Patrick (Ryan) Jackson, Ph.D.
P. Ryan Jackson, Hydrologist, USGS, Central Midwest Water Science Center, located in Urbana, Illinois.
Biography
Ryan received my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006 and was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 2006-2008. Since joining the USGS in 2008, he has been primarily working on surface water investigations projects, though some of his time each year has been dedicated to Office of Surface Water (Hydroacoustics). While Ryan's job title is hydrologist, a more accurate and descriptive title would be Environmental and Ecological Hydrodynamicist (yes, it's a mouthful). He studies complex flows in rivers and lakes and how these flows relate to physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring in the surrounding environment and ecosystems. At the heart of many of Ryan's studies is the investigation of mixing and transport in surface water with the goal of understanding a system from a holistic perspective, which includes describing the role of hydrodynamics in driving water-quality distributions and ecological processes. Examples of such studies include fate and transport of contaminants in rivermouth mixing zones in the Great Lakes, assessment of spawning suitability of Great Lakes tributaries for invasive Asian carp, and the hydrodynamics around barges and potential for entrainment and transport of invasive fish in barge junction gap spaces.
Ryan's studies rely heavily on innovative applications of hydroacoustic and water-quality instrumentation. For example, some of his studies utilize an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) paired with traditional manned-boat instrument platforms for high-resolution, integrated synoptic surveys of water-quality distributions, bathymetry, and velocity of a study site. He has a passion for data analysis and visualization and use a variety of tools including Matlab, ArcGIS, and Adobe Illustrator to unlock and present the "story in the data". Since unpublished research benefits nobody, he actively strives to publish his studies in peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, conference papers, and data releases. Finally, Ryan shares many of the data processing and visualization tools that he develops through his research with others to provide transparency and standardization, improve efficiency, and minimize duplication of effort within the USGS and the broader research community. One example is the Velocity Mapping Toolbox (VMT), a suite of tools for processing and visualizing data from acoustic Doppler current profilers.
Science and Products
Development of a FluEgg Model for the St. Croix River
The USGS partnered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to collect hydraulic and water chemistry data in the lower St. Croix River for development of a model that predicts the probability of successful egg hatching and survival of juvenile invasive carp over a range of water temperature and streamflow conditions.
Early Life History of Bighead, Silver, Black, and Grass Carps
Grass, bighead, black, and silver carps spawn in turbulent rivers and their eggs develop and hatch while drifting downriver. The larvae also have a short period of developing in the drift, and then they must swim from the river and find appropriate low- or no-flow nursery areas. Rivers which are not long enough, turbulent enough, or without nursery areas in the correct locations...
Water velocity profiling at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully-loaded commercial tows in August 2017: Wall Mounted Channel Master
In 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a large-scale interagency field study to determine the influence of commercial barge vessels on the efficacy of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System (EDBS) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in preventing fish passage. This study included a series of trials in which a tow...
Bathymetric Soundings in Lake Michigan at Jeorse Park Beach (2015)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled “Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan”. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and...
Bathymetric Soundings in Lake Michigan at Jeorse Park Beach (2016)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled “Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan”. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and...
Nearshore Currents in Lake Michigan at Jeorse Park Beach (2015)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled 'Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan'. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and contact recreational...
Nearshore Currents in Lake Michigan at Jeorse Park Beach (2016)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled 'Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan'. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and contact recreational...
Three-dimensional point measurements of basic water-quality parameters in Lake Michigan at Jeorse Park Beach near Gary, Indiana (September 1, 2015)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled "Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan". This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and contact recreational...
Three-dimensional point measurements of basic water-quality parameters in Lake Michigan at Jeorse Park Beach near Gary, Indiana (September 21, 2016)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled "Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan". This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and contact recreational...
Continuous Monitoring and Synoptic Mapping of Nearshore Water Quality, Currents, and Bathymetry in Lake Michigan at 63rd Street Beach at Hyde Park, Illinois
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled “Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan”. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and...
Bathymetric Soundings in Lake Michigan at 63rd Street Beach (2015)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled “Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan”. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and...
Bathymetric Soundings in Lake Michigan at 63rd Street Beach (2016)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled “Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan”. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and...
Nearshore Currents in Lake Michigan at 63rd Street Beach (2015)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled 'Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan'. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and contact recreational...
Nearshore Currents in Lake Michigan at 63rd Street Beach (2016)
These data were collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project template 678-1 entitled 'Evaluate immediate and long-term BMP effectiveness of GLRI restoration efforts at urban beaches on Southern and Western Lake Michigan'. This project is evaluating the effectiveness of projects that are closely associated with restoration of local habitat and contact recreational...
Efficacy of increasing discharge to reduce tow-mediated fish passage across an electric dispersal barrier system in a confined channel
The Electric Dispersal Barrier System (EDBS) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) was built to limit the interbasin transfer of aquatic invasive species between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin. Commercial barge traffic, or tows, moving downstream through the EDBS can facilitate the upstream passage of small fish...
