Phillips, S.W., Hyer, Kenneth, and Goldbaum, Elizabeth, 2017, U.S. Geological Survey Science—Improving the value of the Chesapeake Bay watershed: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2017–3031, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20173031.
ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)
ISSN: 2327-6916 (print)
Ken Hyer, Ph.D.
Serves as the USGS Chesapeake Bay Associate Coordinator. Responsible for developing key USGS science-planning documents and helping to coordinate USGS science efforts that are used by managers to inform restoration and conservation activities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Biography
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
USGS Chesapeake Bay Associate Coordinator – 2015-present
Responsibilities Include:
- Work with USGS Chesapeake Science Team, Science Centers, and CB Program Coordinator to set science priorities and plan Chesapeake Bay science activities based on agency and partner guidance
- Work with USGS Scientists to coordinate projects and synthesis activities to address the USGS Chesapeake Bay science goals and advance our understanding of management and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
- Interacts with USGS Program Coordinators, Regions, and Science Centers to identify and coordinate resources for USGS Chesapeake Bay projects
- Support USGS Chesapeake Bay Coordinator interaction with Partners, DOI, and Congress
USGS Hydrologist and Water-Quality Specialist – 2001-2015
Responsibilities Included:
- Oversight of Water Science Center (WSC) water-quality program
- Provide technical expertise to center managers, scientists, and technicians
- Extensive program development activities
- Lead Scientist on complex, multi-disciplinary water-resources studies
USGS Hydrologist – 2000-2001
- Lead Scientist on several complex, multi-disciplinary water-resources studies.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
M.S. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
B.S. Environmental Science, Virginia Tech
Science and Products
Date published: July 15, 2021
Status: Completed USGS Updates Chesapeake Science Strategy
Issue: For decades the USGS has provided critical science used to understand and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. As the ecosystem is faced with new and evolving pressures from climate change, human development and changes in land use, the USGS has updated its science priorities to help address these growing threats. Tourism, fishing, boating, agricultural...
Contacts: Ken Hyer, Ph.D., Scott Phillips
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: February 5, 2021
Status: Active USGS Contributes to Revised Plans for Chesapeake Water-Quality and Toxic Contaminant Goal
Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), through the Strategic Review System (SRS), reviews progress toward the 10 goals and associated outcomes of the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. Each outcome is managed by a specific CBP Goal Implementation Team and their associated workgroups. During review of each outcome every two years, a workgroup is responsible to prepare materials...
Contacts: Scott Phillips, Ken Hyer, Ph.D.
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: January 26, 2021
Status: Completed Fact Sheet Summarizes Nutrient Trends and Drivers in the Chesapeake Watershed
Issue: Trends in nitrogen and phosphorus, and the complex factors affecting their change, provide important insights into the effectiveness of efforts to reduce nutrients from reaching the tidal waters of the Bay. The nutrient reductions are needed to improve water-quality conditions in the tidal waters for fisheries and submerged aquatic vegetation.
Contacts: Scott Phillips, Ken Hyer, Ph.D.
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: June 10, 2020
Status: Completed USGS provides plenary and other talks at the Chesapeake Research Symposium
The Chesapeake Community Research Symposium is held every two years with a goal to “By bringing together managers, scientists, and stakeholders for a series of plenary talks, panel discussions, and special sessions, the 2020 Chesapeake Community Research Symposium will highlight recent progress, challenges and prospects for research, monitoring and modeling efforts that are used to guide...
Contacts: Scott Phillips, Ken Hyer, Ph.D.
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: April 28, 2020
Status: Completed New Findings on Toxic Contaminants in the Chesapeake Watershed
Issue:
The Chesapeake Bay Program has a goal to reduce the impacts of toxic contaminants on living resources in the Bay and its watershed. USGS leads the toxic contaminant outcome on research to increase our understanding of the impacts and mitigation options for toxic contaminants.
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: December 18, 2019
Status: Active Employing an Ecosystem Services Framework to Deliver Decision Ready Science
By Vivian Nolan
Contacts: Emily J Pindilli, Ph.D., Dianna M Hogan, Ph.D.
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: August 1, 2019
Status: Active USGS science informs revised water-quality restoration plans for the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed
Science Summary
Contacts: Jeni Keisman, Ph.D., Joel Blomquist
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: July 8, 2019
Status: Active Freshwater Flow into Chesapeake Bay
Explore resources here describing estimates of freshwater flow entering Chesapeake Bay.
