Lisa V. Lucas
Lisa Lucas is a Research General Engineer with the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
INTEGRATES physics with biology, and mathematical models with field observations, to understand how aquatic ecosystems work
COLLABORATES with scientists of multiple disciplines to implement a whole-ecosystem “climate to the clams” approach for understanding how complex aquatic systems may respond to changes in climate, management and infrastructure over this century (CASCaDE project)
- Applies engineering training to study how environmental fluid dynamics interacts with and drives water quality and ecological processes
- Thinks of herself as an "Ecohydrodynamicist", but her friends call her things like "Hydro-phydamicist" (which she doesn't mind).
- Focus is largely on tidal systems, with some work applying generally to rivers and lakes
- Develops and applies models across the spectrum of simple algebraic relationships on up to 3D numerical models of coupled hydrodynamics and ecological processes at ecosystem scale
- Loved being brought up in USGS as a member of Jim Cloern's Plankton Dynamics Team
- Graduate work at Stanford University in the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering) with Professors Jeff Koseff and Stephen Monismith
- Undergrad alma mater is University of Notre Dame (the one in South Bend, Indiana)--GO IRISH!
- Situated within the USGS Water Resources Mission Area in the Integrated Modeling & Prediction Division/Earth Systems Modeling Branch
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
Intradaily variability of water quality in a shallow tidal lagoon: Mechanisms and implications
Although surface water quality and its underlying processes vary over time scales ranging from seconds to decades, they have historically been studied at the lower (weekly to interannual) frequencies. The aim of this study was to investigate intradaily variability of three water quality parameters in a small freshwater tidal lagoon (Mildred Island, California). High frequency time series of specif
Authors
L.V. Lucas, D.M. Sereno, J.R. Burau, T.S. Schraga, C.B. Lopez, M.T. Stacey, K.V. Parchevsky, V.P. Parchevsky
Ecological values of shallow-water habitats: Implications for the restoration of disturbed ecosystems
A presumed value of shallow-habitat enhanced pelagic productivity derives from the principle that in nutrient-rich aquatic systems phytoplankton growth rate is controlled by light availability, which varies inversely with habitat depth. We measured a set of biological indicators across the gradient of habitat depth within the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta (California) to test the hypothesis t
Authors
C.B. Lopez, J. E. Cloern, T.S. Schraga, A.J. Little, L.V. Lucas, J.K. Thompson, J.R. Burau
Effects of spatial and temporal variability of turbidity on phytoplankton blooms
A central challenge of coastal ecology is sorting out the interacting spatial and temporal components of environmental variability that combine to drive changes in phytoplankton biomass. For 2 decades, we have combined sustained observation and experimentation in South San Francisco Bay (SSFB) with numerical modeling analyses to search for general principles that define phytoplankton population re
Authors
Christine L. May, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Lisa Lucas, James E. Cloern, David H. Schoellhamer
Pulsey, patchy water quality in the delta: Implications for meaningful monitoring
Valuable water quality and biological datasets have been gathered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for decades, most notably by the Interagency Ecological Program’s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP). These extensive data have provided a means of analyzing and detecting long-term trends in water quality and ecosystem function (Jassby and others 2002; Kimmerer and Orsi 1996; Orsi and Mecum 1
Authors
Lisa V. Lucas, Tara Schraga, Cary B. Lopez, Jon R. Burau, Alan D. Jassby
Effects of tidal shallowing and deepening on phytoplankton production dynamics: A modeling study
Processes influencing estuarine phytoplankton growth occur over a range of time scales, but many conceptual and numerical models of estuarine phytoplankton production dynamics neglect mechanisms occurring on the shorter (e.g., intratidal) time scales. We used a numerical model to explore the influence of short time-scale variability in phytoplankton sources and sinks on long-term growth in an idea
Authors
L.V. Lucas, J. E. Cloern
Functional variability of habitats within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Restoration implications
