Kurt D Carpenter
Kurt Carpenter is a research hydrologist in the USGS Oregon Water Science Center.
Kurt joined the USGS Oregon District in 1992 to work for the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, an interdisciplinary program characterizing land use impacts to algae, benthic invertebrates, fish, and water quality of streams in the Willamette Basin. For nearly 30 years Kurt’s research has focused on the interface between water quality and hydrobiology, primarily impacts from nutrients (eutrophication) and contaminants (pesticides, volatile organic compounds). Kurt is currently PI of several harmful algal bloom (HAB) related projects in Oregon including at Detroit, Cougar and Blue Lakes where cyanobacterial toxins pose a threat to drinking water. Kurt is also active in post-fire monitoring and research following the 2020 Labor Day fires that threatens several major drinking water supplies. His most recent collaboration includes using remote sensing to detect algae in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs using hyperspectral data from ground- and space-based tools, including cameras aboard the International Space Station. In a project with Clean Water Services in the Tualatin River Basin, Kurt is investigating plankton communities in streams along with environmental DNA (“eDNA”) signatures to examine potential benefits of stream restoration.
Science and Products
Water quality and algal conditions in the North Umpqua River, Oregon, 1995-2007, and their response to Diamond Lake restoration
Plankton communities and summertime declines in algal abundance associated with low dissolved oxygen in the Tualatin River, Oregon
Sources and characteristics of organic matter in the Clackamas River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water
Biotic, water-quality, and hydrologic metrics calculated for the analysis of temporal trends in National Water Quality Assessment Program Data in the Western United States
Geomorphic setting, aquatic habitat, and water-quality conditions of the Molalla River, Oregon, 2009-10
The Effects of Urbanization and Other Environmental Gradients on Algal Assemblages in Nine Metropolitan Areas across the United States
Assessment of Eutrophication in the Lower Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2004-07
Hydrologic and Water-Quality Conditions During Restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Upper Klamath River Basin, Oregon, 2003-05
Organic Compounds in Clackamas River Water Used for Public Supply near Portland, Oregon, 2003-05
Phosphorus and nitrogen legacy in a restoration wetland, upper Klamath lake, Oregon
Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-2005
Effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems in the Willamette River basin and surrounding area, Oregon and Washington
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Water quality and algal conditions in the North Umpqua River, Oregon, 1995-2007, and their response to Diamond Lake restoration
The Wild and Scenic North Umpqua River is one of the highest-quality waters in the State of Oregon, supporting runs of wild salmon, steelhead, and trout. For many years, blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae in Diamond and Lemolo Lakes have threatened water quality, fisheries, and public health. The blooms consist primarily of Anabaena, a nitrogen (N)-fixing planktonic alga that appears toAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Chauncey W. Anderson, Mikeal E. JonesPlankton communities and summertime declines in algal abundance associated with low dissolved oxygen in the Tualatin River, Oregon
Phytoplankton populations in the Tualatin River in northwestern Oregon are an important component of the dissolved oxygen (DO) budget of the river and are critical for maintaining DO levels in summer. During the low-flow summer period, sufficient nutrients and a long residence time typically combine with ample sunshine and warm water to fuel blooms of cryptophyte algae, diatoms, green and blue-greAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Stewart A. RoundsSources and characteristics of organic matter in the Clackamas River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water
This study characterized the amount and quality of organic matter in the Clackamas River, Oregon, to gain an understanding of sources that contribute to the formation of chlorinated and brominated disinfection by-products (DBPs), focusing on regulated DBPs in treated drinking water from two direct-filtration treatment plants that together serve approximately 100,000 customers. The central hypothesAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Jami H. Goldman, John Franco Saraceno, Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Gordon McGhee, Tracy TriplettBiotic, water-quality, and hydrologic metrics calculated for the analysis of temporal trends in National Water Quality Assessment Program Data in the Western United States
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was established by Congress in 1991 to collect long-term, nationally consistent information on the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater. The NAWQA Program utilizes interdisciplinary and dynamic studies that link the chemical and physical conditions of streams (such as flow and habitat) with ecosystem health aAuthorsStephen M. Wiele, Anne M.D. Brasher, Matthew P. Miller, Jason T. May, Kurt D. CarpenterGeomorphic setting, aquatic habitat, and water-quality conditions of the Molalla River, Oregon, 2009-10