The health of the Chesapeake Bay is greatly affected by freshwater flow from rivers draining its watershed. The amount of freshwater flow (also called streamflow) will:
• Change salinity levels in the Bay, which affect oysters, crabs, and finfish.
• Influence the...
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: July 8, 2019
Status: Active Chesapeake Bay Estimated Streamflow: METHODS
Methods for Estimating Streamflow to Chesapeake Bay
The following is a description of how data presented on the website "Chesapeake Bay Estimated Streamflow" are computed.
Essentially, the methodology was published more than 51 years ago, and has been adapted for use in modern automated computing systems....
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: July 8, 2019
Status: Active Chesapeake Bay Estimated Streamflow: WEBSITE HISTORY
by Brad Garner, Hydrologist USGS
This website originated as a dynamic web application (hereafter, simply webapp). That is, content such as data and graphs, were generated "on-the-fly" as requests were made by web-browser clients. This was made possible by automating the methods of Bue (1968), and by...
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: June 22, 2018
Status: Completed 1940-1999 USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities Bibliography
The USGS has published reports and journal articles on a large number of topics related to the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. This information is used to make science-based decisions on the Bay's ecosystem conservation and restoration. Below is a list of publications from 1940 through 1999. (Note: Use your browser's Find feature to search this page.)
Contacts: Scott Phillips, Ken Hyer, Ph.D.
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: April 18, 2018
Status: Active USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities Highlighted in the News
USGS and various partner's findings are highlighted in articles and video reports.
Contacts: Scott Phillips, Ken Hyer, Ph.D.
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Year Published: 2021
USGS Chesapeake Science Strategy 2021-2025
The Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is a national treasure that provides almost $100 billion annually of goods and services. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), is one of the largest federal-state restoration partnerships in the United States and is underpinned by rigorous science. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a pivotal role as a science provider...
Hyer, Kenneth E.; Phillips, Scott W.Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
View Citation
Hyer, K., and Phillips, S., 2021, USGS Chesapeake Science Strategy 2021-2025: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2021–3037, 6 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20213037.
Year Published: 2021
Nutrient trends and drivers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Program maintains an extensive nontidal monitoring network, measuring nitrogen and phosphorus (nutrients) at more than 100 locations on rivers and streams in the watershed. Data from these locations are used by United States Geological Survey to assess the ecosystem’s response to nutrient-reduction efforts. This fact sheet...
Hyer, Kenneth E.; Phillips, Scott W.; Ator, Scott W.; Moyer, Douglas L.; Webber, James S.; Felver, Rachel; Keisman, Jennifer L.; McDonnell, Lee A.; Murphy, Rebecca; Trentacoste, Emily M.; Zhang, Qian; Dennison, William C.; Swanson, Sky; Walsh, Brianne; Hawkey, Jane; Taillie, DylanAttribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
View Citation
Hyer, K.E., Phillips, S.W., Ator, S.W., Moyer, D.L., Webber, J.S., Felver, R., Keisman, J.L., McDonnell, L.A., Murphy, R., Trentacoste, E.M., Zhang, Q., Dennison, W.C., Swanson, S., Walsh, B., Hawkey, J., and Taillie, D., 2021, Nutrient trends and drivers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2020–3069, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20203069.
Year Published: 2017
U.S. Geological Survey Science—Improving the value of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
IntroductionCongress directed the Federal Government to work with States to restore the Nation’s largest estuary.Chesapeake Bay restoration provides important economic and ecological benefits:18 million people live and work in the Bay watershed and enjoy its benefits.3,600 types of fish, wildlife, and plants underpin the economic value of the Bay...
Phillips, Scott W.; Hyer, Kenneth E.; Goldbaum, ElizabethAttribution: Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Phillips, S.W., Hyer, Kenneth, and Goldbaum, Elizabeth, 2017, U.S. Geological Survey Science—Improving the value of the Chesapeake Bay watershed: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2017–3031, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20173031.
Year Published: 2010
Increasing precision of turbidity-based suspended sediment concentration and load estimates
Turbidity is an effective tool for estimating and monitoring suspended sediments in aquatic systems. Turbidity can be measured in situ remotely and at fine temporal scales as a surrogate for suspended sediment concentration (SSC), providing opportunity for a more complete record of SSC than is possible with physical sampling approaches. However,...