We have now entered an era of large-scale attempts to restore ecological functions and biological communities in impaired ecosystems. Our knowledge base of complex ecosystems and interrelated functions is limited, so the outcomes of specific restoration actions are highly uncertain. One approach for exploring that uncertainty and anticipating the range of possible restoration outcomes is comparati
Authors
L.V. Lucas, J. E. Cloern, J.K. Thompson, N.E. Monsen
A comment on the use of flushing time, residence time, and age as transport time scales
Applications of transport time scales are pervasive in biological, hydrologic, and geochemical studies yet these times scales are not consistently defined and applied with rigor in the literature. We compare three transport time scales (flushing time, age, and residence time) commonly used to measure the retention of water or scalar quantities transported with water. We identify the underlying ass
Authors
N.E. Monsen, J. E. Cloern, L.V. Lucas, Stephen G. Monismith
Processes governing phytoplankton blooms in estuaries. I: The local production-loss balance
The formation and spatial distribution of phytoplankton blooms in estuaries are controlled by (1) local mechanisms, which determine the production-loss balance for a water column at a particular spatial location (i.e. control if a bloom is possible), and (2) transport-related mechanisms, which govern biomass distribution (i.e. control if and where a bloom actually occurs). In this study, the first
Authors
L.V. Lucas, Jeffrey R. Koseff, J. E. Cloern, Stephen G. Monismith, J.K. Thompson
Processes governing phytoplankton blooms in estuaries. II: The role of horizontal transport
The development and distribution of phytoplankton blooms in estuaries are functions of both local conditions (i.e. the production-loss balance for a water column at a particular spatial location) and large-scale horizontal transport. In this study, the second of a 2-paper series, we use a depth-averaged hydrodynamic-biological model to identify transport-related mechanisms impacting phytoplankton
Authors
L.V. Lucas, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, J. E. Cloern, J.K. Thompson
Does the Sverdrup critical depth model explain bloom dynamics in estuaries?
In this paper we use numerical models of coupled biological-hydrodynamic processes to search for general principles of bloom regulation in estuarine waters. We address three questions: what are the dynamics of stratification in coastal systems as influenced by variable freshwater input and tidal stirring? How does phytoplankton growth respond to these dynamics? Can the classical Sverdrup Critical
Authors
L.V. Lucas, J. E. Cloern, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, J.K. Thompson
An empirical model of the phytoplankton chlorophyll : carbon ratio-the conversion factor between productivity and growth rate
We present an empirical model that describes the ratio of phytoplankton chlorophyll a to carbon, Chl: C, as a function of temperature, daily irradiance, and nutrient-limited growth rate. Our model is based on 219 published measurements of algal cultures exposed to light-limited or nutrient-limited growth conditions. We illustrate an approach for using this estimator of Chl: C to calculate phytopla
Authors
James E. Cloern, Christian Grenz, Lisa Vidergar-Lucas
Science and Products
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 23
Intradaily variability of water quality in a shallow tidal lagoon: Mechanisms and implications
Although surface water quality and its underlying processes vary over time scales ranging from seconds to decades, they have historically been studied at the lower (weekly to interannual) frequencies. The aim of this study was to investigate intradaily variability of three water quality parameters in a small freshwater tidal lagoon (Mildred Island, California). High frequency time series of specifAuthorsL.V. Lucas, D.M. Sereno, J.R. Burau, T.S. Schraga, C.B. Lopez, M.T. Stacey, K.V. Parchevsky, V.P. ParchevskyEcological values of shallow-water habitats: Implications for the restoration of disturbed ecosystems
A presumed value of shallow-habitat enhanced pelagic productivity derives from the principle that in nutrient-rich aquatic systems phytoplankton growth rate is controlled by light availability, which varies inversely with habitat depth. We measured a set of biological indicators across the gradient of habitat depth within the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta (California) to test the hypothesis tAuthorsC.B. Lopez, J. E. Cloern, T.S. Schraga, A.J. Little, L.V. Lucas, J.K. Thompson, J.R. BurauEffects of spatial and temporal variability of turbidity on phytoplankton blooms
