Mark M Dornblaser
Biography
I have been a research chemist with the USGS National Research Program since 1998. My focus is on the biogeochemical cycling of carbon in aquatic systems.
Education:
B.A., Environmental Studies, Middlebury College, VT, 1984
M.Sc., Marine Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1986
Publications:
Crawford, J. T., L. C. Loken, E. H. Stanley, E. G. Stets, M. M. Dornblaser, and R. G. Striegl (2016), Basin scale controls on CO2 and CH4 emissions from the Upper Mississippi River, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL067599.
Dornblaser, Mark M. and Robert G. Striegl (2015), Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate‐size subarctic watershed Geophysical Research Letters, DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062349
Crawford, J.T., Stanley, E.H., Dornblaser, M.M. and Striegl, R.G. (2016), CO2 time series patterns in contrasting headwater streams of North America, Aquatic Sciences, doi:10.1007/s00027-016-0511-2
Crawford, J. T., M. M. Dornblaser, E. H. Stanley, D. W. Clow, and R. G. Striegl (2015), Source limitation of carbon gas emissions in high-elevation mountain streams and lakes, J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci., 120, doi:10.1002/2014JG002861.
O'Donnell, Jonathon A., G.R. Aiken, Michelle A. Walvoord, Peter A. Raymond, Kenna D. Butler, Mark M. Dornblaser, and Katherine Heckman (2014), Using dissolved organic matter age and composition to detect permafrost thaw in boreal watersheds of interior Alaska, J. Geophys. Res., 10.1002/2014JG002695
Spencer, Robert G.M., G.R. Aiken, M.M. Dornblaser, K.D. Butler, R.M. Holmes, G. Fiske, P.J. Mann, and A. Stubbins (2013), Chromophoric dissolved organic matter export from U.S. rivers, Geophysical Res. Lett., doi:10.1002/GRL.50357.
Crawford, J.T., R.G. Striegl, K.P. Wickland, M.M. Dornblaser, and E.H. Stanley (2013), Emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from a headwater stream network of interior Alaska, J. Geophy. Res., doi:10.1002/jgrg.20034.
Striegl, R.G., M.M. Dornblaser, C.P. McDonald, J.R. Rover, and E.G. Stets (2012), Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the Yukon River system, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 26, GB0E05, doi:10.1029/2012GB004306.
Wickland, K. P., G. R. Aiken, K. Butler, M. M. Dornblaser, R. G. M. Spencer, and R. G. Striegl (2012), Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River and its tributaries: Seasonality and importance of inorganic nitrogen, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 26, GB0E03, doi:10.1029/2012GB004342.
Schuster, Paul, Striegl, R.G., Aiken, G.R., Reddy, M.M., Krabbenhoft, D.P., DeWild, J.F., and Dornblaser, M., 2011, Mercury export from the Yukon River basin and the potential response to a changing climate, Env. Sci. Tech., v. 45, no. 12, p. 9262-9267.
Dornblaser, Mark M. and R.G. Striegl (2009), Suspended sediment and carbonate transport in the Yukon River basin, Alaska: fluxes and potential future responses to climate change, Water Resour. Res., 45, W06411, doi:10.1029/2008WR007546.
Spencer, R.G.M., G.R. Aiken, K.D. Butler, M.M. Dornblaser, R.G. Striegl, and P.J. Hernes (2009), Utilizing chromophoric dissolved organic matter measurements to derive export and reactivity of dissolved organic carbon exported to the Arctic Ocean: A case study of the Yukon River, Alaska, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2008GL036831.
Halm, D., Dornblaser, M., Striegl, R., Schuster, P., and Aiken, G., Intensive water quality sampling of the Yukon River and its tributaries from the headwaters, Yukon Territory to Eagle, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1197.
Dornblaser, Mark M., and R.G. Striegl, Nutrient (N,P) loads and yields at multiple scales and sub-basin types in the Yukon River basin, Alaska (2007), J. Geophys. Res., 112, G04S57, doi:10.1029/2006JG000366.
Striegl, R.G., M.M. Dornblaser, G.R. Aiken, K.P. Wickland, and P.A. Raymond (2007), Carbon export and cycling by the Yukon, Tanana, and Porcupine Rivers, Alaska, 2001-05, Wat. Resour. Res., 43, W02411, doi:10.1029/2006WR005201.
Dornblaser, Mark M. and D.R. Halm, 2006, Water and Sediment Quality of the Yukon River and its Tributaries, from Eagle to St. Marys, Alaska, 2002-2003, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1228, 201 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1228/
Striegl, R.G., G.R. Aiken, M.M. Dornblaser, P.A. Raymond, and K.P. Wickland (2005), A decrease in discharge normalized DOC export by the Yukon River during summer through autumn, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L21413, doi:10.1029/2005GL024413.
Striegl, R.G. and Dornblaser, M.M., 2005, Dissolved gases and dissolved inorganic carbon, in P.F. Schuster, ed., Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, during Water Year 2002, USGS Open-File Report 2005-1199, 82 p., Boulder, CO.
Striegl, R.G. and Dornblaser, M.M., 2005, Dissolved gases and dissolved inorganic carbon, in P.F. Schuster, ed., Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, during Water Year 2003, USGS Open-File Report 2005-1397, 74 p., Boulder, CO.
Clow, D.W., L. Schrott, R. Webb, D.H. Campbell, A. Torizzo, and M. Dornblaser (2003), Ground water occurrence and contributions to streamflow in an alpine catchment, Colorado Front Range. Ground Water, 41(7), 937-950, doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2003.tb02436.x.
Clow, David W., J.O. Sickman, R.G. Striegl, D.P. Krabbenhoft, J.G. Elliott, M.M. Dornblaser, D.A. Roth, and D.H. Campbell (2003), Changes in the chemistry of lakes and precipitation in high-elevation National Parks in the western United States, 1985-99, Water Resour. Res., 39(6), 1171, doi:10.1029/2002WR001533.
Striegl, R.G. and Dornblaser, M.M.,, 2003, Dissolved gases and dissolved inorganic carbon, in P.F. Schuster, ed., Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, during Water Year 2001, USGS Open-File Report 03-427, 120 p., Denver CO.
Krabbenhoft, D.P., M.L. Olson, J.F. DeWild, D.W. Clow, R.G. Striegl, M.M. Dornblaser, and P. Van Metre (2002), Mercury loading and methylmercury production and cycling in high altitude lakes from the Western United States,Water, Air, and Soil Pollution: Focus 2:233-249.
Fry, Brian, Anne Giblin, Mark Dornblaser and Bruce Peterson (1995), Stable sulfur isotopic compositions of chromium-reducible sulfur in lake sediments, In: Geochemical Transformations of Sedimentary Sulfur, ACS Symposium Series No. 612, M. Vairavamurthy and M. Schoonens, eds. pp. 397-410.
Dornblaser, Mark, A. E. Giblin, B. Fry and B. J. Peterson (1994), Effects of sulfate concentration in the overlying water on sulfate reduction and sulfur storage in lake sediments. Biogeochemistry. 24:129-144.
Cochran, J. Kirk, T. McKibben-Vaughn, M. Dornblaser, D. Hirschberg, H. D. Livingston and K. O. Buesseler (1990), 210Pb scavenging in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 97:332-352.
Dornblaser, M., J. Tucker, G. T. Banta, K. H. Foreman, M. C. O’Brien and A. E. Giblin (1989), Obtaining undisturbed sediment cores for biogeochemical process studies using SCUBA. In: Diving for Science 1989, Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, M. A. Lang and W. C. Japp, Eds. pp. 97-104.
Dornblaser, M. (1983), A study on the concentration of pelagic tar in the Loop Current, the Gulf Stream, and the Sargasso Sea, Sea Education Association Cruise Report, W-69.
Science and Products
Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP)
The Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP) brings together scientists from the USGS along with students and professors from universities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and California for a unique study opportunity. This diverse group of scientists research the physical, chemical, and biological processes of lakes, wetlands, and streams at local and watershed scales....
Hydrologic connectivity determines dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry in northern high-latitude lakes
Northern high-latitude lakes are undergoing climate-induced changes including shifts in their hydrologic connectivity with terrestrial ecosystems. How this will impact dissolved organic matter (DOM) biogeochemistry remains uncertain. We examined the drivers of DOM composition for lakes in the Yukon Flats Basin in Alaska, an arid region of low-...
Johnston, Sarah Ellen; Striegl, Robert G.; Bogard, Matthew J.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Butman, David E.; Kellerman, Anne M.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Podgorski, David C.; Spencer, Robert G. M. Negligible cycling of terrestrial carbon in many lakes of the arid circumpolar landscape
High-latitude environments store nearly half of the planet’s below-ground organic carbon (OC), mostly in perennially frozen permafrost soils. Climatic changes drive increased export of terrestrial OC into many aquatic networks, yet the role that circumpolar lakes play in mineralizing this carbon is unclear. Here we directly evaluate ecosystem-...