Jastram, John D.; Zipper, Carl E.; Zelanzny, Lucian W.; Hyer, Kenneth E.Attribution: Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Jastram, J. D., C. E. Zipper, L. W. Zelazny, and K. E. Hyer. 2010. Increasing Precision of Turbidity-Based Suspended Sediment Concentration and Load Estimates. J. Environ. Qual. 39:1306-1316. doi:10.2134/jeq2009.0280
Pre-USGS Publications
U.S. Geological Survey, 2016, Contaminants in urban waters—Science capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2016–3024, 2 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20163024.
ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)
Contaminants in urban waters—Science capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2016-3024
Hyer, K.E., Denver, J.M., Langland, M.J., Webber, J.S., Böhlke, J.K., Hively, W.D., and Clune, J.W., 2016, Spatial
and temporal variation of stream chemistry associated with contrasting geology and land-use patterns in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed—Summary of results from Smith Creek, Virginia; Upper Chester River, Maryland;
Conewago Creek, Pennsylvania; and Difficult Run, Virginia, 2010–2013: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations
Report 2016–5093, 211 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20165093.
ISSN 2328-031X (print)
ISSN 2328-0328 (online)
ISBN 978-1-4113-4085-5
Chanat, J.G., Moyer, D.L., Blomquist, J.D., Hyer, K.E., and Langland, M.J., 2016, Application of a weighted
regression model for reporting nutrient and sediment concentrations, fluxes, and trends in concentration
and flux for the Chesapeake Bay Nontidal Water-Quality Monitoring Network, results through water year 2012:
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5133, 76 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155133.
ISSN 2328-031X (print)
ISSN 2328-0328 (online)
ISBN 978-1-4113-4005-3
Jastram, J.D., Krstolic, J.L., Moyer, D.L., and Hyer, K.E., 2015, Fluvial geomorphology and suspended-sediment transport
during construction of the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project in Roanoke, Virginia, 2005–2012:
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5111, 53 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155111.
ISSN 2328-031X (print)
ISSN 2328-0328 (online)
ISBN 978-1-4113-3967-5
Langland, M.J., Blomquist, J.D., Moyer, D.L., Hyer, K.E., and Chanat, J.G., 2013, Total nutrient and sediment loads, trends, yields, and nontidal water-quality indicators for selected nontidal stations, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 1985–2011: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1052, 51 p., available only at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1052/.
Moyer, D.L., Hirsch, R.M., and Hyer, K.E., 2012, Comparison of two regression-based approaches for determining nutrient and sediment fluxes and trends in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5244, 118 p. (Available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5244/.)
Langland, Michael, Blomquist, Joel, Moyer, Douglas, and Hyer, Kenneth, 2012, Nutrient and suspended-sediment trends, loads, and yields and development of an indicator of streamwater quality at nontidal sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, 1985–2010: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5093, 26 p.
Date published: October 28, 2020
Chesapeake Bay dead zone smaller than in recent years
Chesapeake Bay Program — Press Release — October 28, 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: June 25, 2020
Groundwater and the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Quarterly — Volume 19, Number 1 — June 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: June 18, 2020
Slightly smaller-than-average dead zone predicted for Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay Program — Press Release — June 16, 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: May 1, 2020
Report finds poultry farming sends more pollution to Chesapeake Bay than previously thought
StateImpact Pennsylvania — by Rachel McDevitt — May 1, 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: April 30, 2020
The Pocomoke: Exploring the Twisting Beauty of this Eastern Shore River
Chesapeake Bay Magazine — by John Page Williams — April 30, 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: April 14, 2020
Advocates press for more federal funding to help reach Bay goals
Bay Journal — by Karl Blankenship — April 13, 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: March 25, 2020
This year’s Bay Barometer sets a different type of foundation for Bay restoration
Chesapeake Bay Program — by Rachel Felver — March 25, 2020
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: December 2, 2019
Freshwater flows to Bay highest in 82 years of monitoring
Bay Journal — by Karl Blankenship — December 02, 2019
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: November 26, 2019
Bay health impacted by record flows
Chesapeake Bay Program — by Dylan Reynolds — November 26, 2019
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: October 14, 2019
Executive Review: 2019 Mid-Atlantic Smallmouth Bass Health Assessment
Potomac Riverkeeper Network — October 14, 2019
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: October 3, 2019
September Hypoxia Report
Maryland Department of Natural Resources — October 3, 2019
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: August 14, 2019
High flows to Chesapeake Bay continued in July
Bay Journal — by Karl Blankenship — August 13, 2019
Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities