Kevin D Kroeger, PhD
Kevin Kroeger has studied coastal ecosystems since 1990, with focus on a range of topics including fluxes and biogeochemistry of nitrogen in groundwater discharge to estuaries and wetlands, estuarine water quality, and carbon and greenhouse gas cycling and fluxes in coastal wetlands.
Kroeger is lead of the Biogeochemical Processes group at Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, and lead of a new project titled: Biogeochemical Drivers of Wetland Persistence and Feedbacks on Coastal Hazards The objectives of this Project are to provide guidance to federal (National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Army Corp of Engineers), state, local and private land owners and managers regarding stability and persistence of coastal wetlands under a range of hydrological management conditions and changing environmental conditions. Tidal wetlands provide critical services to society, including protection of infrastructure from coastal hazards, and habitat provision for economically important species. A large fraction of U.S. tidal wetlands, however, has been lost or degraded during recent centuries due to human actions, largely related to development and utilization of coastal lands. Feedbacks and interactions among natural and anthropogenic drivers have altered the stability and persistence of coastal wetlands. Decisions regarding hydrological management can alter the balance of organic matter production, retention and preservation, and thus management actions can either promote wetland persistence and resilience, or cause catastrophic loss of elevation, putting coastal infrastructure at increased risk of flooding or storm damage. This project impacts wetland management decisions. The contiguous U.S. has close to 2 million hectares of estuarine and marine wetlands. Nearly all of that area is under some level of management, with the federal government being the largest single manager. Land managers at FWS and NPS, and flood managers at ACOE, must make decisions regarding whether to spend substantial funds to maintain, repair and enhance water control structures under increasing rates of sea level change, or alternatively whether to reduce or remove hydrological management, to restore managed wetlands to more natural hydrology and enhance the capability of wetlands to build elevation over time, and to migrate landward. Society needs guidance and predictions regarding the result of those decisions for continued elevation gain, migration, and ongoing persistence of the wetlands.
Professional Experience
Present: Research Chemist, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
2004-2006: Mendenhall Fellow, US Geological Survey Geologic Division, St Petersburg, FL
2003-2004: Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
1997-2003: Research Fellow and Teaching Fellow, Bos
Education and Certifications
PhD Boston University Marine Program (Biogeochemistry)
M.S. University of Connecticut (Marine Science)
B.A. University of Tennessee (Ecology)
Affiliations and Memberships*
Contributing Author: 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR-2), Chapter 15 Tidal Wetlands and Estuaries
Lead, USGS Woods Hole Coastal Biogeochemical Processes Project
Participant, 2017 EPA AFOL
Science and Products
Observations of nearshore groundwater discharge: Kahekili Beach Park submarine springs, Maui, Hawaii
Intertidal salt marshes as an important source of inorganic carbon to the coastal ocean
Significance of groundwater discharge along the coast of Poland as a source of dissolved metals to the southern Baltic Sea
Hydrogeologic controls on groundwater discharge and nitrogen loads in a coastal watershed
Sediment transport-based metrics of wetland stability
Ground-truthing electrical resistivity methods in support of submarine groundwater discharge studies: Examples from Hawaii, Washington, and California
Substantial nitrous oxide emissions from intertidal sediments and groundwater in anthropogenically-impacted West Falmouth Harbor, Massachusetts
Net ecosystem production and organic carbon balance of U.S. East Coast estuaries: A synthesis approach
Continuous resistivity profiling and seismic-reflection data collected in April 2010 from Indian River Bay, Delaware
Stratigraphic controls on fluid and solute fluxes across the sediment-water interface of an estuary
Molecular signature of organic nitrogen in septic-impacted groundwater
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 63
Observations of nearshore groundwater discharge: Kahekili Beach Park submarine springs, Maui, Hawaii
Study regionThe study region encompasses the nearshore, coastal waters off west Maui, Hawaii. Here abundant groundwater—that carries with it a strong land-based fingerprint—discharges into the coastal waters and over a coral reef.Study focusCoastal groundwater discharge is a ubiquitous hydrologic feature that has been shown to impact nearshore ecosystems and material budgets. A unique combined geoAuthorsPeter W. Swarzenski, H. Dulai, K.D. Kroeger, C.G. Smith, N. Dimova, C. D. Storlazzi, N.G. Prouty, S. B. Gingerich, C. R. GlennIntertidal salt marshes as an important source of inorganic carbon to the coastal ocean
Dynamic tidal export of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to the coastal ocean from highly productive intertidal marshes and its effects on seawater carbonate chemistry are thoroughly evaluated. The study uses a comprehensive approach by combining tidal water sampling of CO2parameters across seasons, continuous in situ measurements of biogeochemically-relevant parameters and water fluxes, with highAuthorsZhaohui Aleck Wang, Kevin D. Kroeger, Neil K. Ganju, Meagan Gonneea Eagle, Sophie N. ChuSignificance of groundwater discharge along the coast of Poland as a source of dissolved metals to the southern Baltic Sea
