Matthew Andersen
Matthew Andersen (he/him) is the senior biologist for the USGS Office of International Programs.
As of early 2023 Andersen has more than 28 years of professional science experience. The majority of his work experience has been in aquatic and wetland habitats, but he also spent years working in the southwestern deserts of the US.
He began his professional experience with a private consulting firm working in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. He then worked for the State of Utah for six years, collaborating with regional and federal scientists and agency personnel in the Intermountain West.
Andersen has worked for USGS since November 2005 at positions in Arizona, Louisiana, and Virginia. He has held positions of increasing responsibility, always supporting collaborative applied projects among diverse scientists and institutions while increasing the size and scope of the programs. He has focused his work on science that delivers practical information for managers, decision makers, and the public.
He worked on mitigation of desert habitats disturbed by development, then expanded his work to helping conserve native aquatic species in the intermountain western US, supporting collaborative research among zoologists and ecologists in coastal Louisiana, coordinating science for priority ecosystems across the US, and leading development of decision support tools for the Lower Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia.
Just as USGS is a science advisor in the US, so Andersen seeks to understand and deliver solutions for the international biophysical and socioeconomic science that USGS can support. He supports a diverse assemblage of USGS scientists with global experience by leading proposals and projects in nations where they seek to continue their work, including Angola, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Georgia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Mexico, Namibia, Palau, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Areas of USGS science supported include biology, ecology, hydrology, and veterinary medicine.
Professional Experience
2015 to present: Senior Scientist for Biology, Office of International Programs
2013 to 2015: Program Coordinator for Environments and Status & Trends, Ecosystems Mission Area
2011 to 2013: Deputy Center Director, National Wetlands Research Center, USGS, Lafayette, Louisiana
2005 to 2011: Biology Program Manager, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, USGS, Flagstaff, Arizona
1999 to 2005: Native Aquatic Species Program Coordinator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah
1995 to 1999: Project Environmental Scientist, Dames & Moore Environmental Consulting, Las Vegas, Nevada
Education and Certifications
MS, 1995, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Biology major, Statistics minor
BA (With Distinction), 1985, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park California, Biology major, Chemistry minor
Certified Fisheries Scientist by American Fisheries Society, 2004 to present, Certificate 3475
State of Utah Certified Public Manager, 2002
Honors and Awards
Excellence in Partnering Award 2015 from BOEM National Oceanographic Partnership Program
Award for Leadership at USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center 2010
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Director’s Leadership Award 2002
Desert Fishes Council Carl Hubbs Best Student Paper Award 1997
American Museum of Natural History Teddy Roosevelt Research Awards 1993 and 1994
Abstracts and Presentations
NexView: An Integrated Framework for Examining Groundwater Availability in the Mekong River Delta, American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting August 2022.
Magirl, C.S., and Andersen, M.E., 2010, Water velocity of the Colorado River: Implications for native fishes, in Melis, T.S., Hamill, J.F., Coggins, L.G., Jr., Grams, P.E., Kennedy, T.A., Kubly, D.M., and Ralston, B.E., eds., Proc. Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symp., Nov. 18–20, 2008, Scottsdale, AZ: USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5135, p. 177-182.
Andersen, M.E., Keleher, C.J., Rasmussen, J.E., Hansen, E.S., Thompson, P.D., Speas, D.W., Routledge, M.D., and Hedrick, T.N., 2007, Status of June Sucker in Utah Lake and Refuges, in M.J. Brouder and J.A. Scheurer, eds., Status, Distribution, and Conservation of Native Freshwater Fishes of Western North America: A Symposium Proc.: American Fisheries Society Symposium 53: Bethesda, MD, p. 39-58.
Melis, T.S., Martell, S.J.D., Coggins, L.G., Jr., Pine, W.E., III, and Andersen, M.E., 2006, Adaptive management of the Colorado River Ecosystem below Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona: using science and modeling to resolve uncertainty in river management, in Proc. American Water Resources Assoc. Specialty Conf. on Adaptive Management and Water Infrastructure, June 26-28, Missoula, MT, 6 p.
Science and Products
A gender and social vulnerability assessment approach
Using science to strengthen our Nation's resilience to tomorrow's challenges: understanding and preparing for coastal impacts
Meeting the Science Needs of the Nation in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy-- A U.S. Geological Survey Science Plan for Support of Restoration and Recovery
The Mekong Fish Network: expanding the capacity of the people and institutions of the Mekong River Basin to share information and conduct standardized fisheries monitoring
The Mekong River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the world, and it supports the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world. Millions of people in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) countries of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam rely on the fisheries of the
February 2012 workshop jumpstarts the Mekong Fish Monitoring Network
Proceedings of the Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symposium, November 18-20, 2008, Scottsdale, Arizona
2008 High-flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam: Morphologic response of eddy-deposited sandbars and associated aquatic backwater habitats along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park
Status and trends of the Grand Canyon population of Humpback Chub
USGS Workshop on Scientific Aspects of a Long-Term Experimental Plan for Glen Canyon Dam, April 10-11, 2007, Flagstaff, Arizona
Grand Canyon Humpback Chub Population Improving
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.
