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Lauren Koenig

Lauren Koenig, Ph.D., is a data scientist and ecologist in the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. 

I am excited about working collaboratively to translate large, complex datasets into better understanding of freshwater ecosystems and water resources. As a data scientist in the Analysis and Prediction Branch of the Water Resources Mission Area, I develop reproducible workflows that combine diverse observational datasets and modeling approaches to predict water quality in streams and rivers. Prior to joining USGS, I earned my Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire, where I studied how water, energy, and nutrients move and cycle within river networks. 

Professional Experience

  • ​2021 – Present Data Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey

  • 2021 Postdoctoral Associate, Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana 

  • ​2017 – 2021 Postdoctoral Associate, University of Connecticut

Education and Certifications

  • ​Ph.D. Earth and Environmental Science, 2017. University of New Hampshire

  • B.S. Aquatic Biology, 2010. University of California – Santa Barbara 

Science and Products

Model Code, Outputs, and Supporting Data for Approaches to Process-Guided Deep Learning for Groundwater-Influenced Stream Temperature Predictions

This model archive provides all data, code, and modeling results used in Barclay and others (2023) to assess the ability of process-guided deep learning stream temperature models to accurately incorporate groundwater-discharge processes. We assessed the performance of an existing process-guided deep learning stream temperature model of the Delaware River Basin (USA) and explored four approaches fo
By
New England Water Science Center

Distribution, frequency, and global extent of hypoxia in rivers

To assess the distribution, frequency, and global extent of riverine hypoxia, we compiled 118 million paired dissolved oxygen (DO) and water temperature measurements from 125,158 unique locations in rivers in 93 countries and territories across the globe. The dataset also includes site characteristics derived from StreamCat, the National Hydrography and HydroAtlas datasets and proximal land cover
By
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Data to support water quality modeling efforts in the Delaware River Basin

This data release contains information to support water quality modeling in the Delaware River Basin (DRB). These data support both process-based and machine learning approaches to water quality modeling, including the prediction of stream temperature. Reservoirs in the DRB serve an important role as a source of drinking water, but also affect downstream water quality. Therefore, this data release
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Extent, patterns, and drivers of hypoxia in the world's streams and rivers

Hypoxia in coastal waters and lakes is widely recognized as a detrimental environmental issue, yet we lack a comparable understanding of hypoxia in rivers. We investigated controls on hypoxia using 118 million paired observations of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and water temperature in over 125,000 locations in rivers from 93 countries. We found hypoxia (DO < 2 mg L−1) in 12.6% of all river
Authors
Joanna R Blaszczak, Lauren E Koenig, Francine H. Mejia, Alice M. Carter, Lluis Gómez-Gener, Christoper L Dutton, Nancy B. Grimm, Judson Harvey, Ashley M. Helton, Matthew J. Cohen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Light and flow regimes regulate the metabolism of rivers

Mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation drive much of the variation in productivity across Earth's terrestrial ecosystems but do not explain variation in gross primary productivity (GPP) or ecosystem respiration (ER) in flowing waters. We document substantial variation in the magnitude and seasonality of GPP and ER across 222 US rivers. In contrast to their terrestrial counterparts,
Authors
Emily. S Bernhardt, Philip Robert Savoy, Michael J Vlah, Alison Paige Appling, Lauren E Koenig, Robert O Hall Jr., Maite Arroita, Joanna Blaszczak, Alice M. Carter, Matthew J. Cohen, Judson Harvey, James B. Heffernan, Ashley M. Helton, J.D. Hosen, Lily Kirk, William H. McDowell, Emily H. Stanley, Charles Yackulic, Nancy B. Grimm
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Wollheim WM, Harms TK, Robison AL, Koenig LE, Helton AM, Song C, et al. Superlinear scaling of riverine biogeochemical function with watershed size. Nature communications [Internet]. 2022;13(1):1–9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28630-z
Bernhardt ES, Savoy P, Vlah MJ, Appling AP, Koenig LE, Hall Jr RO, et al. Light and flow regimes regulate the metabolism of rivers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [Internet]. 2022;119(8):e2121976119. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121976119
Rollinson CR, Finley AO, Alexander MR, Banerjee S, Dixon Hamil KA, Koenig LE, et al. Working across space and time: nonstationarity in ecological research and application. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment [Internet]. 2021;19(1):66–72. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2298
Granville KE, Ooi SK, Koenig LE, Lawrence BA, Elphick CS, Helton AM. Seasonal patterns of denitrification and N2O production in a southern New England salt marsh. Wetlands [Internet]. 2021;41(1):1–13. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01393-x
Koenig LE, Helton AM, Savoy P, Bertuzzo E, Heffernan JB, Hall Jr RO, et al. Emergent productivity regimes
of river networks. Limnology and Oceanography Letters [Internet]. 2019;4(5):173–81. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10115
Coble AA, Koenig LE, Potter JD, Parham LM, McDowell WH. Homogenization of dissolved organic matter within a river network occurs in the smallest headwaters. Biogeochemistry [Internet]. 2019;143(1):85–104. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00551-y
Wollheim WM, Bernal S, Burns DA, Czuba JA, Driscoll CT, Hansen AT, et al. River network saturation concept: factors influencing the balance of biogeochemical supply and demand of river networks. Biogeochemistry [Internet]. 2018;141(3):503–21. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0488-0
Song C, Dodds WK, Rüegg J, Argerich A, Baker CL, Bowden WB, et al. Continental-scale decrease in net primary productivity in streams due to climate warming. Nature Geoscience [Internet]. 2018;11(6):415–20. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0125-5
Farrell KJ, Rosemond AD, Kominoski JS, Bonjour SM, Rüegg J, Koenig LE, et al. Variation in detrital resource stoichiometry signals differential carbon to nutrient limitation for stream consumers across biomes. Ecosystems [Internet]. 2018;21(8):1676–91. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-018-0247-z
Koenig LE, Song C, Wollheim WM, Rüegg J, McDowell WH. Nitrification increases nitrogen export from a tropical river network. Freshwater Science [Internet]. 2017;36(4):698–712. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1086/694906
Koenig LE, Shattuck MD, Snyder LE, Potter JD, McDowell WH. Deconstructing the effects of flow on DOC, nitrate, and major ion interactions using a high-frequency aquatic sensor network. Water Resources Research [Internet]. 2017;53(12):10655–73. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020739
Rüegg J, Dodds WK, Daniels MD, Sheehan KR, Baker CL, Bowden WB, et al. Baseflow physical characteristics differ at multiple spatial scales in stream networks across diverse biomes. Landscape ecology [Internet]. 2016;31(1):119–36. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0289-y
Mineau MM, Wollheim WM, Buffam I, Findlay SE, Hall Jr RO, Hotchkiss ER, et al. Dissolved organic carbon uptake in streams: A review and assessment of reach-scale measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences [Internet]. 2016;121(8):2019–29. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG003204
Koenig LE, Baumann AJ, McDowell WH. Improving automated phosphorus measurements in freshwater: an analytical approach to eliminating silica interference. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods [Internet]. 2014;12(4):223–31. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2014.12.223
Heffernan JB, Soranno PA, Angilletta Jr MJ, Buckley LB, Gruner DS, Keitt TH, et al. Macrosystems ecology: understanding ecological patterns and processes at continental scales. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment [Internet]. 2014;12(1):5–14. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1890/130017
Albertson LK, Koenig LE, Lewis BL, Zeug SC, Harrison LR, Cardinale BJ. How Does Restored Habitat for Chinook Salmon (oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) in the Merced River in California Compare with Other Chinook Streams? River Research and Applications [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2022 Aug 29];29(4):469–82. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1604

**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.

Science and Products

  • Data

    Model Code, Outputs, and Supporting Data for Approaches to Process-Guided Deep Learning for Groundwater-Influenced Stream Temperature Predictions

    This model archive provides all data, code, and modeling results used in Barclay and others (2023) to assess the ability of process-guided deep learning stream temperature models to accurately incorporate groundwater-discharge processes. We assessed the performance of an existing process-guided deep learning stream temperature model of the Delaware River Basin (USA) and explored four approaches fo
    By
    New England Water Science Center

    Distribution, frequency, and global extent of hypoxia in rivers

    To assess the distribution, frequency, and global extent of riverine hypoxia, we compiled 118 million paired dissolved oxygen (DO) and water temperature measurements from 125,158 unique locations in rivers in 93 countries and territories across the globe. The dataset also includes site characteristics derived from StreamCat, the National Hydrography and HydroAtlas datasets and proximal land cover
    By
    Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

    Data to support water quality modeling efforts in the Delaware River Basin

    This data release contains information to support water quality modeling in the Delaware River Basin (DRB). These data support both process-based and machine learning approaches to water quality modeling, including the prediction of stream temperature. Reservoirs in the DRB serve an important role as a source of drinking water, but also affect downstream water quality. Therefore, this data release
    By
    Water Resources Mission Area
  • Publications

    Extent, patterns, and drivers of hypoxia in the world's streams and rivers

    Hypoxia in coastal waters and lakes is widely recognized as a detrimental environmental issue, yet we lack a comparable understanding of hypoxia in rivers. We investigated controls on hypoxia using 118 million paired observations of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and water temperature in over 125,000 locations in rivers from 93 countries. We found hypoxia (DO < 2 mg L−1) in 12.6% of all river
    Authors
    Joanna R Blaszczak, Lauren E Koenig, Francine H. Mejia, Alice M. Carter, Lluis Gómez-Gener, Christoper L Dutton, Nancy B. Grimm, Judson Harvey, Ashley M. Helton, Matthew J. Cohen
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

