Paul Grams, Ph.D.
Paul Grams is a geomorphologist at the Southwest Biological Science Center's field station, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. He manages a set of projects collectively called the River Geomorphology and Geomorphic Change project. These include a range of studies that describe, quantify, and predict geomorphic change, mostly on large rivers in the western United States.&nb
Paul Grams received a BA in Geology from Middlebury College (1991), an M.S. in Geology from Utah State University (1997), and a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University (2006). For an undergraduate thesis, Paul examined the effects of Hells Canyon Dam on the hydrology and downstream physical resources of the Snake River in Idaho. Since that time he has studied the interaction between human-induced changes in hydrology and channel form on many segments of the Green River in Utah and Colorado, small streams in northern Utah and southern Idaho, and the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Paul’s current research interests are in fluvial geomorphology, sediment transport, the downstream effects of dams and diversions, and the connections between physical processes and ecological systems on large rivers. Paul is currently a research hydrologist at the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center and manages several projects related to geomorphology, sediment budgets, and the effects of controlled floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and in other parts of the Colorado River Basin.
Science and Products
Variability in eddy sandbar dynamics during two decades of controlled flooding of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
Compositional signatures in acoustic backscatter over vegetated and unvegetated mixed sand-gravel riverbeds
Channel mapping river miles 29–62 of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, May 2009
A detached eddy simulation model for the study of lateral separation zones along a large canyon-bound river
Scientific monitoring plan in support of the selected alternative of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan
Linking fluvial and aeolian morphodynamics in the Grand Canyon, USA
Bed texture mapping in large rivers using recreational-grade sidescan sonar
Geomorphic change and sediment transport during a small artificial flood in a transformed post-dam delta: The Colorado River delta, United States and Mexico
Riparian vegetation, Colorado River, and climate: five decades of spatiotemporal dynamics in the Grand Canyon with river regulation
Using oblique digital photography for alluvial sandbar monitoring and low-cost change detection
Hydroacoustic signatures of Colorado Riverbed sediments in Marble and Grand Canyons using multibeam sonar
Long-term monitoring of sandbars on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon using remote sensing
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Variability in eddy sandbar dynamics during two decades of controlled flooding of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
Sandbars are iconic features of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A. Following completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, sediment deficit conditions caused erosion of eddy sandbars throughout much of the 360 km study reach downstream from the dam. Controlled floods in 1996, 2004, and 2008 demonstrated that sand on the channel bed could be redistributed to higher elevations, and thaAuthorsErich R. Mueller, Paul E. Grams, Joseph E. Hazel, John C. SchmidtCompositional signatures in acoustic backscatter over vegetated and unvegetated mixed sand-gravel riverbeds
Multibeam acoustic backscatter has considerable utility for remote characterization of spatially heterogeneous bed sediment composition over vegetated and unvegetated riverbeds of mixed sand and gravel. However, the use of high-frequency, decimeter-resolution acoustic backscatter for sediment classification in shallow water is hampered by significant topographic contamination of the signal. In mixAuthorsDaniel Buscombe, Paul E. Grams, Matthew A. KaplinskiChannel mapping river miles 29–62 of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, May 2009
Bathymetric, topographic, and grain-size data were collected in May 2009 along a 33-mi reach of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. The study reach is located from river miles 29 to 62 at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. Channel bathymetry was mapped using multibeam and singlebeam echosounders, subaerial topography was mapped using ground-based totaAuthorsMatt Kaplinski, Joseph E. Hazel, Paul E. Grams, Keith Kohl, Daniel D. Buscombe, Robert B. TussoA detached eddy simulation model for the study of lateral separation zones along a large canyon-bound river
Lateral flow separation occurs in rivers where banks exhibit strong curvature. In canyon-boundrivers, lateral recirculation zones are the principal storage of fine-sediment deposits. A parallelized,three-dimensional, turbulence-resolving model was developed to study the flow structures along lateralseparation zones located in two pools along the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. The model employs thedAuthorsLaura V. Alvarez, Mark W. Schmeeckle, Paul E. GramsScientific monitoring plan in support of the selected alternative of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan
IntroductionThe purpose of this document is to describe a strategy by which monitoring and research data in the natural and social sciences will be collected, analyzed, and provided to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), its bureaus, and to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) in support of implementation of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management PlanAuthorsScott P. Vanderkooi, Theodore A. Kennedy, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, David L. Ward, Helen C. Fairley, Lucas S. Bair, Joel B. Sankey, Charles B. Yackulic, John C. SchmidtLinking fluvial and aeolian morphodynamics in the Grand Canyon, USA
In river valleys, fluvial and upland landscapes are intrinsically linked through sediment exchange between the active channel, near-channel fluvial deposits, and higher elevation upland deposits. During floods, sediment is transferred from channels to low-elevation nearchannel deposits [Schmidt and Rubin, 1995]. Particularly in dryland river valleys, subsequent aeolian reworking of these flood depAuthorsAlan Kasprak, Sara G. Bangen, Daniel Buscombe, Joshua Caster, Amy E. East, Paul E. Grams, Joel B. SankeyBed texture mapping in large rivers using recreational-grade sidescan sonar
The size-distribution and spatial organization of bed sediment, or bed ‘texture’, is a fundamental attribute of natural channels and is one important component of the physical habitat of aquatic ecosystems. ‘Recreational-grade’ sidescan sonar systems now offer the possibility of imaging, and subsequently quantifying bed texture at high resolution with minimal cost, or logistical effort. We are invAuthorsDaniel Hamill, Joseph M. Wheaton, Daniel D. Buscombe, Paul E. Grams, Theodore S. MelisGeomorphic change and sediment transport during a small artificial flood in a transformed post-dam delta: The Colorado River delta, United States and Mexico
The Colorado River delta is a dramatically transformed landscape. Major changes to river hydrology and morpho-dynamics began following completion of Hoover Dam in 1936. Today, the Colorado River has an intermittent and/or ephemeral channel in much of its former delta. Initial incision of the river channel in the upstream ∼50 km of the delta occurred in the early 1940s in response to spillway releaAuthorsErich R. Mueller, John C. Schmidt, David J. Topping, Patrick B. Shafroth, Jesús Eliana Rodríguez-Burgueño, Jorge Ramírez-Hernández, Paul E. GramsRiparian vegetation, Colorado River, and climate: five decades of spatiotemporal dynamics in the Grand Canyon with river regulation
Documentation of the interacting effects of river regulation and climate on riparian vegetation has typically been limited to small segments of rivers or focused on individual plant species. We examine spatiotemporal variability in riparian vegetation for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon relative to river regulation and climate, over the five decades since completion of the upstream Glen CanyonAuthorsJoel B. Sankey, Barbara E. Ralston, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Laura E. CagneyUsing oblique digital photography for alluvial sandbar monitoring and low-cost change detection
The maintenance of alluvial sandbars is a longstanding management interest along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Resource managers are interested in both the long-term trend in sandbar condition and the short-term response to management actions, such as intentional controlled floods released from Glen Canyon Dam. Long-term monitoring is accomplished at a range of scales, by a combination of anAuthorsRobert B. Tusso, Daniel D. Buscombe, Paul E. GramsHydroacoustic signatures of Colorado Riverbed sediments in Marble and Grand Canyons using multibeam sonar
Characterizing the large-scale sedimentary make-up of heterogeneous riverbeds (Nelson et al., 2014), which consist of a patchwork of sediment types over small scales (less than one to several tens of meters) (Dietrich and Smith, 1984) requires high resolution measurements of sediment grain size. Capturing such variability with conventional physical (e.g. grabs, cores, and dredges) or underwater phAuthorsDaniel D. Buscombe, Paul E. Grams, Matthew Kaplinski, Robert B. Tusso, David M. RubinLong-term monitoring of sandbars on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon using remote sensing
Closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 dramatically changed discharge and sediment supply to the downstream Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons. Magnitudes of seasonal flow variation have been suppressed, while daily fluctuations have increased because of hydropower generation. Lake Powell, the upstream reservoir, traps all sediment, leaving the Paria and Little Colorado Rivers as the main suppAuthorsRobert P. Ross, Paul E. Grams - News