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
Developing a VisTrails Platform for Modeling Streamflow Hydrology and Projecting Climate Change Effects on Streamflow
Projecting Future Climate Effects on Cottonwood and Willow Seed Dispersal and Tree Regeneration in Western Riparian Forests
Spatial data sets to support conservation planning along the Colorado River in Utah
Spatial datasets to support analysis of the influence of tributary junctions on patterns of fluvial features and riparian vegetation along the Colorado and Dolores Rivers (Utah and Colorado).
Geomorphic, climate, streamflow and vegetation data sets to reconstruct channel and vegetation changes associated with the invasion of Russian olive along the Escalante River, Utah 1950-2015.
Woody riparian invasive plant presence, stem density, and rank dominance and environmental conditions in 2012 at 238 bridge crossings in the Colorado Headwaters, upper/middle Rio Grande, upper Arkansas, and South Platte River Basins, USA
Chaco Canyon 1930s and 2000 geospatial data
Southwestern Riparian Plant Trait Matrix, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, 2014 - 2016Data
Vegetation monitoring
Response of riparian vegetation to short- and long-term hydrologic variation
Invasion of Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) along the South Platte River: The roles of seed source, human influence, and river geomorphology
Riverine complexity and life history inform restoration in riparian environments in the southwestern U.S.
The transformation of dryland rivers: The future of introduced tamarisk in the U.S.
A case for stream corridor restoration
Stream-corridor restoration: Some assembly required
Quantifying and securing environmental flow
Ecological interfaces between land and flowing water: Themes and trends in riparian research and management
Riparian plant communities remain stable in response to a second cycle of Tamarix biocontrol defoliation
Flow‐ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management
Combined effects of biological control of an invasive shrub and fluvial processes on riparian vegetation dynamics
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
- Science
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Developing a VisTrails Platform for Modeling Streamflow Hydrology and Projecting Climate Change Effects on Streamflow
Hydrologic models are used throughout the world to forecast and simulate streamflow, inform water management, municipal planning, and ecosystem conservation, and investigate potential effects of climate and land-use change on hydrology. The USGS Modeling of Watershed Systems (MoWS) group is currently developing the infrastructure for a National Hydrologic Model (NHM) to support coordinated, compreProjecting Future Climate Effects on Cottonwood and Willow Seed Dispersal and Tree Regeneration in Western Riparian Forests
Throughout western North America, warming associated with climate change is leading to both earlier spring peak streamflows and earlier seed dispersal, potentially reducing seedling establishment and in turn reducing the quality of riparian (near-river) forests, which provide critical habitat for diverse birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, and food and shade for fish and other aquat - Data
Filter Total Items: 18
Spatial data sets to support conservation planning along the Colorado River in Utah
With the help of local and regional natural resource professionals, we developed a broad-scale, spatially-explicit assessment of 146 miles (~20,000 acres) of the Colorado River mainstem in Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah that can be used to support conservation planning and riparian restoration prioritization. For the assessment we: 1) acquired, modified or created spatial datasets of Colorado RSpatial datasets to support analysis of the influence of tributary junctions on patterns of fluvial features and riparian vegetation along the Colorado and Dolores Rivers (Utah and Colorado).
To examine potential influence of tributaries on riparian habitat complexity along ~216 km of the Colorado River in Utah and ~300km of the Dolores River in Colorado and Utah, we first classified fluvial features and land cover of the bottomland on remotely sensed imagery. We then examined riparian and geomorphic patterns within the near channel zone with variably-sized spatial units. We used superGeomorphic, climate, streamflow and vegetation data sets to reconstruct channel and vegetation changes associated with the invasion of Russian olive along the Escalante River, Utah 1950-2015.
We analyzed historical aerial photography and used dendrochronology to quantify long-term spatial and temporal patterns of narrowing and vegetation expansion, including native cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and non-native Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), along the largely unregulated Escalante River in Utah, USA. Our general study area was between the town of Escalante and Choprock Canyon,Woody riparian invasive plant presence, stem density, and rank dominance and environmental conditions in 2012 at 238 bridge crossings in the Colorado Headwaters, upper/middle Rio Grande, upper Arkansas, and South Platte River Basins, USA
This dataset presents observations and measurements of riparian plant invasion, community composition, and environmental conditions at 238 bridge crossings in four western USA river basins: the Colorado Headwaters, upper/middle Rio Grande, upper Arkansas River, and South Platte River (281,946 square kilometers). The 238 sites are a stratified random sample of all bridge crossings in the river basiChaco Canyon 1930s and 2000 geospatial data
A study of arroyo evolution in northern New Mexico (Friedman and others, 2015) assessed geomorphic change in the Chaco Wash arroyo from the 1930s to 2000. As part of this study, in October 2000 a trench was excavated across the arroyo bottom and a high-precision (Real-time kinematic) GPS survey was conducted. GPS survey data were used to georeference a 1930s topographic map and to identify key geoSouthwestern Riparian Plant Trait Matrix, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, 2014 - 2016Data
This dataset contains information on the physical traits and environmental tolerances of plant species occurring along the lower Colorado River through Grand Canyon. Due to the unique combination of plant species within the Grand Canyon, this flora shares species with many riparian areas in the western U.S.A. and represents obligate wetland to obligate upland plant species. Data for the matrix wer - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 125
Vegetation monitoring
Sonoran Institute, Pronatura Noroeste, and University of Arizona conducted vegetation monitoring in riparian restoration sites and control sites along the Colorado River corridor in Mexico during the fall (end of the growing season) of 2018. The overall goal of the vegetation monitoring program was to quantify impacts of restoration actions on the extent, composition, and structure of riparian habAuthorsKaren Schlatter, Martha Gomez-Sapiens, Helen Salazar, Alejandra Calvo-Fonseca, Patrick B. Shafroth, Eduardo GonzalezResponse of riparian vegetation to short- and long-term hydrologic variation
Increasing demand for river water now conflicts with an increasing desire to maintain riparian ecosystems. Efficiently managing river flows for riparian vegetation requires an understanding of the time scale of flow effects, but this information is limited by the absence of long-term studies of vegetation change in response to flow variation. To investigate the influence of short- and long-term flAuthorsJ. M. Friedman, Abigail M. Eurich, Gregor T. Auble, Michael L. Scott, Patrick B. Shafroth, Polly P GibsonInvasion of Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) along the South Platte River: The roles of seed source, human influence, and river geomorphology
Riparian ecosystems in the western USA have been invaded by non-native woody species deliberately introduced for stream bank stabilization, agricultural windbreaks, and urban shade. Recent work suggests that the non-native tree Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm) is capable of significant spread in western riparian ecosystems, that range infilling is still incomplete, and that the invasion is dispersal-liAuthorsLindsay Reynolds, Laura Perry, Patrick B. Shafroth, Gabrielle L. Katz, Andrew S. NortonRiverine complexity and life history inform restoration in riparian environments in the southwestern U.S.