Zinger, Jessica; Davis, Jeremiah J.; Shanks, Matthew R.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Murphy, Elizabeth A.; Baxter, Carey L.; Trovillion, Jonathan C.; McInerney, Michael K.
Characterizing variability in vertical profiles of streamwise velocity and implications for streamgaging practices in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois, January 2014 to July 2017
A critical component of the Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting program, which oversees the diversion of Great Lakes water by the State of Illinois, is the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois. The long-term application of an up-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler at this streamgage...
Jackson, P. Ryan
Flow hydraulics and mixing characteristics in and downstream from Brandon Road Lock, Joliet, Illinois
The Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified for potential implementation of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) control measures. To provide additional information concerning the flow hydraulics and mixing characteristics of the lock and downstream approach channel, the U.S. Geological Survey...
Engel, Frank L.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Murphy, Elizabeth A. Identifying and eliminating sources of recreational water quality degradation along an urban coast
Restoration of highly degraded urban coastal waters often requires large-scale, complex projects, but in the interim, smaller-scale efforts can provide immediate improvements to water quality conditions for visitor use. We examined short-term efforts to improve recreational water quality near the Grand Calumet River (GC) in the Laurentian Great...
Nevers, Meredith B.; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara; Shively, Dawn; Buszka, Paul M.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Phanikumar, Mantha S. Range estimates and habitat use of invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix): Evidence of sedentary and mobile individuals
Unregulated rivers provide unobstructed corridors for the dispersal of both native and invasive species. We sought to evaluate range size and habitat use of an invasive species (Silver Carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in an unimpounded river reach (Wabash River, IN), to provide insights into the dispersal of invasive species and their potential...
Prechtel, Austin R.; Coulter, Alison A.; Etchison, Luke; Jackson, P. Ryan; Goforth, Reuben R. Effects of tow transit on the efficacy of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Electric Dispersal Barrier System
In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a field study in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, Illinois to determine the influence of tow transit on the efficacy of the Electric Dispersal Barrier System (EDBS) in preventing the passage of juvenile fish (total...
Davis, Jeremiah J.; LeRoy, Jessica Z.; Shanks, Matthew R.; Jackson, Patrick Ryan; Engel, Frank L.; Murphy, Elizabeth A.; Baxter, Carey L.; McInerney, Michael K.; Barkowski, Nicholas A.
Response of currents and water quality to changes in dam operations in Hoover Reservoir, Columbus, Ohio, August 24–28, 2015
Hoover Reservoir, an important drinking water supply for the City of Columbus, Ohio, has been the source of a series of taste and odor problems in treated drinking water during the past few years. These taste and odor problems were caused by the compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, which are thought to have been related to cyanobacteria...
Vonins, Branden L.; Jackson, P. Ryan Numerical modeling of simultaneous tracer release and piscicide treatment for invasive species control in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago, Illinois
In December 2009, during a piscicide treatment targeting the invasive Asian carp in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Rhodamine WT dye was released to track and document the transport and dispersion of the piscicide. In this study, two modeling approaches are presented to reproduce the advection and dispersion of the dye tracer (and piscicide...
Zhu, Zhenduo; Motta, Davide; Jackson, P. Ryan; Garcia, Marcelo H. Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway
Large Electric Dispersal Barriers were constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) to prevent the transfer of invasive fish species between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin while simultaneously allowing the passage of commercial barge traffic. We investigated the potential for entrainment, retention, and...
Davis, Jeremiah J.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Engel, Frank L.; LeRoy, Jessica Z.; Neeley, Rebecca N.; Finney, Samuel T.; Murphy, Elizabeth A. Seiche-induced unsteady flows in the Huron-Erie Corridor: Spectral analysis of oscillations in stage and discharge in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers
Animations of highly dynamic water-surface profiles through the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers have identified transient disturbances propagating from Lakes Huron and Erie into the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, respectively. To determine any relation to seiche and tidal oscillations on Lakes Huron and Erie, a spectral analysis was performed on...
Contantinescu, G.; Garcia, M.; Hanes, D.; Jackson, P. Ryan Three-dimensional numerical modeling of mixing at the junction of the Calumet-Sag Channel and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal: A comparison between density-driven and advection-driven mixing
The Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) includes the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) and the Calumet-Sag Channel (Cal-Sag), the two primary, man-made connections between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors diversion of Great Lakes water at a streamgage just downstream of the confluence...
Constantinescu, George; Garcia, Marcelo H.; Hanes, Dan; Wang, Dongchen; Dudda, Som; Jackson, P. Ryan; Garcia, Marcelo H.
Geology, hydrology, water quality, and potential for interbasin invasive-species spread by way of the groundwater pathway near Lemont, Illinois
Invasive species such as Asian carps have the potential to travel in the egg, larval, or fry stages from the Des Plaines River (DPR) to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) by way of the network of secondary-permeability features in the dolomite aquifer between these water bodies. Such movement would circumvent the electric fish barrier on...
Kay, Robert T.; Mills, P.C.; Jackson, P. Ryan