Patrick (Ryan) Jackson, Ph.D.
P. Ryan Jackson, Hydrologist, USGS, Central Midwest Water Science Center, located in Urbana, Illinois.
Ryan received his 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 Since unpublished research benefits nobody, he actively strives to publish his studies in peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, conference papers, and data releases.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
Water-quality distribution in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, USGS towed multiparameter sonde, Daily tow data files (Feb. 25-27, 2010 and March 2-3, 2010)
Acoustic Doppler current profiler velocity data collected in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 2010 and 2011 in support of the interbasin transport study for invasive Asian carp
Hydroacoustic measurements of velocities in and near the rake-to-box junction gap of a moving, fully-loaded commercial barge tow
Spatial distribution of Rhodamine WT dye concentration measured in the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago, IL in November 2011
Response of currents and water quality to changes in dam operations in Hoover Reservoir, Columbus, Ohio, August 24–28, 2015
Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway
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
Seiche-induced unsteady flows in the Huron-Erie Corridor: Spectral analysis of oscillations in stage and discharge in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers
Geology, hydrology, water quality, and potential for interbasin invasive-species spread by way of the groundwater pathway near Lemont, Illinois
Numerical modeling of simultaneous tracer release and piscicide treatment for invasive species control in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago, Illinois
Simulation of hypothetical Asian carp egg and larvae development and transport in the Lockport, Brandon Road, Dresden Island, and Marseilles Pools of the Illinois Waterway by use of the Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) model
A laboratory investigation of the suspension, transport, and settling of silver carp eggs using synthetic surrogates
Implications of climate change on the heat budget of lentic systems used for power station cooling: Case study Clinton Lake, Illinois
Application of the FluEgg model to predict transport of Asian carp eggs in the Saint Joseph River (Great Lakes tributary)
Integrated synoptic surveys of the hydrodynamics and water-quality distributions in two Lake Michigan rivermouth mixing zones using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a manned boat
Circulation, mixing, and transport in nearshore Lake Erie in the vicinity of Villa Angela Beach and Euclid Creek, Cleveland, Ohio, September 11-12, 2012
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Water-quality distribution in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, USGS towed multiparameter sonde, Daily tow data files (Feb. 25-27, 2010 and March 2-3, 2010)
These data files include georeferenced water-quality data with associated time stamps (Central Standard Time) for basic water-quality parameters as measured by a towed multiparameter sonde (YSI 6920 sonde) from a manned boat in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Data were collected on February 25-27, 2010, and again on March 2-3, 2010. The data collected in February 2010 had the sonde on a fixedAcoustic Doppler current profiler velocity data collected in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 2010 and 2011 in support of the interbasin transport study for invasive Asian carp
Water velocities were measured in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in 2010 and 2011 using Teledyne Rio Grande 600 kHz and 1200 kHz acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP). The data were georeferenced with differential GPS receivers with submeter accuracy. Data were processed using the Velocity Mapping Toolbox (Parsons et al., 2013). Any data assigned a value of "-9999" are bad or missiHydroacoustic measurements of velocities in and near the rake-to-box junction gap of a moving, fully-loaded commercial barge tow
In August 2015, water velocities around a fully-loaded commercial barge tow were measured as the barge tow traveled upstream through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal from a starting position in Lockport Pool, and passed through the Electric Dispersal Barrier System at river mile (RM) 296 near Romeoville, IL. Velocity measurements were made in and alongside the gap formed by the junction betweenSpatial distribution of Rhodamine WT dye concentration measured in the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago, IL in November 2011
These data were collected during a dye tracing study of the lower Des Plaines River and lower Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in November 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey. The study attempted to identify potential inflows of Des Plaines River water through the fractured bedrock that separates the two water bodies. Data include Rhodamine WT dye concentrations measured every 3 or 10 minutes - Multimedia
