Patrick Shafroth, PhD
Patrick B. Shafroth is a Research Ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center.
Since 1991, Dr. Shafroth has conducted research on riparian ecosystems, primarily in arid and semi-arid regions of western U.S. He and his colleagues from the USGS and other institutions have focused their work on understanding relationships between surface and ground-water hydrology, fluvial processes, and the dynamics of native and introduced riparian vegetation. This research has often been conducted in the applied context of riparian ecosystem restoration with the goal of providing solid, objective scientific information that can be used to inform riparian restoration efforts. More specific restoration-related research areas include studies of large-scale flow experiments, dam removal, effects of invasive species control and associated restoration actions, and potential interactions with climate change.
Some of Dr. Shafroth’s current research includes studies of: vegetation and geomorphic responses to experimental flow releases downstream of dams on the Bill Williams River, Arizona; the Colorado River delta in Mexico and the U.S.; and the the Colorado River in Grand Canyon; vegetation and geomorphic responses to dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, where the world's largest dam removals occurred recently; dynamics of non-native riparian plants along western rivers, including patterns of riparian vegetation recovery associated with biological control of Tamarix.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Plant Biology, Arizona State University, 1999
M.S. in Forest Ecology, Colorado State University, 1993
B.A. in Environmental Studies and Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1989
Science and Products
A large-scale environmental flow experiment for riparian restoration in the Colorado River delta
Integrating active restoration with environmental flows to improve native riparian tree establishment in the Colorado River Delta
Dam removal: Listening in
It takes more than water: Restoring the Colorado River Delta
The long-term legacy of geomorphic and riparian vegetation feedbacks on the dammed Bill Williams River, Arizona, USA
Landscape context and the biophysical response of rivers to dam removal in the United States
Coastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Changes in community-level riparian plant traits over inundation gradients, Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Identifying western yellow-billed cuckoo breeding habitat with a dual modelling approach
Riparian soil development linked to forest succession above and below dams along the Elwha River, Washington, USA
Effectiveness of environmental flows for riparian restoration in arid regions: A tale of four rivers
Effects of dams and geomorphic context on riparian forests of the Elwha River, Washington
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.
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A large-scale environmental flow experiment for riparian restoration in the Colorado River delta
Managing streamflow is a widely-advocated approach to provide conditions necessary for seed germination and seedling establishment of trees in the willow family (Salicaceae). Experimental flow releases to the Colorado River delta in 2014 had a primary objective of promoting seedling establishment of Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and Goodding's willow (Salix gooddingii). We assessed seed gAuthorsPatrick B. Shafroth, Karen Schlatter, Martha Gomez-Sapiens, Erick Lundgren, Matthew R. Grabau, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez, J. Eliana Rodriguez-Burgeueno, Karl W. FlessaIntegrating active restoration with environmental flows to improve native riparian tree establishment in the Colorado River Delta
Drastic alterations to river hydrology, land use change, and the spread of the nonnative shrub, tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), have led to the degradation of riparian habitat in the Colorado River Delta in Mexico. Delivery of environmental flows to promote native cottonwood (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.) recruitment in human-impacted riparian systems can be unsuccessful due to flow-magnitude conAuthorsKaren Schlatter, Matthew R. Grabau, Patrick B. Shafroth, Francisco Zamora-ArroyoDam removal: Listening in
Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam-removal studies over the last few decades motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam removals thus farAuthorsMelissa M. Foley, James Bellmore, James E. O'Connor, Jeffrey J. Duda, Amy E. East, Gordon G. Grant, Chauncey W. Anderson, Jennifer A. Bountry, Mathias J. Collins, Patrick J. Connolly, Laura S. Craig, James E. Evans, Samantha Greene, Francis J. Magilligan, Christopher S. Magirl, Jon J. Major, George R. Pess, Timothy J. Randle, Patrick B. Shafroth, Christian E. Torgersen, Desiree D. Tullos, Andrew C. WilcoxByEcosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)It takes more than water: Restoring the Colorado River Delta
Environmental flows have become important tools for restoring rivers and associated riparian ecosystems (Arthington, 2012; Glenn et al., 2017). In March 2014, the United States and Mexico initiated a bold effort in restoration, delivering from Morelos Dam a “pulse flow” of water into the Colorado River in its delta for the purpose of learning about its environmental effects (Flessa et al., 2013; BAuthorsJennifer Pitt, Eloise Kendy, Karen Schlatter, Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Karl W. Flessa, Patrick B. Shafroth, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez, Pamela L. Nagler, Edward P. GlennThe long-term legacy of geomorphic and riparian vegetation feedbacks on the dammed Bill Williams River, Arizona, USA
