Molly Wood is currently on detail as the Acting Chief of the International Science Collaboration Branch in the USGS’ Office of International Programs. She was formerly the Acting Chief of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area’s Hydrologic Networks Branch and the USGS National Sediment Specialist.
Molly is a Senior Hydrologist for the USGS’ Water Resources Mission Area Headquarters, currently on detail to the USGS Office of International Programs. She has an educational background in Civil and Environmental Engineering and has worked in both the private consulting and federal government sectors. In her normal USGS Headquarters role, she serves as an advisor and coordinator for national sediment transport and surface water monitoring activities. She helps set national policies for water resources monitoring, advises on funding priorities, provides expert advice and training, and develops innovative water monitoring techniques to inform water resource management decisions. Previous USGS roles include serving as a Hydrologist for the Florida Integrated Science Center working on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, as a Hydrologist and Surface Water Specialist for the Idaho Water Science Center, and as the acting Chief of the USGS Headquarters’ Hydrologic Networks Branch. She has provided technical assistance with hydrologic data collection and research activities to government agencies and organizations across the world, including in Iraq, Laos, Chile, and Brazil.
Professional Experience
January 2023 to present: Acting Chief of the International Science Collaboration Branch, USGS Office of International Programs, Boise, ID
November 2020 – January 2023: Acting Chief of the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Boise, ID
January 2016 – January 2023: National Sediment Specialist/Senior Scientist, USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Boise, ID
March 2007 – January 2016: Surface Water Specialist, USGS Idaho Water Science Center, Boise, ID
February 2015 – June 2015: Acting Deputy Director, USGS Idaho Water Science Center, Boise, ID
May 2002 – March 2007: Hydrologist, USGS Florida Integrated Science Center, Orlando, FL
August 2000 – May 2002: Water Resources Engineer, Science Applications International Corporation, Oak Ridge, TN
Education and Certifications
M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2000
B.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1998
International studies, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, 1997
International studies, National Outdoor Leadership School, Chilean Patagonia, 1996
Affiliations and Memberships*
Registered Professional Engineer, Florida
2020 – present: Member, USGS Water Policy Advisory Council
2019 – present: USGS representative, Sedimentation and Hydrology Interagency Committee
2016 – present: USGS representative, U.S. Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project
2012 – present: Member, USGS Sediment Acoustics Leadership Team
2019 – 2020: Chair, USGS Next-Generation Water Observing System Imagery Team
2018 – 2019: Co-Chair, USGS Integrated Water Prediction Sediment Core Team
2016 – 2019: Chair, USGS Sediment Round Table
2016 – 2019: USGS representative, U.S. Advisory Committee on Water Information, Subcommittee on Sedimentation
2016 – 2019: Member, USGS Gulf Restoration Initiatives Workgroup
2015 – 2020: Chair, USGS Next-Generation Index Velocity Streamflow Tools Workgroup
2013 – 2021: Secretary, International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 113, Subcommittee 5 Hydrometry
2013 – 2021: USGS representative, ISO Technical Advisory Group
2011 – 2016: Member, USGS Northwest Interdisciplinary Science Leadership Team
2010 – 2012: Co-Chair, USGS Hydroacoustics Workgroup (HaWG)
2009 – 2014: Member, USGS HaWG
2009 – 2012: President, Engineers Without Borders, Treasure Valley Idaho Professional Chapter
2008 – 2016: USGS representative, Idaho Silver Jackets Flood Coordination and Response Team
2007 – 2018: Member, American Water Resources Association, Idaho Chapter
2006 – 2007: Adjunct Professor, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Science and Products
Mapping of suspended sediment transport using acoustic methods in a Pantanal tributary
Field evaluation of the Sequoia Scientific LISST-ABS acoustic backscatter sediment sensor
Envisioning a multi-agency and multi-academic institution geomorphology data exchange portal
Acoustic Sediment Estimation Toolbox (ASET): A software package for calibrating and processing TRDI ADCP data to compute suspended-sediment transport in sandy rivers
Measuring suspended sediment in sand-bedded rivers using down-looking acoustic doppler current profilers
Time-series sediment acoustics and LISST-ABS testing
Strategic directions of the USGS water mission area’s fluvial sediment science program
Estimating sand concentrations using ADCP‐based acoustic inversion in a large fluvial system characterized by bi‐modal suspended‐sediment distributions
Sediment acoustic index method for computing continuous suspended-sediment concentrations
Estimating peak-flow frequency statistics for selected gaged and ungaged sites in naturally flowing streams and rivers in Idaho
Evaluation of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport
Sediment transport and evaluation of sediment surrogate ratings in the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Water Years 2011–14
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.