Fluxes of dissolved trace metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) via groundwater discharge along the southern Baltic Sea have been assessed for the first time. Dissolved metal concentrations in groundwater samples were less variable than in seawater and were generally one or two orders of magnitude higher: Cd (2.1–2.8 nmol L− 1), Co (8.70–8.76 nmol L− 1), Cr (18.1–18.5 nmol L− 1), Mn (2.4–2.8AuthorsBeata Szymczycha, Kevin D. Kroeger, Janusz PempkowiakHydrogeologic controls on groundwater discharge and nitrogen loads in a coastal watershed
Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a small portion of the global water budget, but a potentially large contributor to coastal nutrient budgets due to high concentrations relative to stream discharge. A numerical groundwater flow model of the Inland Bays Watershed, Delaware, USA, was developed to identify the primary hydrogeologic factors that affect groundwater discharge rates and transit tiAuthorsChrtopher J. Russoniello, Leonard F. Konikow, Kevin D. Kroeger, Cristina Fernandez, A. Scott Andres, Holly A. MichaelSediment transport-based metrics of wetland stability
Despite the importance of sediment availability on wetland stability, vulnerability assessments seldom consider spatiotemporal variability of sediment transport. Models predict that the maximum rate of sea level rise a marsh can survive is proportional to suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and accretion. In contrast, we find that SSC and accretion are higher in an unstable marsh than in an adjAuthorsNeil K. Ganju, Matthew L. Kirwan, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Donald R. Cahoon, Kevin D. KroegerGround-truthing electrical resistivity methods in support of submarine groundwater discharge studies: Examples from Hawaii, Washington, and California
Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important conduit that links terrestrial and marine environments. SGD conveys both water and water-borne constituents into coastal waters, where these inflows may impact near-shore ecosystem health and sustainability. Multichannel electrical resistivity techniques have proven to be a powerful tool to examine scales and dynamics of SGD and SGD forcings. HAuthorsCordell Johnson, Peter W. Swarzenski, Christina M. Richardson, Christopher G. Smith, Kevin D. Kroeger, Priya M. GanguliSubstantial nitrous oxide emissions from intertidal sediments and groundwater in anthropogenically-impacted West Falmouth Harbor, Massachusetts
Large N2O emissions were observed from intertidal sediments in a coastal estuary, West Falmouth Harbor, MA, USA. Average N2O emission rates from 41 chambers during summer 2008 were 10.7 mol N2O m(-2) h(-1)±4.43 μmol N2O m(-2) h(-1) (standard error). Emissions were highest from sediments within a known wastewater plume, where a maximum N2O emission rate was 155 μmol N2O m(-2) h(-1). Intertidal N2OAuthorsSerena Moseman-Valtierra, Kevin D. Kroeger, John Crusius, Sandy Baldwin, Adrian G. Mann, Thomas W. Brooks, E. PughNet ecosystem production and organic carbon balance of U.S. East Coast estuaries: A synthesis approach
Net ecosystem production (NEP) and the overall organic carbon budget for the estuaries along the East Coast of the United States are estimated. We focus on the open estuarine waters, excluding the fringing wetlands. We developed empirical models relating NEP to loading ratios of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to total organic carbon, and carbon burial in the sediment to estuarine water residence timAuthorsMaria Herrmann, Raymond G. Najjar, W. Michael Kemp, Richard B. Alexander, Elizabeth W. Boyer, Wei-Jun Cai, Peter C. Griffith, Kevin D. Kroeger, S. Leigh McCallister, Richard A. SmithContinuous resistivity profiling and seismic-reflection data collected in April 2010 from Indian River Bay, Delaware
A geophysical survey to delineate the fresh-saline groundwater interface and associated sub-bottom sedimentary structures beneath Indian River Bay, Delaware, was carried out in April 2010. This included surveying at higher spatial resolution in the vicinity of a study site at Holts Landing, where intensive onshore and offshore studies were subsequently completed. The total length of continuous resAuthorsV.A. Cross, J.F. Bratton, H.A. Michael, K.D. Kroeger, Adrian G. Mann, Emile M. BergeronStratigraphic controls on fluid and solute fluxes across the sediment-water interface of an estuary
Shallow stratigraphic features, such as infilled paleovalleys, modify fresh groundwater discharge to coastal waters and fluxes of saltwater and nutrients across the sediment–water interface. We quantify the spatial distribution of shallow surface water–groundwater exchange and nitrogen fluxes near a paleovalley in Indian River Bay, Delaware, using a hand resistivity probe, conventional seepage metAuthorsAudrey H. Sawyer, Olesya Lazareva, Kevin D. Kroeger, Kyle Crespo, Clara S. Chan, Thomas Stieglitz, Holly A. MichaelMolecular signature of organic nitrogen in septic-impacted groundwater
Dissolved inorganic and organic nitrogen levels are elevated in aquatic systems due to anthropogenic activities. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) arises from various sources, and its impact could be more clearly constrained if specific sources were identified and if the molecular-level composition of DON were better understood. In this work, the pharmaceutical carbamazepine was used to identify seAuthorsWilliam A. Arnold, Krista Longnecker, Kevin D. Kroeger, Elizabeth B. Kujawinski - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government