providing a library of empirical models that describe the relations between streamflow mod
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Water Resources Mission Area

Thresholds of lake and reservoir connectivity in river networks control nitrogen removal

Lakes, reservoirs, and other ponded waters are ubiquitous features of the aquatic landscape, yet their cumulative role in nitrogen removal in large river basins is often unclear. Here we use predictive modeling, together with comprehensive river water quality, land use, and hydrography datasets, to examine and explain the influences of more than 18,000 ponded waters on nitrogen removal through riv
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Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

How hydrologic connectivity regulates water quality in river corridors

Downstream flow in rivers is repeatedly delayed by hydrologic exchange with off‐channel storage zones where biogeochemical processing occurs. We present a dimensionless metric that quantifies river connectivity as the balance between downstream flow and the exchange of water with the bed, banks, and floodplains. The degree of connectivity directly influences downstream water quality — too little c
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Water Resources Mission Area, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Predictability and selection of hydrologic metrics in riverine ecohydrology

The natural flow regime is critical to the health of riverine ecosystems. Many hydrologic metrics (HMs) have been developed to describe natural flow regimes, quantify flow alteration, and provide the hydrologic foundation for the development of environmental flow standards. Many applications require the use of models to predict expected natural values of HMs from basin characteristics at sites wit
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Water Resources Mission Area

Biological relevance of streamflow metrics: Regional and national perspectives

Protecting the health of streams and rivers requires identifying ecologically significant attributes of the natural flow regime. Streamflow regimes are routinely quantified using a plethora of hydrologic metrics (HMs), most of which have unknown relevance to biological communities. At regional and national scales, we evaluated which of 509 commonly used HMs were associated with biological indicato
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Water Resources Mission Area

Streamflow alteration and habitat ramifications for a threatened fish species in the Central United States

In the Central United States, the Arkansas darter (Etheostoma cragini) is listed as a threatened fish species by the State of Kansas. Survival of the darter is threatened by loss of habitat caused by changing streamflow conditions, in particular flow depletion. Future management of darter populations and habitats requires an understanding of streamflow conditions and how those conditions may have
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Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center

Streamflow alteration at selected sites in Kansas

An understanding of streamflow alteration in response to various disturbances is necessary for the effective management of stream habitat for a variety of species in Kansas. Streamflow alteration can have negative ecological effects. Using a modeling approach, streamflow alteration was assessed for 129 selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in the State for which requisite streamflow and basi
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Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center

Sensitivity of intermittent streams to climate variations in the USA

There is a great deal of interest in the literature on streamflow changes caused by climate change because of the potential negative effects on aquatic biota and water supplies. Most previous studies have primarily focused on perennial streams, and there have been only a few studies examining the effect of climate variability on intermittent streams. Our objectives in this study were to (1) identi
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Extensive Investigation of Intermittent Streams Indicates Link to Past Climate

A new USGS study published in the journal River Research and Applications presents an extensive analysis of temporary (intermittent) streams across...

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