Paul Stumpner is a Hydrologist at the California Water Science Center.
Science and Products
Numerical Simulation of 1D Advection-Dispersion Equation of Conservative Tracer with Oscillating Tidal Flows
Model archive for a numerical simulation of the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation of a conservative tracer with oscillating tidal flows. The numerical simulation was used to examine how a conservative tracer evolves along a tidal channel. Scenarios were run to examine the effects increased dispersion, increased and decreased mixing at a channel junction, and increased advection. Code f
Velocity mapping using moving boat acoustic Doppler current profiler on the Sacramento River near the western end of the Fremont Weir in February and March 2016, and May 2017
Geo-referenced two dimensional velocity profiles collected at discrete cross-sections over an approximately 2km stretch of the Sacramento River. These data were collected over a range of river conditions (stage and discharge) on eight separate dates in February and March of 2016 and May of 2017. Data are available as .csv files contained in the attached .zip file.
Hydrodynamics and habitat interact to structure fish communities within terminal channels of a tidal freshwater delta
Terminal channels were historically a common feature of tidal delta ecosystems but have become increasingly rare as landscapes have been modified. Tidal hydrodynamics are a defining feature in tidal terminal channel ecosystems from which native aquatic communities have evolved. However, few studies have explored the relationship between fish community structure and hydrodynamics in these tidal ter
Whole-ecosystem experiment illustrates short timescale hydrodynamic, light, and nutrient control of primary production in a terminal slough
Estuaries are among the most productive of aquatic ecosystems. Yet the collective understanding of patterns and drivers of primary production in estuaries is incomplete, in part due to complex hydrodynamics and multiple controlling factors that vary at a range of temporal and spatial scales. A whole-ecosystem experiment was conducted in a deep, pelagically dominated terminal channel of the Sacrame
Dispersion and stratification dynamics in the upper Sacramento River deep water ship channel
Hydrodynamics control the movement of water and material within and among habitats, where time-scales of mixing can exert bottom-up regulatory effects on aquatic ecosystems through their influence on primary production. The San Francisco Estuary (estuary) is a low-productivity ecosystem, which is in part responsible for constraining higher trophic levels, including fishes. Many research and habita
Assessment of multiple ecosystem metabolism methods in an estuary
Ecosystem metabolism is a key ecological attribute and easy to describe, but quantifying metabolism in estuaries is challenging. Properly scaling measurements through time and space requires consideration of hydrodynamics and mixing water from heterogeneous sources, making any estimation uncertain. Here, we compared three methods for modeling ecosystem metabolism in a portion of the Sacramento-San
Effects of tidally varying river flow on entrainment of juvenile salmon into Sutter and Steamboat Sloughs
Survival of juvenile salmonids in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) varies by migration route, and thus the proportion of fish that use each route affects overall survival through the Delta. Understanding factors that drive routing at channel junctions along the Sacramento River is therefore critical to devising management strategies that maximize survival. Here, we examine entrainment of a
A lagrangian-to-eulerian metric to identify estuarine pelagic habitats
Estuaries are among the world’s most productive ecosystems, but recent natural and anthropogenic changes have stressed these ecosystems. Tools to assess estuarine pelagic habitats are important to support and maintain healthy ecosystem function. In this work, we demonstrate that estuarine pelagic habitats can be identified by a simple ratio, termed the LE ratio, that takes into account the tidal e
Hydrodynamics drive pelagic communities and food web structure in a tidal environment
Hydrodynamic processes can lead to the accumulation and/or dispersal of water column constituents, including sediment, phytoplankton, and particulate detritus. Using a combination of field observations and stable isotope tracing tools, we identified how hydrodynamic processes influenced physical habitat, pelagic communities, and food web structure in a freshwater tidal system. The pelagic habitat
Combining models of the critical streakline and the cross-sectional distribution of juvenile salmon to predict fish routing at river junctions
Because fish that enter the interior Delta have poorer survival than those emigrating via the Sacramento River, understanding the mechanisms that drive entrainment rates at side channel junctions is critically important for the management of imperiled juvenile salmon. Here, we implement a previously proposed process-based conceptual model to study entrainment rates based on three linked elements:
Hydrology and hydrodynamics on the Sacramento River near the Fremont Weir, California—Implications for juvenile salmon entrainment estimates
Estimates of fish entrainment on the Sacramento River near the Fremont Weir are a critical component in determining the feasibility and design of a proposed notch in the weir to increase access to the Yolo Bypass, a seasonal floodplain of the Sacramento River. Detailed hydrodynamic and velocity measurements were made at a river bend near the Fremont Weir in the winter and spring of 2016 to examine
A simulation method for combining hydrodynamic data and acoustic tag tracks to predict the entrainment of juvenile salmonids onto the Yolo Bypass under future engineering scenarios
During water year 2016 the U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center (USGS) collaborated with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to conduct a joint hydrodynamic and fisheries study to acquire data that could be used to evaluate the effects of proposed modifications to the Fremont Weir on outmigrating juvenile Chinook salmon. During this study the USGS surgically implan
Evaluation of a floating fish guidance structure at a hydrodynamically complex river junction in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California, USA
Survival of out-migrating juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River delta, California, USA, varies by migration route. Survival of salmonids that enter the interior and southern Delta can be as low as half that of salmonids that remain in the main-stem Sacramento River. Reducing entrainment into the higher-mortality routes, such as Georgiana Slough, sho
Dual-RiverSonde measurements of two-dimensional river flow patterns
Two-dimensional river flow patterns have been measured using a pair of RiverSondes in two experiments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta system of central California during April and October 2007. An experiment was conducted at Walnut Grove, California in order to explore the use of dual RiverSondes to measure flow patterns at a location which is important in the study of juvenile fish migr
