Olivia Miller
Olivia is a valuable member of the Utah Water Science Center. Her current research focuses on spatial and temporal analysis of groundwater and surface water quality, and the relationship between land use, climate, and hydrology throughout the southwestern United States.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Geology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (2017)
M.S., Geology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (2013)
B.A., Earth and Environmental Science, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT (2009)
Science and Products
Baseflow
The Colorado River has been identified as the most overallocated river in the world. Considering predicted future imbalances between water supply and demand and the growing recognition that base flow (a proxy for groundwater discharge to streams) is critical for sustaining flow in streams and rivers, there is a need to develop methods to better quantify present-day base flow across large regions...
Model code, input datasets, and prediction files for dynamic stream dissolved solids and static baseflow dissolved solids SPARROW models of the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2017
This data release contains model code and input data for, and predictions from, both a dynamic stream dissolved solids and a static baseflow dissolved solids SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) model of the Upper Colorado River Basin for water years 1986-2017. Input data includes information on dissolved solids sources, landscape transport characteristics...
Streamflow projections for southwestern United States (1975-2099)
We projected future streamflow outcomes arising from climate change for the southwestern United States during the 21st century due to climate change under two possible greenhouse gas concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and 8.5). The results inform water managers about the future risks of drought in their water resource regions by providing bounds on the possible locations and extents of...
Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope mass balance evaluation of the National Water Model (v2.1) streamflow, runoff and groundwater flows
This data release contains the results of an isotopic mass balance approach to provide an estimate of the long-term average isotope ratios of NWM streamflow for the summer season (JJA) between 2000 and 2019 in the Western United States. The NWM-estimated long-term average isotope ratios are compared directly to 6426 stream stable isotope observations in 995 unique catchments. Quantified...
SPARROW model inputs and simulated future baseflow for streams of the Upper Colorado River Basin
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was used to estimate baseflow changes from historical (1984 - 2012) to thirty-year periods centered around 2030, 2050, and 2080 under warm/wet, median, and hot/dry climatic conditions. SPARROW is a spatially explicit hybrid statistical and process-based model that estimates mean...
SPARROW model inputs and simulated streamflow, nutrient and suspended-sediment loads in streams of the Southwestern United States, 2012 Base Year (ver. 2.0, October 2020)
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was used to aid in the interpretation of monitoring data and simulate streamflow and water-quality conditions in streams across the Southwestern Region of the Unites States. SPARROW is a hybrid empirical/process-based mass balance model that can be used to estimate the major...
SPARROW model inputs and simulated streamflow, nutrient and suspended-sediment loads in streams of the Southwestern United States, 2012 Base Year
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was used to aid in the interpretation of monitoring data and simulate streamflow and water-quality conditions in streams across the Southwestern Region of the Unites States. SPARROW is a hybrid empirical/process-based mass balance model that can be used to estimate the major...
Filter Total Items: 20
Status of water-quality conditions in the United States, 2010–20
Degradation of water quality can make water harmful or unusable for humans and ecosystems. Although many studies have assessed the effect of individual constituents or narrow suites of constituents on freshwater systems, no consistent, comprehensive assessment exists over the wide range of water-quality effects on water availability. Using published studies, data, and models completed at...
Authors
Melinda L. Erickson, Olivia L. Miller, Matthew J. Cashman, James R. Degnan, James E. Reddy, Anthony J. Martinez, Elmera Azadpour
Integrated water availability in the conterminous United States, 2010–20
Water availability is defined as the spatial and temporal distribution of water quantity and quality as it relates to the needs of humans and ecosystems. Broad assessment of water availability requires the consideration of multiple indicators because water users have different sensitivities to the degradation of water conditions. This chapter draws upon estimates of water supply, water...
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Matthew J. Cashman, Olivia L. Miller, Kathryn A. Powlen
Local water use and climate drive water stress over the conterminous United States with substantial impacts to fish species of conservation concern
There is a growing need for consistent, large-scale estimates of water availability to identify and avoid potential conflicts among human and ecosystem uses of water. We present an assessment of water limitation, defined as the monthly balance (difference) between water supply (ws) and human consumptive water use (wc), for the conterminous United States (CONUS) during water years 2010...
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Olivia L. Miller, Matthew J. Cashman, Kathryn A. Powlen, Anthony J. Martinez, Althea A. Archer, Julie Padilla
Seasonally varying contributions of contemporaneous and lagged sources of instream total nitrogen and phosphorus load across the Illinois River basin
Quantifying nutrient sources in streams, their temporal and spatial variability, and drivers of that variability can support effective water resources management. Yet a lack of data and modeling capabilities has previously prevented comprehensive quantification across both space and time. Here a dynamic SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes) model that...
