Kristina Hopkins
Krissy Hopkins is a Research Physical Scientist at the South Atlantic Water Science Center in Raleigh, NC.
Krissy Hopkins studies the impacts of land use change on rivers and streams, focused on understanding how the intensity and type of urban development impact watershed processes. This includes examining the impacts of different types of stormwater management strategies, both conventional and infiltration-based (i.e., green infrastructure), on hydrologic, geochemical, geomorphic, and ecological functions within freshwater ecosystems. Her work also focuses on translating ecosystem functions into ecosystem services and values by applying ecosystem services approaches to floodplain systems and green stormwater infrastructure.
Professional Experience
2017 - Present, Research Physical Scientist, South Atlantic Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Raleigh, NC.
2016 - 2017, Research Physical Scientist, Eastern Geographic Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.
2014 - 2016, Postdoctoral Fellow, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geology and Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Dissertation: From small watersheds to regions: Variation in hydrologic response to urbanization
B.S. Biology/Environmental Science (2nd Major Geography), Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Science and Products
Land Use Land Cover for Selected Basins in Clarksburg, Montgomery County, MD
SPARROW model dataset for total suspended solids in North Carolina, including simulated stream loads
Geomorphological Features of North Carolina
Land Use Land Cover, 1998 - 2013, Clarksburg (Montgomery County, MD)
Difficult Run Floodplain Sediment and Nutrient Retention Ecosystem Service Datasets, Fairfax County, Virginia
Stream Channel and Floodplain Metric Toolbox and User Guide
Water quality data for urban (centralized versus distributed stormwater management) and forested reference watersheds in Clarksburg, MD (2004-2016)
Lessons learned from 20 y of monitoring suburban development with distributed stormwater management in Clarksburg, Maryland, USA
A call to record stormwater control functions and to share network data
Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—A century of change, 1950–2050
Piloting urban ecosystem accounting for the United States
Mapping stream and floodplain geomorphic characteristics with the Floodplain and Channel Evaluation Tool (FACET) in the Mid-Atlantic Region, United States
Hydrologic signals and surprises in U.S. streamflow records during urbanization
Sediment dynamics and implications for management: State of the science from long‐term research in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Stormwater control impacts on runoff volume and peak flow: A meta-analysis of watershed modelling studies
Seasonal drivers of chemical and hydrological patterns in roadside infiltration-based green infrastructure
Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report
Changes in event‐based streamflow magnitude and timing after suburban development with infiltration‐based stormwater management
Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
Filter Total Items: 19
Land Use Land Cover for Selected Basins in Clarksburg, Montgomery County, MD
This dataset contains digitized land use/land cover (LULC) for the years 2011, 2015, and 2017. The dataset contains a 1-meter resolution raster maps for each year covering the geographic area for six watersheds within and near the Clarksburg Special Protection Area located in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. The area includes LULC within 500-foot buffered watersheds. Watershed boundaries for CabiSPARROW model dataset for total suspended solids in North Carolina, including simulated stream loads
To better understand the influence of human activities and natural processes on surface-water quality, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed the SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) (Schwarz and others, 2006; Alexander and others, 2008) model. The framework is used to relate water-quality monitoring data to sources and watershed characteristics that affect the fGeomorphological Features of North Carolina
Three statewide datasets were compiled to provide information on the geomorphology for North Carolina. Geomorphology is commonly a missing element in many Earth-surface process models, thus it is essential to extract this missing information from available DEMs and use it to inform models and better understand the area of interest. For these threee datasets, information was extracted and post procLand Use Land Cover, 1998 - 2013, Clarksburg (Montgomery County, MD)
This dataset contains digitized land use/land cover (LULC) polygons for years between 1998 and 2013 for six watersheds within and near the Clarksburg Special Protection Area located in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. Each polygon is representative of the LULC for a specific year within 500-foot buffered watersheds. Watershed boundaries for Cabin Branch (CB), Crystal Rock (CR), Soper Branch (SB),Difficult Run Floodplain Sediment and Nutrient Retention Ecosystem Service Datasets, Fairfax County, Virginia
