Kenna D Butler
Kenna serves as the Bureau Quality Management System (QMS) Coordinator in the Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI), where she oversees and guides the activities of the Bureau QMS Work Group from policy development to implementation plans.
She works closely with Mission Areas and Regional Management to ensure consistency across the Bureau, and assures the successful implementation of a QMS in all USGS laboratories. Kenna joined the USGS in 2001 as a chemistry laboratory manager in the Water Mission Area's National Research Program working with George Aiken, where her research focused on dissolved organic carbon characterization, migration and metal interaction in aquatic environments. After 14 years in that role, she entered center management before beginning her current role in 2018. As the NRP Central Branch Chief, Kenna oversaw the scientific priorities of 80 personnel, directly supervising 23 GS-15 and ST scientists. As a member of the NRP Management Team, Kenna was responsible for a complex scientific portfolio. Prior to joining the USGS, Kenna worked for the U.S. Army in Germany as a drinking water quality organic chemist working under an ISO accredited quality system. Kenna holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a Master's degree in Management with an emphasis on Public Administration.
Science and Products
An intercomparison of three methods for the large-scale isolation of oceanic dissolved organic matter
Chromophoric dissolved organic matter export from U.S. rivers
Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River and its tributaries: Seasonality and importance of inorganic nitrogen
Dissolved organic matter composition of winter flow in the Yukon River basin: Implications of permafrost thaw and increased groundwater discharge
Dissolved organic carbon and chromophoric dissolved organic matter properties of rivers in the USA
An initial investigation into the organic matter biogeochemistry of the Congo River
Identifying fluorescent pulp mill effluent in the Gulf of Maine and its watershed
Relationships between Δ14C and the molecular quality of dissolved organic carbon in rivers draining to the coast from the conterminous United States
Mercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
Comparison of XAD with other dissolved lignin isolation techniques and a compilation of analytical improvements for the analysis of lignin in aquatic settings
Measurement of dissolved organic matter fluorescense in aquatic environments: An interlaboratory comparison
Klamath River Water Quality Data from Link River Dam to Keno Dam, Oregon, 2008
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An intercomparison of three methods for the large-scale isolation of oceanic dissolved organic matter
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was isolated from large volumes of deep (674 m) and surface (21 m) ocean water via reverse osmosis/electrodialysis (RO/ED) and two solid-phase extraction (SPE) methods (XAD-8/4 and PPL) at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA). By applying the three methods to common water samples, the efficiencies of XAD, PPL and RO/ED DOM isolation were comparedAuthorsNelson W. Green, E. Michael Perdue, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, Hongmei Chen, Thorsten Dittmar, Jutta Niggemann, Aron StubbinsChromophoric dissolved organic matter export from U.S. rivers
Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluxes and yields from 15 major U.S. rivers draining an assortment of terrestrial biomes are presented. A robust relationship between CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loads is established (e.g., a350 versus DOC; r2 = 0.96, p < 0.001). Calculated CDOM yields are also correlated to watershed percent wetland (e.g. a350; r2 = 0.81, p < 0.001) providiAuthorsRobert G. M. Spencer, George R. Aiken, Mark M. Dornblaser, Kenna D. Butler, R. Max Holmes, Greg Fiske, Paul J. Mann, Aron StubbinsBiodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River and its tributaries: Seasonality and importance of inorganic nitrogen
Northern high-latitude rivers transport large amounts of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) from boreal and arctic ecosystems to coastal areas and oceans. Current knowledge of the biodegradability of DOM in these rivers is limited, particularly for large rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean. We conducted a seasonally comprehensive study of biodegradable dissolved organic carbonAuthorsKimberly P. Wickland, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, Mark M. Dornblaser, RGM Spencer, Robert G. StrieglDissolved organic matter composition of winter flow in the Yukon River basin: Implications of permafrost thaw and increased groundwater discharge
Groundwater discharge to rivers has increased in recent decades across the circumpolar region and has been attributed to thawing permafrost in arctic and subarctic watersheds. Permafrost-driven changes in groundwater discharge will alter the flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in rivers, yet little is known about the chemical composition and reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) of grounAuthorsJonathan A. O'Donnell, George R. Aiken, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Kenna D. ButlerDissolved organic carbon and chromophoric dissolved organic matter properties of rivers in the USA