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Olivia L. Miller, Scott Ator, Matthew P. Miller, Gregory E. Schwarz, Dale M. Robertson, Andrew Sekellick, Kenneth Skinner, David A. Saad
Isotopic evaluation of the National Water Model reveals missing agricultural irrigation contributions to streamflow across the western United States
The National Water Model (NWM) provides critical analyses and projections of streamflow that support water management decisions. However, the NWM performs poorly in lower-elevation rivers of the western United States (US). The accuracy of the NWM depends on the fidelity of the model inputs and the representation and calibration of model processes and water sources. To evaluate the NWM...
Authors
Annie L. Putman, Patrick C. Longley, Morgan C. McDonnell, James E. Reddy, Michelle Patricia Katoski, Olivia L. Miller, J. Renee Brooks
Temporal variability in irrigated land and climate influences on salinity loading across the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2017
Freshwater salinization is a growing global concern impacting human and ecosystem needs with impacts to water availability for human and ecological uses. In the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), dissolved solids in streams compound ongoing water supply challenges to further limit water availability and cause economic damages. Much effort has been dedicated to understanding dissolved...
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Annie L. Putman, Richard A. Smith, Gregory E. Schwarz, Michael D. Hess, Morgan C. McDonnell, Daniel K. Jones
A review of current capabilities and science gaps in water supply data, modeling, and trends for water availability assessments in the Upper Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River is a critical water resource in the southwestern United States, supplying drinking water for 40 million people in the region and water for irrigation of 2.2 million hectares of land. Extended drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) and the prospect of a warmer climate in the future pose water availability challenges for those charged with managing the river...
Authors
Fred D. Tillman, Natalie K. Day, Matthew P. Miller, Olivia L. Miller, Christine A. Rumsey, Daniel Wise, Patrick C. Longley, Morgan C. McDonnell
Hydrologic modeling of a perennial firn aquifer in southeast Greenland
A conceptual model, based on field observations and assumed physics of a perennial firn aquifer near Helheim Glacier (southeast Greenland), is evaluated via steady-state 2-D simulation of liquid water flow and energy transport with phase change. The simulation approach allows natural representation of flow and energy advection and conduction that occur in vertical meltwater recharge...
Authors
Olivia Miller, Clifford I. Voss, D. Kip Solomon, Clément Miège, Richard Forster, Nicholas Schmerr, Lynn Montgomery
Effects of return flows on stream water quality and availability in the Upper Colorado, Delaware, and Illinois River Basins
Understanding effects of human water use and subsequent return flows on the availability and suitability of water for downstream uses is critical to efficient and effective watershed management. We compared spatially detailed estimates of stream chemistry within three watersheds in diverse settings to available standards to isolate effects of wastewater and irrigation return flows on the...
Authors
Scott Ator, Olivia L. Miller, David A. Saad
Modelagem de qualidade da agua: Aplicação do SPARROW
No abstract available.
Authors
Flavio Hadler Tröger, Sérgio Rodrigues Ayrimoraes Soares, Diana Leite Cavalcanti, Marcelo Luiz de Souza, Daniel Edmund Restivo, Olivia L. Miller
How will baseflow respond to climate change in the Upper Colorado River Basin?
Baseflow is critical to sustaining streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Therefore, effective water resources management requires estimates of baseflow response to climatic changes. This study provides the first estimates of projected baseflow changes from historical (1984 – 2012) to thirty-year periods centered around 2030, 2050, and 2080 under warm/wet, median, and hot/dry...
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Matthew P. Miller, Patrick C. Longley, Jay R. Alder, Lindsay A. Bearup, Tom Pruitt, Daniel K. Jones, Annie L. Putman, Christine A. Rumsey, Tim S. McKinney
Substantial declines in salinity observed across the Upper Colorado River Basin during the 20th century, 1929 to 2019
Salinity in the Colorado River Basin causes an estimated $300 to $400 million per year in economic damages in the U.S. To inform and improve salinity‐control efforts, this study quantifies long‐term trends in salinity (dissolved solids) across the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), including time periods prior to the construction of large dams and preceding the implementation of salinity...