    Light and flow regimes regulate the metabolism of rivers

    Mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation drive much of the variation in productivity across Earth's terrestrial ecosystems but do not explain variation in gross primary productivity (GPP) or ecosystem respiration (ER) in flowing waters. We document substantial variation in the magnitude and seasonality of GPP and ER across 222 US rivers. In contrast to their terrestrial counterparts,
    Authors
    Emily. S Bernhardt, Philip Robert Savoy, Michael J Vlah, Alison Paige Appling, Lauren E Koenig, Robert O Hall Jr., Maite Arroita, Joanna Blaszczak, Alice M. Carter, Matthew J. Cohen, Judson Harvey, James B. Heffernan, Ashley M. Helton, J.D. Hosen, Lily Kirk, William H. McDowell, Emily H. Stanley, Charles Yackulic, Nancy B. Grimm
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Wollheim WM, Harms TK, Robison AL, Koenig LE, Helton AM, Song C, et al. Superlinear scaling of riverine biogeochemical function with watershed size. Nature communications [Internet]. 2022;13(1):1–9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28630-z
    Bernhardt ES, Savoy P, Vlah MJ, Appling AP, Koenig LE, Hall Jr RO, et al. Light and flow regimes regulate the metabolism of rivers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [Internet]. 2022;119(8):e2121976119. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121976119
    Rollinson CR, Finley AO, Alexander MR, Banerjee S, Dixon Hamil KA, Koenig LE, et al. Working across space and time: nonstationarity in ecological research and application. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment [Internet]. 2021;19(1):66–72. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2298
    Granville KE, Ooi SK, Koenig LE, Lawrence BA, Elphick CS, Helton AM. Seasonal patterns of denitrification and N2O production in a southern New England salt marsh. Wetlands [Internet]. 2021;41(1):1–13. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01393-x
    Koenig LE, Helton AM, Savoy P, Bertuzzo E, Heffernan JB, Hall Jr RO, et al. Emergent productivity regimes
    of river networks. Limnology and Oceanography Letters [Internet]. 2019;4(5):173–81. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10115
    Coble AA, Koenig LE, Potter JD, Parham LM, McDowell WH. Homogenization of dissolved organic matter within a river network occurs in the smallest headwaters. Biogeochemistry [Internet]. 2019;143(1):85–104. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00551-y
    Wollheim WM, Bernal S, Burns DA, Czuba JA, Driscoll CT, Hansen AT, et al. River network saturation concept: factors influencing the balance of biogeochemical supply and demand of river networks. Biogeochemistry [Internet]. 2018;141(3):503–21. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0488-0
    Song C, Dodds WK, Rüegg J, Argerich A, Baker CL, Bowden WB, et al. Continental-scale decrease in net primary productivity in streams due to climate warming. Nature Geoscience [Internet]. 2018;11(6):415–20. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0125-5
    Farrell KJ, Rosemond AD, Kominoski JS, Bonjour SM, Rüegg J, Koenig LE, et al. Variation in detrital resource stoichiometry signals differential carbon to nutrient limitation for stream consumers across biomes. Ecosystems [Internet]. 2018;21(8):1676–91. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-018-0247-z
    Koenig LE, Song C, Wollheim WM, Rüegg J, McDowell WH. Nitrification increases nitrogen export from a tropical river network. Freshwater Science [Internet]. 2017;36(4):698–712. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1086/694906
    Koenig LE, Shattuck MD, Snyder LE, Potter JD, McDowell WH. Deconstructing the effects of flow on DOC, nitrate, and major ion interactions using a high-frequency aquatic sensor network. Water Resources Research [Internet]. 2017;53(12):10655–73. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020739
    Rüegg J, Dodds WK, Daniels MD, Sheehan KR, Baker CL, Bowden WB, et al. Baseflow physical characteristics differ at multiple spatial scales in stream networks across diverse biomes. Landscape ecology [Internet]. 2016;31(1):119–36. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0289-y
    Mineau MM, Wollheim WM, Buffam I, Findlay SE, Hall Jr RO, Hotchkiss ER, et al. Dissolved organic carbon uptake in streams: A review and assessment of reach-scale measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences [Internet]. 2016;121(8):2019–29. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG003204
    Koenig LE, Baumann AJ, McDowell WH. Improving automated phosphorus measurements in freshwater: an analytical approach to eliminating silica interference. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods [Internet]. 2014;12(4):223–31. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2014.12.223
    Heffernan JB, Soranno PA, Angilletta Jr MJ, Buckley LB, Gruner DS, Keitt TH, et al. Macrosystems ecology: understanding ecological patterns and processes at continental scales. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment [Internet]. 2014;12(1):5–14. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1890/130017
    Albertson LK, Koenig LE, Lewis BL, Zeug SC, Harrison LR, Cardinale BJ. How Does Restored Habitat for Chinook Salmon (oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) in the Merced River in California Compare with Other Chinook Streams? River Research and Applications [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2022 Aug 29];29(4):469–82. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1604

    **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.