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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 blooms. In an effort to reduce the phosphorus availableAuthorsBranden L. Vonins, P. Ryan JacksonEntrainment, 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 transport of freely swimming fish within large gaps (> 50 mAuthorsJeremiah J. Davis, P. Ryan Jackson, Frank L. Engel, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Rebecca N. Neeley, Samuel T. Finney, Elizabeth A. MurphyThree-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 of the CSSC and Cal-Sag (known as Sag Junction). PAuthorsDongchen Wang, Som Dudda, P. Ryan Jackson, Marcelo H. GarciaSeiche-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 stage and discharge data from the Huron-Erie Corridor.AuthorsP. Ryan JacksonGeology, 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 the canal and allow Asian carps to travel unimpededAuthorsRobert T. Kay, P.C. Mills, P. Ryan JacksonNumerical 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), a one-dimensional analytical solution and a three-AuthorsZhenduo Zhu, Davide Motta, P. Ryan Jackson, Marcelo H. GarciaSimulation of hypothetical Asian carp egg and larvae development and transport in the Lockport, Brandon Road, Dresden Island, and Marseilles Pools of the Illinois Waterway by use of the Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) model
As part of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is conducting an assessment of the vulnerability of the Chicago Area Waterway System and Des Plaines River to Asian carp (specifically, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (bighead carp) and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp)) spawning and recruitment. As part of this assessment, the USACE reqAuthorsElizabeth A. Murphy, Tatiana Garcia, P. Ryan Jackson, James J. DunckerA laboratory investigation of the suspension, transport, and settling of silver carp eggs using synthetic surrogates
Asian carp eggs are semi-buoyant and must remain suspended in the water to survive, supported by the turbulence of the flow, until they hatch and develop the ability to swim. Analysis of the transport and dispersal patterns of Asian carp eggs will facilitate the development and implementation of control strategies to target the early life stages. Experimenting with Asian carp eggs is complicated dAuthorsTatiana Garcia, Carlo Zuniga Zamalloa, P. Ryan Jackson, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Marcelo H. GarciaImplications of climate change on the heat budget of lentic systems used for power station cooling: Case study Clinton Lake, Illinois
We use a numerical model to analyze the impact of climate change--in particular higher air temperatures--on a nuclear power station that recirculates the water from a reservoir for cooling. The model solves the hydrodynamics, the transfer of heat in the reservoir, and the energy balance at the surface. We use the numerical model to (i) quantify the heat budget in the reservoir and determine how thAuthorsJuan C Quijano, P. Ryan Jackson, Santiago Santacruz, Viviana M Morales, Marcelo H. GarciaApplication of the FluEgg model to predict transport of Asian carp eggs in the Saint Joseph River (Great Lakes tributary)
The Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) is a three-dimensional Lagrangian model that simulates the movement and development of Asian carp eggs until hatching based on the physical characteristics of the flow field and the physical and biological characteristics of the eggs. This tool provides information concerning egg development and spawning habitat suitability including: egg plume location, egAuthorsTatiana Garcia, Elizabeth A. Murphy, P. Ryan Jackson, Marcelo H. GarciaIntegrated synoptic surveys of the hydrodynamics and water-quality distributions in two Lake Michigan rivermouth mixing zones using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a manned boat
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Monitoring Network for U.S. Coastal Waters and Tributaries, launched a pilot project in 2010 to determine the value of integrated synoptic surveys of rivermouths using autonomous underwater vehicle technology in response to a call for rivermouth research, which includes study domains that envelop both the fluvial and lacustrine boAuthorsP. Ryan Jackson, Paul C. ReneauCirculation, mixing, and transport in nearshore Lake Erie in the vicinity of Villa Angela Beach and Euclid Creek, Cleveland, Ohio, September 11-12, 2012
Villa Angela Beach, on the Lake Erie lakeshore near Cleveland, Ohio, is adjacent to the mouth of Euclid Creek, a small, flashy stream draining approximately 23 square miles and susceptible to periodic contamination from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) (97 and 163 CSO events in 2010 and 2011, respectively). Concerns over high concentrations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in water samples taken alongAuthorsP. Ryan Jackson