Authors
Christine A. Rumsey, Olivia L. Miller, Robert Hirsch, Thomas M. Marston, David Susong
Non-USGS Publications**
Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Miège, C., Koenig, L., Forster, R., Schmerr, N., Ligtenberg, S.R., Legchenko, A., Voss, C.I., Montgomery, L. and McConnell, J.R., 2020. Hydrology of a perennial firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland: an overview driven by field data. Water Resources Research, 56(8), https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026348.
Legchenko, A., Miège, C., Koenig, L.S., Forster, R.R., Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Schmerr, N., Montgomery, L., Ligtenberg, S., and Brucker, L., 2018, Estimating water volume stored in the south-eastern Greenland firn aquifer using magnetic-resonance soundings: Journal of Applied Geophysics, v. 150, p. 11–20.
Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Miège, C., Koenig, L., Forster, R., Schmerr, N., Ligtenberg, S.R.M., and Montgomery, L., 2018, Direct evidence of meltwater flow within a firn aquifer in southeast Greenland: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 45, no. 1, p. 207–215.
Legchenko, A., Miège, C., Koenig, L.S., Forster, R.R., Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Schmerr, N., Montgomery, L., Ligtenberg, S., and Brucker, L., 2018, Investigating a firn aquifer near Helheim Glacier (South-Eastern Greenland) with magnetic resonance soundings and ground-penetrating radar: Near Surface Geophysics, v. 16, no. 4, p. 411–422.
Miller, O.L., Solomon, D.K., Miège, C., Koenig, L.S., Forster, R.R., Montgomery, L.N., Schmerr, N., Ligtenberg, S.R.M., Legchenko, A., and Brucker, L., 2017, Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in southeast Greenland: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 5, p. 38.
Montgomery, L.N., Schmerr, N., Burdick, S., Forster, R.R., Koenig, L., Legchenko, A., Ligtenberg, S., Miège, C., Miller, O.L., and Solomon, D.K., 2017, Investigation of firn aquifer structure in southeastern Greenland using active source seismology: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 5, p. 10.
Walsh, T.C., Miller, O.L., Bowen, B., Levine, Z.A., and Ehleringer, J.R., 2015, Sphere of sustainability: Lessons from the University of Utah’s Global Changes and Society Course: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, v. 141, no. 12.
Miller, O.L., Solomon, D.K., Fernandez, D.P., Cerling, T.E., and Bowling, D.R., 2014, Evaluating the use of strontium isotopes in tree rings to record the isotopic signal of dust deposited on the Wasatch Mountains: Applied Geochemistry, v. 50, p. 53–65.
**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
Baseflow
The Colorado River has been identified as the most overallocated river in the world. Considering predicted future imbalances between water supply and demand and the growing recognition that base flow (a proxy for groundwater discharge to streams) is critical for sustaining flow in streams and rivers, there is a need to develop methods to better quantify present-day base flow across large regions...
Model code, input datasets, and prediction files for dynamic stream dissolved solids and static baseflow dissolved solids SPARROW models of the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2017
This data release contains model code and input data for, and predictions from, both a dynamic stream dissolved solids and a static baseflow dissolved solids SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) model of the Upper Colorado River Basin for water years 1986-2017. Input data includes information on dissolved solids sources, landscape transport characteristics...
Streamflow projections for southwestern United States (1975-2099)
We projected future streamflow outcomes arising from climate change for the southwestern United States during the 21st century due to climate change under two possible greenhouse gas concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and 8.5). The results inform water managers about the future risks of drought in their water resource regions by providing bounds on the possible locations and extents of...
Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope mass balance evaluation of the National Water Model (v2.1) streamflow, runoff and groundwater flows
This data release contains the results of an isotopic mass balance approach to provide an estimate of the long-term average isotope ratios of NWM streamflow for the summer season (JJA) between 2000 and 2019 in the Western United States. The NWM-estimated long-term average isotope ratios are compared directly to 6426 stream stable isotope observations in 995 unique catchments. Quantified...
SPARROW model inputs and simulated future baseflow for streams of the Upper Colorado River Basin
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was used to estimate baseflow changes from historical (1984 - 2012) to thirty-year periods centered around 2030, 2050, and 2080 under warm/wet, median, and hot/dry climatic conditions. SPARROW is a spatially explicit hybrid statistical and process-based model that estimates mean...
SPARROW model inputs and simulated streamflow, nutrient and suspended-sediment loads in streams of the Southwestern United States, 2012 Base Year (ver. 2.0, October 2020)
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was used to aid in the interpretation of monitoring data and simulate streamflow and water-quality conditions in streams across the Southwestern Region of the Unites States. SPARROW is a hybrid empirical/process-based mass balance model that can be used to estimate the major...
