Molly S Wood
Molly Wood is the Chief of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area’s Hydrologic Networks Branch.
Molly is a Senior Hydrologist and Branch Chief for the USGS’ Water Resources Mission Area Headquarters. She has an educational background in Civil and Environmental Engineering and has worked in both the private consulting and federal government sectors. 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, a Hydrologist and Surface Water Specialist for the Idaho Water Science Center, the National Sediment Specialist for the Water Resources Mission Area, and the acting Chief of the USGS Office of International Programs’ Branch of International Science Collaboration. She has provided technical assistance with hydrologic data collection and research to government agencies and organizations across the world..
Professional Experience
October 2023 – present: Chief of the Hydrologic Networks Branch, USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Boise, ID
January 2023 – October 2023: 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
January 2006 – February 2007: Adjunct Professor, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
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
Registered Professional Engineer, Florida
Science and Products
Surrogate analysis and index developer (SAID) tool and real-time data dissemination utilities
Evaluation of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport
Streamflow statistics for development of water rights claims for the Jarbidge Wild and Scenic River, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, Idaho, 2013-14: a supplement to Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5212
Evaluation of seepage and discharge uncertainty in the middle Snake River, southwestern Idaho
Estimating suspended sediment in rivers using acoustic Doppler meters
Streamflow monitoring and statistics for development of water rights claims for Wild and Scenic Rivers, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, Idaho, 2012
Sediment transport in the lower Snake and Clearwater River Basins, Idaho and Washington, 2008–11
Use of surrogate technologies to estimate suspended sediment in the Clearwater River, Idaho, and Snake River, Washington, 2008-10
Water-quality conditions near the confluence of the Snake and Boise Rivers, Canyon County, Idaho
Concentrations and loads of nutrients in the tributaries of the Lake Okeechobee watershed, south-central Florida, water years 2004-2008
Estimating Locations of Perennial Streams in Idaho Using a Generalized Least-Squares Regression Model of 7-Day, 2-Year Low Flows
Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho: Insights gained From limnological studies of 1991-92 and 2004-06
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
Filter Total Items: 24
Surrogate analysis and index developer (SAID) tool and real-time data dissemination utilities
The use of acoustic and other parameters as surrogates for suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) in rivers has been successful in multiple applications across the Nation. Critical to advancing the operational use of surrogates are tools to process and evaluate the data along with the subsequent development of regression models from which real-time sediment concentrations can be made available toAuthorsMarian M. Domanski, Timothy D. Straub, Molly S. Wood, Mark N. Landers, Gary R. Wall, Steven J. BradyEvaluation 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 studyAuthorsMolly S. Wood, Ryan L. Fosness, Gregory Pachman, Mark Lorang, Diego TonollaStreamflow statistics for development of water rights claims for the Jarbidge Wild and Scenic River, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, Idaho, 2013-14: a supplement to Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5212
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), estimated streamflow statistics for stream segments designated “Wild,” “Scenic,” or “Recreational” under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness in southwestern Idaho. The streamflow statistics were used by the BLM to develop and file a draft, federal reserved water rAuthorsMolly S. WoodEvaluation of seepage and discharge uncertainty in the middle Snake River, southwestern Idaho
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the State of Idaho, Idaho Power Company, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources, evaluated seasonal seepage gains and losses in selected reaches of the middle Snake River, Idaho, during November 2012 and July 2013, and uncertainty in measured and computed discharge at four Idaho Power Company streamgages. Results from this investigation will beAuthorsMolly S. Wood, Marshall L. Williams, David M. Evetts, Peter J. VidmarEstimating suspended sediment in rivers using acoustic Doppler meters
Key Points - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2009) estimates that excessive sediment is the leading cause of water-quality impairment in water bodies in the United States. The cost of damages attributable to sediment is high, estimated at more than $20 billion annually (Osterkamp and others, 2004). - Sediment monitoring is essential to informed solutions to sediment-related issues. HowAuthorsMolly S. WoodStreamflow monitoring and statistics for development of water rights claims for Wild and Scenic Rivers, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, Idaho, 2012
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), collected streamflow data in 2012 and estimated streamflow statistics for stream segments designated "Wild," "Scenic," or "Recreational" under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness in southwestern Idaho. The streamflow statistics were used by BLM to develop and file a drafAuthorsMolly S. Wood, Ryan L. FosnessSediment transport in the lower Snake and Clearwater River Basins, Idaho and Washington, 2008–11
Sedimentation is an ongoing maintenance problem for reservoirs, limiting reservoir storage capacity and navigation. Because Lower Granite Reservoir in Washington is the most upstream of the four U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs on the lower Snake River, it receives and retains the largest amount of sediment. In 2008, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. GeologicalAuthorsGregory M. Clark, Ryan L. Fosness, Molly S. WoodUse of surrogate technologies to estimate suspended sediment in the Clearwater River, Idaho, and Snake River, Washington, 2008-10
Elevated levels of fluvial sediment can reduce the biological productivity of aquatic systems, impair freshwater quality, decrease reservoir storage capacity, and decrease the capacity of hydraulic structures. The need to measure fluvial sediment has led to the development of sediment surrogate technologies, particularly in locations where streamflow alone is not a good estimator of sediment loadAuthorsMolly S. Wood, Gregg N. TeasdaleWater-quality conditions near the confluence of the Snake and Boise Rivers, Canyon County, Idaho
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) have been established under authority of the Federal Clean Water Act for the Snake River-Hells Canyon reach, on the border of Idaho and Oregon, to improve water quality and preserve beneficial uses such as public consumption, recreation, and aquatic habitat. The TMDL sets targets for seasonal average and annual maximum concentrations of chlorophyll-a at 14 and 30AuthorsMolly S. Wood, Alexandra EtheridgeConcentrations and loads of nutrients in the tributaries of the Lake Okeechobee watershed, south-central Florida, water years 2004-2008
Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida is the second largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States. Excessive phosphorus loading, harmful high and low water levels, and rapid expansion of non-native vegetation have threatened the health of the lake in recent decades. A study was conducted to monitor discharge and nutrient concentrations from selected tributaries into Lake Okeechobee anAuthorsMichael J. Byrne, Molly S. WoodEstimating Locations of Perennial Streams in Idaho Using a Generalized Least-Squares Regression Model of 7-Day, 2-Year Low Flows
Many State and Federal agencies use information regarding the locations of streams having intermittent or perennial flow when making management and regulatory decisions. For example, the application of some Idaho water quality standards depends on whether streams are intermittent. Idaho Administrative Code defines an intermittent stream as one having a 7-day, 2-year low flow (7Q2) less than 0.1 ftAuthorsMolly S. Wood, Alan Rea, Kenneth D. Skinner, Jon HortnessCoeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho: Insights gained From limnological studies of 1991-92 and 2004-06
More than 100 years of mining and processing of metal-rich ores in northern Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene River basin have resulted in widespread metal contamination of the basin’s soil, sediment, water, and biota, including Coeur d’Alene Lake. Previous studies reported that about 85 percent of the bottom of Coeur d’Alene Lake is substantially enriched in antimony, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury,AuthorsMolly S. Wood, Michael A. BeckwithNon-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.
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