A central challenge of coastal ecology is sorting out the interacting spatial and temporal components of environmental variability that combine to drive changes in phytoplankton biomass. For 2 decades, we have combined sustained observation and experimentation in South San Francisco Bay (SSFB) with numerical modeling analyses to search for general principles that define phytoplankton population reAuthorsChristine L. May, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Lisa Lucas, James E. Cloern, David H. SchoellhamerPulsey, patchy water quality in the delta: Implications for meaningful monitoring
Valuable water quality and biological datasets have been gathered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for decades, most notably by the Interagency Ecological Program’s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP). These extensive data have provided a means of analyzing and detecting long-term trends in water quality and ecosystem function (Jassby and others 2002; Kimmerer and Orsi 1996; Orsi and Mecum 1AuthorsLisa V. Lucas, Tara Schraga, Cary B. Lopez, Jon R. Burau, Alan D. JassbyEffects of tidal shallowing and deepening on phytoplankton production dynamics: A modeling study
Processes influencing estuarine phytoplankton growth occur over a range of time scales, but many conceptual and numerical models of estuarine phytoplankton production dynamics neglect mechanisms occurring on the shorter (e.g., intratidal) time scales. We used a numerical model to explore the influence of short time-scale variability in phytoplankton sources and sinks on long-term growth in an ideaAuthorsL.V. Lucas, J. E. CloernFunctional variability of habitats within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Restoration implications
We have now entered an era of large-scale attempts to restore ecological functions and biological communities in impaired ecosystems. Our knowledge base of complex ecosystems and interrelated functions is limited, so the outcomes of specific restoration actions are highly uncertain. One approach for exploring that uncertainty and anticipating the range of possible restoration outcomes is comparatiAuthorsL.V. Lucas, J. E. Cloern, J.K. Thompson, N.E. MonsenA comment on the use of flushing time, residence time, and age as transport time scales
Applications of transport time scales are pervasive in biological, hydrologic, and geochemical studies yet these times scales are not consistently defined and applied with rigor in the literature. We compare three transport time scales (flushing time, age, and residence time) commonly used to measure the retention of water or scalar quantities transported with water. We identify the underlying assAuthorsN.E. Monsen, J. E. Cloern, L.V. Lucas, Stephen G. MonismithProcesses governing phytoplankton blooms in estuaries. I: The local production-loss balance
The formation and spatial distribution of phytoplankton blooms in estuaries are controlled by (1) local mechanisms, which determine the production-loss balance for a water column at a particular spatial location (i.e. control if a bloom is possible), and (2) transport-related mechanisms, which govern biomass distribution (i.e. control if and where a bloom actually occurs). In this study, the firstAuthorsL.V. Lucas, Jeffrey R. Koseff, J. E. Cloern, Stephen G. Monismith, J.K. ThompsonProcesses governing phytoplankton blooms in estuaries. II: The role of horizontal transport
The development and distribution of phytoplankton blooms in estuaries are functions of both local conditions (i.e. the production-loss balance for a water column at a particular spatial location) and large-scale horizontal transport. In this study, the second of a 2-paper series, we use a depth-averaged hydrodynamic-biological model to identify transport-related mechanisms impacting phytoplanktonAuthorsL.V. Lucas, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, J. E. Cloern, J.K. ThompsonDoes the Sverdrup critical depth model explain bloom dynamics in estuaries?
In this paper we use numerical models of coupled biological-hydrodynamic processes to search for general principles of bloom regulation in estuarine waters. We address three questions: what are the dynamics of stratification in coastal systems as influenced by variable freshwater input and tidal stirring? How does phytoplankton growth respond to these dynamics? Can the classical Sverdrup CriticalAuthorsL.V. Lucas, J. E. Cloern, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, J.K. ThompsonAn empirical model of the phytoplankton chlorophyll : carbon ratio-the conversion factor between productivity and growth rate
We present an empirical model that describes the ratio of phytoplankton chlorophyll a to carbon, Chl: C, as a function of temperature, daily irradiance, and nutrient-limited growth rate. Our model is based on 219 published measurements of algal cultures exposed to light-limited or nutrient-limited growth conditions. We illustrate an approach for using this estimator of Chl: C to calculate phytoplaAuthorsJames E. Cloern, Christian Grenz, Lisa Vidergar-Lucas