SPARROW model inputs and simulated streamflow, nutrient and suspended-sediment loads in streams of the Southwestern United States, 2012 Base Year
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was used to aid in the interpretation of monitoring data and simulate streamflow and water-quality conditions in streams across the Southwestern Region of the Unites States. SPARROW is a hybrid empirical/process-based mass balance model that can be used to estimate the major...
Filter Total Items: 20
Status of water-quality conditions in the United States, 2010–20
Degradation of water quality can make water harmful or unusable for humans and ecosystems. Although many studies have assessed the effect of individual constituents or narrow suites of constituents on freshwater systems, no consistent, comprehensive assessment exists over the wide range of water-quality effects on water availability. Using published studies, data, and models completed at...
Authors
Melinda L. Erickson, Olivia L. Miller, Matthew J. Cashman, James R. Degnan, James E. Reddy, Anthony J. Martinez, Elmera Azadpour
Integrated water availability in the conterminous United States, 2010–20
Water availability is defined as the spatial and temporal distribution of water quantity and quality as it relates to the needs of humans and ecosystems. Broad assessment of water availability requires the consideration of multiple indicators because water users have different sensitivities to the degradation of water conditions. This chapter draws upon estimates of water supply, water...
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Matthew J. Cashman, Olivia L. Miller, Kathryn A. Powlen
Local water use and climate drive water stress over the conterminous United States with substantial impacts to fish species of conservation concern
There is a growing need for consistent, large-scale estimates of water availability to identify and avoid potential conflicts among human and ecosystem uses of water. We present an assessment of water limitation, defined as the monthly balance (difference) between water supply (ws) and human consumptive water use (wc), for the conterminous United States (CONUS) during water years 2010...
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Olivia L. Miller, Matthew J. Cashman, Kathryn A. Powlen, Anthony J. Martinez, Althea A. Archer, Julie Padilla
Seasonally varying contributions of contemporaneous and lagged sources of instream total nitrogen and phosphorus load across the Illinois River basin
Quantifying nutrient sources in streams, their temporal and spatial variability, and drivers of that variability can support effective water resources management. Yet a lack of data and modeling capabilities has previously prevented comprehensive quantification across both space and time. Here a dynamic SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes) model that...
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Olivia L. Miller, Scott Ator, Matthew P. Miller, Gregory E. Schwarz, Dale M. Robertson, Andrew Sekellick, Kenneth Skinner, David A. Saad
Isotopic evaluation of the National Water Model reveals missing agricultural irrigation contributions to streamflow across the western United States
The National Water Model (NWM) provides critical analyses and projections of streamflow that support water management decisions. However, the NWM performs poorly in lower-elevation rivers of the western United States (US). The accuracy of the NWM depends on the fidelity of the model inputs and the representation and calibration of model processes and water sources. To evaluate the NWM...
Authors
Annie L. Putman, Patrick C. Longley, Morgan C. McDonnell, James E. Reddy, Michelle Patricia Katoski, Olivia L. Miller, J. Renee Brooks
Temporal variability in irrigated land and climate influences on salinity loading across the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2017
Freshwater salinization is a growing global concern impacting human and ecosystem needs with impacts to water availability for human and ecological uses. In the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), dissolved solids in streams compound ongoing water supply challenges to further limit water availability and cause economic damages. Much effort has been dedicated to understanding dissolved...
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Annie L. Putman, Richard A. Smith, Gregory E. Schwarz, Michael D. Hess, Morgan C. McDonnell, Daniel K. Jones
A review of current capabilities and science gaps in water supply data, modeling, and trends for water availability assessments in the Upper Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River is a critical water resource in the southwestern United States, supplying drinking water for 40 million people in the region and water for irrigation of 2.2 million hectares of land. Extended drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) and the prospect of a warmer climate in the future pose water availability challenges for those charged with managing the river...
Authors
Fred D. Tillman, Natalie K. Day, Matthew P. Miller, Olivia L. Miller, Christine A. Rumsey, Daniel Wise, Patrick C. Longley, Morgan C. McDonnell
Hydrologic modeling of a perennial firn aquifer in southeast Greenland
A conceptual model, based on field observations and assumed physics of a perennial firn aquifer near Helheim Glacier (southeast Greenland), is evaluated via steady-state 2-D simulation of liquid water flow and energy transport with phase change. The simulation approach allows natural representation of flow and energy advection and conduction that occur in vertical meltwater recharge...