Datasets used to quantify and value the ecosystem service of sediment and nutrient retention for floodplains within the Difficult Run watershed located in Fairfax County, Virginia. Geospatial datasets include a digital elevation model (DEM), a hydrologically conditioned DEM, output from the USGS Stream Channel and Floodplain Metric Toolbox, and field data sets used to develop regression models toStream Channel and Floodplain Metric Toolbox and User Guide
The Stream Channel and Floodplain Metric Toolbox was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of mapping fluvial geomorphic features from high-resolution bare-earth elevation data. A Python toolbox for ArcGIS was built to calculate key metrics describing channel and floodplain geometry. Channel and Floodplain Metric Toolbox provides this ability in an automated fashion, allowing for regional analyWater quality data for urban (centralized versus distributed stormwater management) and forested reference watersheds in Clarksburg, MD (2004-2016)
This dataset describes baseflow and stormflow concentration data for the constituents of nitrogen and phosphorus and suspended sediments for watersheds included in a paired watershed study including a forested reference watershed and two urban watersheds with centralized or decentralized stormwater management in Clarksburg, Maryland USA USA. Surface water samples were collected between the years 2 - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 30
Lessons learned from 20 y of monitoring suburban development with distributed stormwater management in Clarksburg, Maryland, USA
Urban development is a well-known stressor for stream ecosystems, presenting a challenge to managers tasked with mitigating its effects. For the past 20 y, streamflow, water quality, geomorphology, and benthic communities were monitored in 5 watersheds in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. This study presents a synthesis of multiple studies of monitoring efforts in the study area and new analysis oAuthorsKristina G. Hopkins, Sean Woznicki, Brianna Williams, Charles C. Stillwell, Eric Naibert, Marina Metes, Daniel Jones, Dianna M. Hogan, Natalie Celeste Hall, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Aditi S. BhaskarA call to record stormwater control functions and to share network data
Urban stormwater is an ongoing contributor to the degradation of the health of many watersheds and water bodies. In the United States, federal regulations (e.g., Clean Water Act) require monitoring and reporting of relevant water quality metrics in regulated waterbodies to ensure standards are being met, but decisions about how to manage urban stormwater are left up to state or other local agencieAuthorsBenjamin Choat, Amber Pulido, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Rebecca Hale, Harry X. Zhang, Thomas Meixner, Lauren McPhillips, Kristina G. Hopkins, Jennifer Cherrier, Chingwen ChengNitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—A century of change, 1950–2050
ForewordSustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and long-term eAuthorsJohn W. Clune, Paul D. Capel, Matthew P. Miller, Douglas A. Burns, Andrew J. Sekellick, Peter R. Claggett, Richard H. Coupe, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Ana Maria Garcia, Jeff P. Raffensperger, Silvia Terziotti, Gopal Bhatt, Joel D. Blomquist, Kristina G. Hopkins, Jennifer L. Keisman, Lewis C. Linker, Gary W. Shenk, Richard A. Smith, Alex M. Soroka, James S. Webber, David M. Wolock, Qian ZhangPiloting urban ecosystem accounting for the United States
In this study, we develop urban ecosystem accounts in the U.S., using the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA) framework. Most ecosystem accounts focus on regional and national scales, which are appropriate for many ecosystem services. However, ecosystems provide substantial services in cities, improving quality of life and contributing to resiliAuthorsMehdi Heris, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Charles Rhodes, Austin Troy, Ariane Middel, Kristina G. Hopkins, John MatuszakMapping stream and floodplain geomorphic characteristics with the Floodplain and Channel Evaluation Tool (FACET) in the Mid-Atlantic Region, United States
Quantifying channel and floodplain geomorphic characteristics is essential for understanding and modeling sediment and nutrient dynamics in fluvial systems. The increased availability of high-resolution elevation data from light detection and ranging (lidar) has helped improve methods for extracting these metrics at a greater accuracy across regional scales. The Floodplain and Channel Evaluation TAuthorsMarina Metes, Kristina G. Hopkins, Labeeb Ahmed, Samuel Lamont, Peter R. Claggett, Gregory B. NoeHydrologic signals and surprises in U.S. streamflow records during urbanization