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) parameters were measured over a range of discharge in 30 U.S. rivers, covering a diverse assortment of fluvial ecosystems in terms of watershed size and landscape drained. Relationships between CDOM absorption at a range of wavelengths (a254, a350, a440) and DOC in the 30 watersheds were found to correlatAuthorsRobert G.M. Spencer, Kenna D. Butler, George R. AikenAn initial investigation into the organic matter biogeochemistry of the Congo River
The Congo River, which drains pristine tropical forest and savannah and is the second largest exporter of terrestrial carbon to the ocean, was sampled in early 2008 to investigate organic matter (OM) dynamics in this historically understudied river basin. We examined the elemental (%OC, %N, C:N), isotopic (δ13C, Δ14C, δ15N) and biochemical composition (lignin phenols) of coarse particulate (>63 μmAuthorsRobert G.M. Spencer, Peter J. Hernes, Anthony K. Aufdenkampe, Andy Baker, Pauline Gulliver, Aron Stubbins, George R. Aiken, Rachael Y. Dyda, Kenna D. Butler, Vincent L. Mwamba, Arthur M. Mangangu, Jose N. Wabakanghanzi, Johan SixIdentifying fluorescent pulp mill effluent in the Gulf of Maine and its watershed
Using fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) we characterized and modeled the fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in samples from the Penobscot River, Androscoggin River, Penobscot Bay, and the Gulf of Maine (GoM). We analyzed excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) using an existing PARAFAC model (Cory and McKnight, 2005) and created a system-specific mAuthorsKaelin M. Cawley, Kenna D. Butler, George R. Aiken, Laurel G. Larsen, Thomas G. Huntington, Diane M. McKnightRelationships between Δ14C and the molecular quality of dissolved organic carbon in rivers draining to the coast from the conterminous United States
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in natural waters possesses chemical and molecular qualities indicative of its source and age. The apportionment of DOC by age into millennial and decadal pools is necessary to understand the temporal connection between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. We measured Δ14C-DOC and chemical composition indices (specific ultraviolet absorbanceAuthorsDavid Butman, Peter A. Raymond, Kenna D. Butler, George R. AikenMercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
We measured mercury (Hg) concentrations and calculated export and yield from the Yukon River Basin (YRB) to quantify Hg flux from a large, permafrost-dominated, high-latitude watershed. Exports of Hg averaged 4400 kg Hg yr-1. The average annual yield for the YRB during the study period was 5.17 μg m-2 yr-1, which is 3–32 times more than Hg yields reported for 8 other major northern hemisphere riveAuthorsPaul F. Schuster, Robert G. Striegl, George R. Aiken, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F. DeWild, Kenna D. Butler, Ben Kamark, Mark DornblaserComparison of XAD with other dissolved lignin isolation techniques and a compilation of analytical improvements for the analysis of lignin in aquatic settings
This manuscript highlights numerous incremental improvements in dissolved lignin measurements over the nearly three decades since CuO oxidation of lignin phenols was first adapted for environmental samples. Intercomparison of the recovery efficiency of three common lignin phenol concentration and isolation techniques, namely XAD, C18with both CH3OH (C18M) and CH3CN (C18A) used independently for prAuthorsRobert G. M. Spencer, George R. Aiken, Rachael Y. Dyda, Kenna D. Butler, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Peter J. HernesMeasurement of dissolved organic matter fluorescense in aquatic environments: An interlaboratory comparison
The fluorescent properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are often studied in order to infer DOM characteristics in aquatic environments, including source, quantity, composition, and behavior. While a potentially powerful technique, a single widely implemented standard method for correcting and presenting fluorescence measurements is lacking, leading to difficulties when comparing data collectAuthorsKathleen R. Murphy, Kenna D. Butler, Robert G. M. Spencer, Colin A. Stedmon, Jennifer R. Boehme, George R. AikenKlamath River Water Quality Data from Link River Dam to Keno Dam, Oregon, 2008
This report documents sampling and analytical methods and presents field data from a second year of an ongoing study on the Klamath River from Link River Dam to Keno Dam in south central Oregon; this dataset will form the basis of a hydrodynamic and water quality model. Water quality was sampled weekly at six mainstem and two tributary sites from early April through early November, 2008. ConstitueAuthorsAnnett B. Sullivan, Michael L. Deas, Jessica Asbill, Julie D. Kirshtein, Kenna D. Butler, Jennifer Vaughn