Science and Products
- Publications
A gender and social vulnerability assessment approach
The report on an approach for gender and social vulnerability assessment is a supporting tool – or a guiding note – to assist the MRC to conduct the gender and vulnerability assessment in the Lower Mekong Basin. While the approach focuses on floods, droughts, and extreme storm events for the MRC’s future application, the overall gender and vulnerability framework described in this report could beAuthorsSaira Haider, Kathryn Powlen, Nina Burkardt, Matthew E. AndersenUsing science to strengthen our Nation's resilience to tomorrow's challenges: understanding and preparing for coastal impacts
Hurricane Sandy caused unprecedented damage across some of the most densely populated coastal areas of the northeastern United States. The costly, landscape-altering destruction left in the wake of this storm is a stark reminder of our Nation’s need to become more resilient as we inevitably face future coastal hazards. As our Nation recovers from this devastating natural disaster, it is clear thaAuthorsDale L. Simmons, Matthew E. Andersen, Teresa A. Dean, Michael J. Focazio, John W. Fulton, John W. Haines, Robert R. Mason,, Ann B. Tihansky, John A. YoungMeeting the Science Needs of the Nation in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy-- A U.S. Geological Survey Science Plan for Support of Restoration and Recovery
n late October 2012, Hurricane Sandy came ashore during a spring high tide on the New Jersey coastline, delivering hurricane-force winds, storm tides exceeding 19 feet, driving rain, and plummeting temperatures. Hurricane Sandy resulted in 72 direct fatalities in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States, and widespread and substantial physical, environmental, ecological, social, and economiAuthorsHerbert T. Buxton, Matthew E. Andersen, Michael J. Focazio, John W. Haines, Robert A. Hainly, Daniel J. Hippe, Larry J. SugarbakerThe Mekong Fish Network: expanding the capacity of the people and institutions of the Mekong River Basin to share information and conduct standardized fisheries monitoring
The Mekong River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the world, and it supports the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world. Millions of people in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) countries of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam rely on the fisheries of the
AuthorsHarmony C. Patricio, Shaara M. Ainsley, Matthew E. Andersen, John W. Beeman, David A. HewittFebruary 2012 workshop jumpstarts the Mekong Fish Monitoring Network
The Mekong River in Southeast Asia travels through a basin rich in natural resources. The river originates on the northern slope of the world's tallest mountains, the Himalaya Range, and then drops elevation quickly through steep mountain gorges, tumbling out of China into Myanmar (Burma) and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The precipitous terrain of Lao PDR and Thailand generatesAuthorsMatthew E. Andersen, Shaara M. AinsleyProceedings of the Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symposium, November 18-20, 2008, Scottsdale, Arizona
Since the 1980s, four major science and restoration programs have been developed for the Colorado River Basin to address primarily the conservation of native fish and other wildlife pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA): (1) Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin (commonly called the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery ProgramAuthorsTheodore S. Melis, John F. Hamill, Glenn E. Bennett, Lewis G. Coggins,, Paul E. Grams, Theodore A. Kennedy, Dennis M. Kubly, Barbara E. Ralston2008 High-flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam: Morphologic response of eddy-deposited sandbars and associated aquatic backwater habitats along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park
The March 2008 high-flow experiment (HFE) at Glen Canyon Dam resulted in sandbar deposition and sandbar reshaping such that the area and volume of associated backwater aquatic habitat in Grand Canyon National Park was greater following the HFE. Analysis of backwater habitat area and volume for 116 locations at 86 study sites, comparing one month before and one month after the HFE, shows that totalAuthorsPaul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Matthew E. AndersenStatus and trends of the Grand Canyon population of Humpback Chub
The Colorado River Basin supports one of the most distinctive fish communities in North America, including the federally endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha). One of only six remaining populations of this fish is found in Grand Canyon, Arizona. U.S. Geological Survey scientists and their cooperators are responsible for monitoring the Grand Canyon population. Analysis of recently collected data inAuthorsMatthew E. AndersenUSGS Workshop on Scientific Aspects of a Long-Term Experimental Plan for Glen Canyon Dam, April 10-11, 2007, Flagstaff, Arizona
Executive Summary Glen Canyon Dam is located in the lower reaches of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on the Colorado River, approximately 15 miles upriver from Grand Canyon National Park (fig. 1). In 1992, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Grand Canyon Protection Act (GCPA; title XVIII, sec. 1801?1809, of Public Law 102-575), which seeks ?to protect, mitigate adverse imAuthorsGrand Canyon Humpback Chub Population Improving
The humpback chub (Gila cypha) is a long-lived, freshwater fish found only in the Colorado River Basin. Physical adaptations-large adult body size, large predorsal hump, and small eyes-appear to have helped humpback chub evolve in the historically turbulent Colorado River. A variety of factors, including habitat alterations and the introduction of nonnative fishes, likely prompted the decline of nAuthorsMatthew E. AndersenNon-USGS Publications**
Andersen, M.E. and J.E. Brooks, 2020, Applying Endangered Species Act Protections to Desert Fishes: Assessment and Opportunities, in Probst, D.L., Williams, J.E., Bestgen, K.R., and Hoagstrom, C.W., eds., Standing Between Life and Extinction: Ethics and Ecology of Conserving Aquatic Species in North American Deserts, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 183-198.Andersen, M.E., 2014, Early Review of Potential Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Gulf of Mexico Wetlands and Their Associated Fisheries, in Alford, J.B., Peterson, M.S., and Green, C.C., eds., Impacts of Oil Spill Disasters on Marine Habitats and Fisheries in North America, Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, p. 97-112.Andersen, M.E., Ackerman, M.W., Hilwig, K.D., Fuller, A.E., and Alley, P.D., 2010, Evidence of young humpback chub overwintering in the mainstem Colorado River, Marble Canyon, Arizona, USA: The Open Fish Science Journal, v. 3, p. 42-50. doi: 10.2174/1874401X01003010042.Andersen, M.E. and Deacon, J.E., 2001, Population Size of Devils Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) Correlates with Water Level: Copeia, no. 1, p. 224-228.Andersen, M.E. and Deacon, J.E., 1996, Status of endemic non-salmonid fish in eastern Nevada: Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sciences v. 29, p. 124-133.**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.