Urban development has been observed to lead to variable magnitudes of change for stormflow volume and directions of baseflow change across cities. This work examines temporal streamflow trends across the flow duration curve in 53 watersheds during periods of peak urban development, which ranged from 1939 to 2016. We used U.S. Geological Survey streamgage records combined with pre‐development and uAuthorsAditi S. Bhaskar, Kristina G. Hopkins, Brianne K Smith, Tim A Stephens, Andy J MillerSediment dynamics and implications for management: State of the science from long‐term research in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
This review aims to synthesize the current knowledge of sediment dynamics using insights from long‐term research conducted in the watershed draining to the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the U.S., to inform management actions to restore the estuary and its watershed. The sediment dynamics of the Chesapeake are typical of many impaired watersheds and estuaries around the world, and this synAuthorsGregory B. Noe, Matt J. Cashman, Katherine Skalak, Allen C. Gellis, Kristina G. Hopkins, Doug L. Moyer, James S. Webber, Adam Benthem, Kelly O. Maloney, John Brakebill, Andrew Sekellick, Michael J. Langland, Qian Zhang, Gary W. Shenk, Jennifer L. D. Keisman, Cliff R. HuppStormwater control impacts on runoff volume and peak flow: A meta-analysis of watershed modelling studies
Decades of research has concluded that the percent of impervious surface cover in a watershed is strongly linked to negative impacts on urban stream health. Recently, there has been a push by municipalities to offset these effects by installing structural stormwater control measures (SCMs), which are landscape features designed to retain and reduce runoff to mitigate the effects of urbanisation onAuthorsColin D. Bell, Jordyn M. Wolfand, Chelsea L. Panos, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Ryan L. Gilliom, Terri S. Hogue, Kristina G. Hopkins, Anne J. JeffersonSeasonal drivers of chemical and hydrological patterns in roadside infiltration-based green infrastructure
Infiltration-based green infrastructure has become a popular means of reducing stormwater hazards in urban areas. However, the long-term effects of green infrastructure on the geochemistry of roadside environments are poorly defined, particularly given the considerable roadside legacy metal contamination from historic industrial activity and vehicle emissions (e.g., Pb). Most current research on gAuthorsAngela R. Mullins, Daniel J Bain, Erin Pfeil McCullough, Kristina G. Hopkins, S. Lavin, Erin CopelandSustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report
Federal agencies need credible scientific information to determine the production and value of ecosystem services in an efficient and timely manner. The U.S. Geological Survey addresses this scientific information need through the Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative project. The project has relied on U.S. Geological Survey expertise related to water, fisheries, advanced modeling, and econoAuthorsChristopher Huber, James Meldrum, Rudy Schuster, Zachary H. Ancona, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Scott M. Beck, Daren Carlisle, Peter R. Claggett, Fabiano Franco, Heather S. Galbraith, Michelle Haefele, Kristin R Hoelting, Dianna M. Hogan, Kristina G. Hopkins, Tim Kern, Collin B. Lawrence, Stacy Lischka, John B. Loomis, Julie M. Mueller, Gregory B. Noe, Emily J. Pindilli, Brian Quay, Darius J. Semmens, Wilson Sinclair, Daniel E. Spooner, Brian Voigt, Barabara St. John WhiteChanges in event‐based streamflow magnitude and timing after suburban development with infiltration‐based stormwater management
Green stormwater infrastructure implementation in urban watersheds has outpaced our understanding of practice effectiveness on streamflow response to precipitation events. Long‐term monitoring of experimental urban watersheds in Clarksburg, Maryland, USA, provided an opportunity to examine changes in event‐based streamflow metrics in two treatment watersheds that transitioned from agriculture to sAuthorsKristina G. Hopkins, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Sean Woznicki, Rosemary M. FanelliMixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams
Complex chemical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams but relatively little work has been done to characterize them and assess their potential effects in headwaterstreams. In 2014, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) sampled 54 Piedmont streams over ten weeks and measured 475 unique organic compounds using five analytical methods. Maximum and median exposure conditions wereAuthorsPaul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Jason P. Berninger, Daniel T. Button, Jimmy M. Clark, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. DeCicco, Kristina G. Hopkins, Bradley J. Huffman, Naomi Nakagaki, Julia E. Norman, Lisa H. Nowell, Sharon L. Qi, Peter C. Van Metre, Ian R. Waite - Software
- News