Authors
Olivia Miller, Clifford I. Voss, D. Kip Solomon, Clément Miège, Richard Forster, Nicholas Schmerr, Lynn Montgomery
Effects of return flows on stream water quality and availability in the Upper Colorado, Delaware, and Illinois River Basins
Understanding effects of human water use and subsequent return flows on the availability and suitability of water for downstream uses is critical to efficient and effective watershed management. We compared spatially detailed estimates of stream chemistry within three watersheds in diverse settings to available standards to isolate effects of wastewater and irrigation return flows on the...
Authors
Scott Ator, Olivia L. Miller, David A. Saad
Modelagem de qualidade da agua: Aplicação do SPARROW
No abstract available.
Authors
Flavio Hadler Tröger, Sérgio Rodrigues Ayrimoraes Soares, Diana Leite Cavalcanti, Marcelo Luiz de Souza, Daniel Edmund Restivo, Olivia L. Miller
How will baseflow respond to climate change in the Upper Colorado River Basin?
Baseflow is critical to sustaining streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Therefore, effective water resources management requires estimates of baseflow response to climatic changes. This study provides the first estimates of projected baseflow changes from historical (1984 – 2012) to thirty-year periods centered around 2030, 2050, and 2080 under warm/wet, median, and hot/dry...
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Matthew P. Miller, Patrick C. Longley, Jay R. Alder, Lindsay A. Bearup, Tom Pruitt, Daniel K. Jones, Annie L. Putman, Christine A. Rumsey, Tim S. McKinney
Substantial declines in salinity observed across the Upper Colorado River Basin during the 20th century, 1929 to 2019
Salinity in the Colorado River Basin causes an estimated $300 to $400 million per year in economic damages in the U.S. To inform and improve salinity‐control efforts, this study quantifies long‐term trends in salinity (dissolved solids) across the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), including time periods prior to the construction of large dams and preceding the implementation of salinity...
Authors
Christine A. Rumsey, Olivia L. Miller, Robert Hirsch, Thomas M. Marston, David Susong
Non-USGS Publications**
Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Miège, C., Koenig, L., Forster, R., Schmerr, N., Ligtenberg, S.R., Legchenko, A., Voss, C.I., Montgomery, L. and McConnell, J.R., 2020. Hydrology of a perennial firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland: an overview driven by field data. Water Resources Research, 56(8), https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026348.
Legchenko, A., Miège, C., Koenig, L.S., Forster, R.R., Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Schmerr, N., Montgomery, L., Ligtenberg, S., and Brucker, L., 2018, Estimating water volume stored in the south-eastern Greenland firn aquifer using magnetic-resonance soundings: Journal of Applied Geophysics, v. 150, p. 11–20.
Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Miège, C., Koenig, L., Forster, R., Schmerr, N., Ligtenberg, S.R.M., and Montgomery, L., 2018, Direct evidence of meltwater flow within a firn aquifer in southeast Greenland: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 45, no. 1, p. 207–215.
Legchenko, A., Miège, C., Koenig, L.S., Forster, R.R., Miller, O., Solomon, D.K., Schmerr, N., Montgomery, L., Ligtenberg, S., and Brucker, L., 2018, Investigating a firn aquifer near Helheim Glacier (South-Eastern Greenland) with magnetic resonance soundings and ground-penetrating radar: Near Surface Geophysics, v. 16, no. 4, p. 411–422.
Miller, O.L., Solomon, D.K., Miège, C., Koenig, L.S., Forster, R.R., Montgomery, L.N., Schmerr, N., Ligtenberg, S.R.M., Legchenko, A., and Brucker, L., 2017, Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in southeast Greenland: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 5, p. 38.
Montgomery, L.N., Schmerr, N., Burdick, S., Forster, R.R., Koenig, L., Legchenko, A., Ligtenberg, S., Miège, C., Miller, O.L., and Solomon, D.K., 2017, Investigation of firn aquifer structure in southeastern Greenland using active source seismology: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 5, p. 10.
Walsh, T.C., Miller, O.L., Bowen, B., Levine, Z.A., and Ehleringer, J.R., 2015, Sphere of sustainability: Lessons from the University of Utah’s Global Changes and Society Course: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, v. 141, no. 12.
Miller, O.L., Solomon, D.K., Fernandez, D.P., Cerling, T.E., and Bowling, D.R., 2014, Evaluating the use of strontium isotopes in tree rings to record the isotopic signal of dust deposited on the Wasatch Mountains: Applied Geochemistry, v. 50, p. 53–65.
**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.