Riparian habitat in the southwestern USA has undergone substantial degradation over the past century, prompting extensive management and restoration of these critical ecosystems. Most restoration efforts, however, do not account for life history traits or riverine complexity that may influence genetic diversity and structure. Here, we use simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in four southwestern rAuthorsEmily C. Palmquist, Gerald J Allan, Kiona Ogle, Thomas G. Whitham, Bradley J. Butterfield, Patrick B. ShafrothThe transformation of dryland rivers: The future of introduced tamarisk in the U.S.
Tamarix spp. (tamarisk or saltcedar), a shrub-like tree, was intentionally introduced to the U.S. from Asia in the mid-1800s. Tamarisk thrives in today’s human-altered streamside (riparian) habitats and can be found along wetlands, rivers, lakes, and streams across the western U.S. In 2001, a biological control agent, Diorhabda spp. (tamarisk leaf beetle), was released in six states, and has sinceAuthorsPamela L. Nagler, Julia B. Hull, Charles van Riper, Patrick B. Shafroth, Charles B. YackulicA case for stream corridor restoration
No abstract available.AuthorsMark K. Briggs, Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Waite R. Osterkamp, Patrick B. Shafroth, Carlos A. Sifuentes Lugo, Lindsay White, Francisco ZamoraStream-corridor restoration: Some assembly required
No abstract available.AuthorsMark K. Briggs, Eduardo Gonzalez, Waite R. Osterkamp, Patrick B. Shafroth, Francisco ZamoraQuantifying and securing environmental flow
No abstract available.AuthorsAmy McCoy, Patrick B. Shafroth, Mark Briggs, Karen Schlatter, Lindsay White, Francisco Zamora, Mauricio de la Maza Benignos, Jennifer Pitt, Paul Tashjian, Yamilette CarrilloEcological interfaces between land and flowing water: Themes and trends in riparian research and management
This paper provides an overview of past, present and future themes for research and management of riparian zones, often relating to papers within this Wetlands Special Feature. Riparian research expanded in the United States around 1980 with themes that recognized (1) damage from excessive livestock, or (2) damage from river damming and diversion, and (3) the beneficial capacity of riparian bufferAuthorsStewart B. Rood, Michael L. Scott, Mark Dixon, Eduardo Gonzalez, Christian O Marks, Patrick B. Shafroth, Martin VolkRiparian plant communities remain stable in response to a second cycle of Tamarix biocontrol defoliation
Reduced abundance of non-native Tamarix shrubs in western U.S. riparian systems following biological control by a defoliating beetle has led to concerns that replacement plant communities could be dominated by other invasive species and/or not provide some of the ecosystem services that Tamarix was providing. In previous studies, Tamarix decline following biocontrol was accompanied by small increaAuthorsEduardo Gonzalez, Patrick B. Shafroth, Steven R. Lee, Sasha C. Reed, Jayne BelnapFlow‐ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management
Linked hydrologic, hydraulic, and ecological models can facilitate planning and implementing water releases from reservoirs to achieve ecological objectives along rivers. We applied a flow‐ecology model, the Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC‐EFM), to the Bill Williams River in southwestern USA to estimate areas suitable for recruitment of riparian tree seedlings in the context of managing flow releasAuthorsJohn T Hickey, Patrick B. Shafroth, Woodrow L FieldsCombined effects of biological control of an invasive shrub and fluvial processes on riparian vegetation dynamics
Plant community responses to biocontrol of invasive plants are understudied, despite the strong influence of the composition of replacement vegetation on ecosystem functions and services. We studied the vegetation response to a folivore beetle (Diorhabda genus, Coleoptera) that has been introduced along southwestern US river valleys to control the invasion of non-native shrubs in the genus TamarixAuthorsEduardo Gonzalez, Patrick B. Shafroth, Steven R. Lee, Steven M. Ostoja, Matthew L. BrooksNon-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.