On alluvial rivers, fluvial landforms and riparian vegetation communities codevelop as a result of feedbacks between plants and abiotic processes. The influence of vegetation on river channel and floodplain geomorphology can be particularly strong on dammed rivers with altered hydrology and reduced flood disturbance. We used a 56-year series of aerial photos on the dammed Bill Williams River (ArizAuthorsLi Kui, John C. Stella, Patrick B. Shafroth, Kyle House, Andrew C. WilcoxLandscape context and the biophysical response of rivers to dam removal in the United States
Dams have been a fundamental part of the U.S. national agenda over the past two hundred years. Recently, however, dam removal has emerged as a strategy for addressing aging, obsolete infrastructure and more than 1,100 dams have been removed since the 1970s. However, only 130 of these removals had any ecological or geomorphic assessments, and fewer than half of those included before- and after-remoAuthorsMelissa M. Foley, Francis J. Magilligan, Christian E. Torgersen, Jon J. Major, Chauncey W. Anderson, Patrick J. Connolly, Daniel J. Wieferich, Patrick B. Shafroth, James E. Evans, Dana M. Infante, Laura CraigByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science CenterCoastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Habitat diversity and heterogeneity play a fundamental role in structuring ecological communities. Dam emplacement and removal can fundamentally alter habitat characteristics, which in turn can affect associated biological communities. Beginning in the early 1900s, the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in Washington, USA, withheld an estimated 30 million tonnes of sediment from river, coastal, and nearAuthorsMelissa M. Foley, Jonathan A. Warrick, Andrew C. Ritchie, Andrew W. Stevens, Patrick B. Shafroth, Jeffrey J. Duda, Matthew M. Beirne, Rebecca Paradis, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Randall McCoy, Erin S. CubleyChanges in community-level riparian plant traits over inundation gradients, Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Comparisons of community-level functional traits across environmental gradients have potential for identifying links among plant characteristics, adaptations to stress and disturbance, and community assembly. We investigated community-level variation in specific leaf area (SLA), plant mature height, seed mass, stem specific gravity (SSG), relative cover of C4 species, and total plant cover over hyAuthorsMiles McCoy-Sulentic, Thomas Kolb, David Merritt, Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara E. Ralston, Daniel Sarr, Patrick B. ShafrothIdentifying western yellow-billed cuckoo breeding habitat with a dual modelling approach
The western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) was recently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Yellow-billed cuckoo conservation efforts require the identification of features and area requirements associated with high quality, riparian forest habitat at spatial scales that range from nest microhabitat to landscape, as well as lower-suitabilityAuthorsMatthew J. Johnson, James R. Hatten, Jennifer A. Holmes, Patrick B. ShafrothRiparian soil development linked to forest succession above and below dams along the Elwha River, Washington, USA
Riparian forest soils can be highly dynamic, due to frequent fluvial disturbance, erosion, and sediment deposition, but effects of dams on riparian soils are poorly understood. We examined soils along toposequences within three river segments located upstream, between, and downstream of two dams on the Elwha River to evaluate relationships between riparian soil development and forest age, successiAuthorsLaura G Perry, Patrick B. Shafroth, Steven PerakisEffectiveness of environmental flows for riparian restoration in arid regions: A tale of four rivers
Environmental flows have become important restoration tools on regulated rivers. However, environmental flows are often constrained by other demands within the river system and thus typically are comprised of smaller water volumes than the natural flows they are meant to replace, which can limit their functional efficacy. We review environmental flow programs aimed at restoring riparian vegetationAuthorsEdward P. Glenn, Pamela L. Nagler, Patrick B. Shafroth, Christopher JarchowEffects of dams and geomorphic context on riparian forests of the Elwha River, Washington
Understanding how dams affect the shifting habitat mosaic of river bottomlands is key for protecting the many ecological functions and related goods and services that riparian forests provide and for informing approaches to riparian ecosystem restoration. We examined the downstream effects of two large dams on patterns of forest composition, structure, and dynamics within different geomorphic contAuthorsPatrick B. Shafroth, Laura G Perry, Chanoane A Rose, Jeffrey H BraatneNon-USGS Publications**
Shafroth, P.B., J.C. Stromberg, D.T. Patten, A.E. Springer, and J.M. Wright. 1996. Ground-water recharge and riparian habitat enhancement from water discharged from New Waddell Dam into the Agua Fria River: Phase I--Planning and feasibility. Final Report to Arizona Dept. of Water Resources - Phoenix Active Management Area. Phoenix, AZ78+ap p.Shafroth, P.B., J.M. Friedman, and L.S. Ischinger. 1994. River salinity has little influence on establishment of cottonwood and saltcedar. Research Information Bulletin 94-95. NBS Information Bulletin.**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.