This report presents results from a 2009-10 assessment of the lower half of the Molalla River. The report describes the geomorphic setting and processes governing the physical layout of the river channel and evaluates changes in river geometry over the past several decades using analyses of aerial imagery and other quantitative techniques.AuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher S. Magiri, Mathieu D. Marineau, Steve Sobieszczyk, Jonathan A. Czuba, Mackenzie K. KeithThe Effects of Urbanization and Other Environmental Gradients on Algal Assemblages in Nine Metropolitan Areas across the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted studies from 2000 to 2004 to determine the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems in nine major metropolitan study areas across the United States. Biological, chemical, and physical components of streams were assessed at 28 to 30 sites in each study area. Benthic algae were sampled to compare the degree to which algal assemblages correlated to urbanizatioAuthorsJames F. Coles, Amanda H. Bell, Barbara C. Scudder, Kurt D. CarpenterAssessment of Eutrophication in the Lower Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2004-07
In response to concerns that excessive plant growth in the lower Yakima River in south-central Washington was degrading water quality and affecting recreational use, the U.S. Geological Survey and the South Yakima Conservation District conducted an assessment of eutrophication in the lower 116 miles of the river during the 2004-07 irrigation seasons (March - October). The lower Yakima River was diAuthorsDaniel R. Wise, Marie L. Zuroske, Kurt D. Carpenter, Richard L. KieslingHydrologic and Water-Quality Conditions During Restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Upper Klamath River Basin, Oregon, 2003-05
Restoring previously drained wetlands is a strategy currently being used to improve water quality and decrease nutrient loading into Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. In this 2003-05 study, ground- and surface-water quality and hydrologic conditions were characterized in the Wood River Wetland. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels, primarily as dissolved organic nitrogen and ammonium (NH4) and soluble reactivAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Daniel T. Snyder, John H. Duff, Frank J. Triska, Karl K. Lee, Ronald J. Avanzino, Steven SobieszczykOrganic Compounds in Clackamas River Water Used for Public Supply near Portland, Oregon, 2003-05
Organic compounds studied in this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment generally are man-made, including pesticides, gasoline hydrocarbons, solvents, personal care and domestic-use products, disinfection by-products, and manufacturing additives. In all, 56 compounds were detected in samples collected approximately monthly during 2003-05 at the intake for the Clackamas River Water plant, one ofAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Gordon McGheePhosphorus and nitrogen legacy in a restoration wetland, upper Klamath lake, Oregon
The effects of sediment, ground-water, and surface-water processes on the timing, quantity, and mechanisms of N and P fluxes were investigated in the Wood River Wetland 57 years after agricultural practices ceased and seasonal and permanent wetland hydrologies were restored. Nutrient concentrations in standing water largely reflected ground water in winter, the largest annual water source in the cAuthorsJ.H. Duff, K.D. Carpenter, D.T. Snyder, Karl K. Lee, R. J. Avanzino, F.J. TriskaPesticide Occurrence and Distribution in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-2005
Pesticide occurrence and distribution in the lower Clackamas River basin was evaluated in 2000?2005, when 119 water samples were analyzed for a suite of 86?198 dissolved pesticides. Sampling included the lower-basin tributaries and the Clackamas River mainstem, along with paired samples of pre- and post-treatment drinking water (source and finished water) from one of four drinking water-treatmentAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Steven Sobieszczyk, Andrew J. Arnsberg, Frank A. RinellaEffects of urbanization on stream ecosystems in the Willamette River basin and surrounding area, Oregon and Washington
This report describes the effects of urbanization on physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of stream ecosystems in 28 watersheds along a gradient of urbanization in the Willamette River basin and surrounding area, Oregon and Washington, from 2003 through 2005. The study that generated the report is one of several urban-effects studies completed nationally by the U.S. Geological SurveyAuthorsIan R. Waite, Steven Sobieszczyk, Kurt D. Carpenter, Andrew J. Arnsberg, Henry M. Johnson, Curt A. Hughes, Michael J. Sarantou, Frank A. RinellaNon-USGS Publications**
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, J. Ryan Banta, Johanna M. Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David Clow, Brian A. Ebel, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory O. Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara Peterman, 2023, A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance understanding of wildfire impacts on water supplies. Submitted to: “Frontiers in Water” as a PERSPECTIVE article.Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, 2022, Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Benthic Cyanobacterial Blooms (HCB-2). Washington, D.C.: Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, HCB Team (Holcomb, B., Stanton, B., Baysinger, C., Carpenter, K.D., etc, at https://hcb-2.itrcweb.org/Kraus, T.E., Saraceno, J., Downing, B., von Dessonneck, T., Goldman, J., Carpenter, K.D., McGhee, G., and Bergamaschi, B., Real time monitoring of dissolved organic matter (DOM) amount, composition, source, and reactivity using fluorescence spectroscopy: Applications for drinking water quality: Poster for American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco CA, 12/14/2010.Duff, J. H. Carpenter, K.D., and Triska, F.J., 2008, Seasonal phosphorus and nitrogen dynamics of open water during restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA: Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. v. 30 (4), p. 515-520.Petersen, R.P. and Carpenter, K.D., 1996, Nutrient limitation in five lakes near Mount St. Helens, Washington: Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol., v. 26, p. 377-380.Carpenter, K.D., 1995, Indicators of nutrient limited plankton growth in lakes near Mount Saint Helens, Washington: Portland State University, MS thesis, 188 p.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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