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Sediment Laboratories
Sediment Surrogate Techniques
Sediment Sampling and Data Processing
Sediment Acoustics
Sound Sediment Science
A training course to augment USGS Course H-17-037, Acoustic Index Method for Estimating Fluvial Suspended Sediment and USGS Techniques and Methods Report 3C-5
Fluvial Sediment and Geomorphology: Resources for Monitoring and Analysis
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
The Vigil Network: long-term, broad spectrum data collected to observe landscape change in drainage basins
Bathymetry and capacity of Blackfoot Reservoir, Caribou County, Idaho, 2011
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 23
Mapping of suspended sediment transport using acoustic methods in a Pantanal tributary
Generally, fluvial systems are used for different objectives including energy production, water supply, recreation, and navigation. Thus, many impacts must be considered with their use. An understanding of sediment dynamics in fluvial systems is often of value for a variety of objectives, given that erosion and depositional processes can change the fluvial system morphology and can substantially aField evaluation of the Sequoia Scientific LISST-ABS acoustic backscatter sediment sensor
Sequoia Scientific’s LISST-ABS is a submersible acoustic instrument that measures the acoustic backscatter sensor (ABS) concentration at a point within a river, stream, or creek. Compared to traditional physical methods for measuring suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), sediment surrogates like the LISST-ABS offer continuous data that can be calibrated with physical SSC samples. Data were colleEnvisioning a multi-agency and multi-academic institution geomorphology data exchange portal
Access to bathymetry and geomorphology data for rivers and reservoirs is a critical need in multiple agencies and academia. These data are needed to make water-resource-management decisions regarding river restoration, resource protection, infrastructure design and sustainability, and flood-risk reduction, and during natural disasters. Sharing of data increases decision-making capacity by incorporAcoustic Sediment Estimation Toolbox (ASET): A software package for calibrating and processing TRDI ADCP data to compute suspended-sediment transport in sandy rivers
Quantifying suspended-sediment transport is critical for a variety of disciplines related to the management of water resources. However, the number of gauging stations and monitoring networks in most rivers around the world is insufficient to improve understanding of river dynamics and support water resource management decisions. This is mainly due to the high operational costs and intensive laborMeasuring suspended sediment in sand-bedded rivers using down-looking acoustic doppler current profilers
The use of side-looking acoustic Doppler velocity meters (ADVMs) to estimate fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) has become more operational by the U.S. Geological Survey in recent years; however, direct transfer of these techniques to down-looking acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) currently is not widely feasible. Key assumptions in the sidelooking ADVM method related to sediTime-series sediment acoustics and LISST-ABS testing
Acoustics and other surrogates can be used to accurately and cost-effectively provide time-series estimates of suspended-sediment concentration and load, which is essential for creating informed solutions to many sediment-related environmental, engineering, and agricultural concerns. Interagency efforts in recent years have advanced the testing, methods development, operational guidelines, and traStrategic directions of the USGS water mission area’s fluvial sediment science program
The USGS Water Mission Area’s Sediment Science Program provides leadership, training, and methods development in fluvial sediment science for the USGS and its external partners. Overarching objectives of the USGS Sediment Science Program (which includes the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project) include: 1) developing and promoting innovative sediment monitoring techniques that result in costEstimating sand concentrations using ADCP‐based acoustic inversion in a large fluvial system characterized by bi‐modal suspended‐sediment distributions
Quantifying sediment flux within rivers is a challenge for many disciplines due, mainly, to difficulties inherent to traditional sediment sampling methods. These methods are operationally complex, high cost, and high risk. Additionally, the resulting data provide a low spatial and temporal resolution estimate of the total sediment flux, which has impeded advances in the understanding of the hydro‐Sediment acoustic index method for computing continuous suspended-sediment concentrations