Bogard, Matthew J.; Kuhn, Catherine D.; Johnston, Sarah Ellen; Striegl, Robert G.; Holtgrieve, Gordon W.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Spencer, Robert G. M.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Butman, David E. Methane in groundwater from a leaking gas well, Piceance Basin, Colorado, USA
Site-specific and regional analysis of time-series hydrologic and geochemical data collected from 15 monitoring wells in the Piceance Basin indicated that a leaking gas well contaminated shallow groundwater with thermogenic methane. The gas well was drilled in 1956 and plugged and abandoned in 1990. Chemical and isotopic data showed the...
McMahon, Peter B.; Thomas, Judith C.; Crawford, John T.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Hunt, Andrew G. CO2 time series patterns in contrasting headwater streams of North America
We explored the underlying patterns of temporal stream CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) variability using highfrequency sensors in seven disparate headwater streams distributed across the northern hemisphere. We also compared this dataset of [40,000 pCO2 records with other published records from lotic systems. Individual stream sites exhibited...
Crawford, John T.; Stanley, Emily H.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Striegl, Robert G. Basin scale controls on CO2 and CH4 emissions from the Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River, engineered for river navigation in the 1930s, includes a series of low-head dams and navigation pools receiving elevated sediment and nutrient loads from the mostly agricultural basin. Using high-resolution, spatially resolved water quality sensor measurements along 1385 river kilometers, we show that primary...
Crawford, John T.; Loken, Luke C.; Stanley, Emily H.; Stets, Edward G.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Striegl, Robert G. Source limitation of carbon gas emissions in high-elevation mountain streams and lakes
Inland waters are an important component of the global carbon cycle through transport, storage, and direct emissions of CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere. Despite predictions of high physical gas exchange rates due to turbulent flows and ubiquitous supersaturation of CO2—and perhaps also CH4—patterns of gas emissions are essentially undocumented for...
Crawford, John T.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Stanley, Emily H.; Clow, David W.; Striegl, Robert G. Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate-size subarctic watershed
Hydrologic exports of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC, DOC) reflect permafrost conditions in arctic and subarctic river basins. DIC yields in particular, increase with decreased permafrost extent. We investigated the influence of permafrost extent on DIC and DOC yield in a tributary of the Yukon River, where the upper watershed has...
Dornblaser, Mark M.; Striegl, Robert G. Using dissolved organic matter age and composition to detect permafrost thaw in boreal watersheds of interior Alaska
Recent warming at high latitudes has accelerated permafrost thaw, which can modify soil carbon dynamics and watershed hydrology. The flux and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from soils to rivers are sensitive to permafrost configuration and its impact on subsurface hydrology and groundwater discharge. Here, we evaluate the utility of...
O'Donnell, Jonathan A.; Aiken, George R.; Walvoord, Michelle Ann; Raymond, Peter A.; Butler, Kenna D.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Heckman, Katherine Emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from a headwater stream network of interior Alaska
Boreal ecosystems store significant quantities of organic carbon (C) that may be vulnerable to degradation as a result of a warming climate. Despite their limited coverage on the landscape, streams play a significant role in the processing, gaseous emission, and downstream export of C, and small streams are thought to be particularly important...
Crawford, John T.; Striegl, Robert G.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Stanley, Emily H. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter export from U.S. rivers
Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluxes and yields from 15 major U.S. rivers draining an assortment of terrestrial biomes are presented. A robust relationship between CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loads is established (e.g., a350 versus DOC; r2 = 0.96, p < 0.001). Calculated CDOM yields are also correlated to watershed...
Spencer, Robert G. M.; Aiken, George R.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Butler, Kenna D.; Holmes, R. Max; Fiske, Greg; Mann, Paul J.; Stubbins, Aron Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River and its tributaries: Seasonality and importance of inorganic nitrogen
Northern high-latitude rivers transport large amounts of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) from boreal and arctic ecosystems to coastal areas and oceans. Current knowledge of the biodegradability of DOM in these rivers is limited, particularly for large rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean. We conducted a seasonally...
Wickland, Kimberly P.; Aiken, George R.; Butler, Kenna D.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; RGM Spencer; Striegl, Robert G. Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the Yukon River system
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions are important, but poorly quantified, components of riverine carbon (C) budgets. This is largely because the data needed for gas flux calculations are sparse and are spatially and temporally variable. Additionally, the importance of C gas emissions relative to lateral C exports is not well known...
Striegl, Robert G.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; McDonald, Cory P.; Rover, Jennifer R.; Stets, Edward G.