Suspended-sediment characteristics can be computed using acoustic indices derived from acoustic Doppler velocity meter (ADVM) backscatter data. The sediment acoustic index method applied in these types of studies can be used to more accurately and cost-effectively provide time-series estimates of suspended-sediment concentration and load, which is essential for informed solutions to many sediment-Estimating peak-flow frequency statistics for selected gaged and ungaged sites in naturally flowing streams and rivers in Idaho
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Transportation Department, updated regional regression equations to estimate peak-flow statistics at ungaged sites on Idaho streams using recent streamflow (flow) data and new statistical techniques. Peak-flow statistics with 80-, 67-, 50-, 43-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (1.25-, 1.50-, 2.00-Evaluation of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport
The use of multiple-frequency, active acoustics through deployment of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) shows potential for estimating bedload in selected grain size categories. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the University of Montana (UM), evaluated the use of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport during a pilot studySediment transport and evaluation of sediment surrogate ratings in the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Water Years 2011–14
The Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and other native fish species are culturally important to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, but their habitat and recruitment have been affected by anthropogenic changes to the river. Although the interconnections among anthropogenic changes and their impacts on fish are complex, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with other agencies,Non-USGS Publications**
Robinson, R. Bruce; Wood, Molly S.; Smoot, James L.; and Moore, Stephen E., 2004, Parametric modeling of water quality and sampling strategy in a high-altitude Appalachian stream: Paper in Journal of Hydrology (ISSN #0022-1694), Volume 287, Number 1-4, pp 62-73, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.09.024**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
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Substantial advances in water science, together with emerging breakthroughs in technical and computational capabilities, have led the USGS to develop a Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS). The USGS NGWOS will provide real-time data on water quantity and quality in more affordable and rapid ways than previously possible, and in more locations.Sediment Laboratories
The USGS maintains sediment laboratories in several Water Science Centers and offices across the country.Sediment Surrogate Techniques
USGS develops and uses “surrogate” techniques to estimate sediment at times when it can’t be physically measured through samples.Sediment Sampling and Data Processing
USGS collects sediment samples at thousands of locations across the U.S. using nationally consistent methods.Sediment Acoustics
The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes the need to provide sediment acoustic training and to develop standardized techniques and practices.Sound Sediment Science
A training course to augment USGS Course H-17-037, Acoustic Index Method for Estimating Fluvial Suspended Sediment and USGS Techniques and Methods Report 3C-5
Fluvial Sediment and Geomorphology: Resources for Monitoring and Analysis
The USGS collects fluvial sediment and geomorphic data and conducts related research at numerous sites across the Nation. This information is essential to informed solutions to sediment-related and overall water resource management issues.Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
The Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program serves as the national source of impartial, timely, quality-assured, and relevant water data for short- and long-term water decisions by local, State, tribal, regional, and national stakeholders. Our objectives are to collect, manage, and disseminate consistently high-quality and reliable hydrologic information in real-time and over the long-term. - Data
The Vigil Network: long-term, broad spectrum data collected to observe landscape change in drainage basins
Long-term monitoring data of geomorphic, hydrological, and biological characteristics of landscapes. This information provides an effective means of relating observed change to possible causes of the change. Identification of changes in basin characteristics, especially in arid areas where the response to altered climate or land use is generally rapid and readily apparent, might provide the initia - Maps
Bathymetry and capacity of Blackfoot Reservoir, Caribou County, Idaho, 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, surveyed the bathymetry and selected above-water sections of Blackfoot Reservoir, Caribou County, Idaho, in 2011. Reservoir operators manage releases from Government Dam on Blackfoot Reservoir based on a stage-capacity relation developed about the time of dam construction in the early 1900s. Reservoir operation dir - Multimedia
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government