Science and Products
- Data
Numerical Simulation of 1D Advection-Dispersion Equation of Conservative Tracer with Oscillating Tidal Flows
Model archive for a numerical simulation of the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation of a conservative tracer with oscillating tidal flows. The numerical simulation was used to examine how a conservative tracer evolves along a tidal channel. Scenarios were run to examine the effects increased dispersion, increased and decreased mixing at a channel junction, and increased advection. Code fVelocity mapping using moving boat acoustic Doppler current profiler on the Sacramento River near the western end of the Fremont Weir in February and March 2016, and May 2017
Geo-referenced two dimensional velocity profiles collected at discrete cross-sections over an approximately 2km stretch of the Sacramento River. These data were collected over a range of river conditions (stage and discharge) on eight separate dates in February and March of 2016 and May of 2017. Data are available as .csv files contained in the attached .zip file. - Publications
Hydrodynamics and habitat interact to structure fish communities within terminal channels of a tidal freshwater delta
Terminal channels were historically a common feature of tidal delta ecosystems but have become increasingly rare as landscapes have been modified. Tidal hydrodynamics are a defining feature in tidal terminal channel ecosystems from which native aquatic communities have evolved. However, few studies have explored the relationship between fish community structure and hydrodynamics in these tidal terWhole-ecosystem experiment illustrates short timescale hydrodynamic, light, and nutrient control of primary production in a terminal slough
Estuaries are among the most productive of aquatic ecosystems. Yet the collective understanding of patterns and drivers of primary production in estuaries is incomplete, in part due to complex hydrodynamics and multiple controlling factors that vary at a range of temporal and spatial scales. A whole-ecosystem experiment was conducted in a deep, pelagically dominated terminal channel of the SacrameDispersion and stratification dynamics in the upper Sacramento River deep water ship channel
Hydrodynamics control the movement of water and material within and among habitats, where time-scales of mixing can exert bottom-up regulatory effects on aquatic ecosystems through their influence on primary production. The San Francisco Estuary (estuary) is a low-productivity ecosystem, which is in part responsible for constraining higher trophic levels, including fishes. Many research and habitaAssessment of multiple ecosystem metabolism methods in an estuary
Ecosystem metabolism is a key ecological attribute and easy to describe, but quantifying metabolism in estuaries is challenging. Properly scaling measurements through time and space requires consideration of hydrodynamics and mixing water from heterogeneous sources, making any estimation uncertain. Here, we compared three methods for modeling ecosystem metabolism in a portion of the Sacramento-SanEffects of tidally varying river flow on entrainment of juvenile salmon into Sutter and Steamboat Sloughs
Survival of juvenile salmonids in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) varies by migration route, and thus the proportion of fish that use each route affects overall survival through the Delta. Understanding factors that drive routing at channel junctions along the Sacramento River is therefore critical to devising management strategies that maximize survival. Here, we examine entrainment of aA lagrangian-to-eulerian metric to identify estuarine pelagic habitats
Estuaries are among the world’s most productive ecosystems, but recent natural and anthropogenic changes have stressed these ecosystems. Tools to assess estuarine pelagic habitats are important to support and maintain healthy ecosystem function. In this work, we demonstrate that estuarine pelagic habitats can be identified by a simple ratio, termed the LE ratio, that takes into account the tidal eHydrodynamics drive pelagic communities and food web structure in a tidal environment
Hydrodynamic processes can lead to the accumulation and/or dispersal of water column constituents, including sediment, phytoplankton, and particulate detritus. Using a combination of field observations and stable isotope tracing tools, we identified how hydrodynamic processes influenced physical habitat, pelagic communities, and food web structure in a freshwater tidal system. The pelagic habitatCombining models of the critical streakline and the cross-sectional distribution of juvenile salmon to predict fish routing at river junctions
Because fish that enter the interior Delta have poorer survival than those emigrating via the Sacramento River, understanding the mechanisms that drive entrainment rates at side channel junctions is critically important for the management of imperiled juvenile salmon. Here, we implement a previously proposed process-based conceptual model to study entrainment rates based on three linked elements:Hydrology and hydrodynamics on the Sacramento River near the Fremont Weir, California—Implications for juvenile salmon entrainment estimates
Estimates of fish entrainment on the Sacramento River near the Fremont Weir are a critical component in determining the feasibility and design of a proposed notch in the weir to increase access to the Yolo Bypass, a seasonal floodplain of the Sacramento River. Detailed hydrodynamic and velocity measurements were made at a river bend near the Fremont Weir in the winter and spring of 2016 to examineA simulation method for combining hydrodynamic data and acoustic tag tracks to predict the entrainment of juvenile salmonids onto the Yolo Bypass under future engineering scenarios
During water year 2016 the U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center (USGS) collaborated with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to conduct a joint hydrodynamic and fisheries study to acquire data that could be used to evaluate the effects of proposed modifications to the Fremont Weir on outmigrating juvenile Chinook salmon. During this study the USGS surgically implanEvaluation of a floating fish guidance structure at a hydrodynamically complex river junction in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California, USA
Survival of out-migrating juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River delta, California, USA, varies by migration route. Survival of salmonids that enter the interior and southern Delta can be as low as half that of salmonids that remain in the main-stem Sacramento River. Reducing entrainment into the higher-mortality routes, such as Georgiana Slough, shoDual-RiverSonde measurements of two-dimensional river flow patterns
Two-dimensional river flow patterns have been measured using a pair of RiverSondes in two experiments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta system of central California during April and October 2007. An experiment was conducted at Walnut Grove, California in order to explore the use of dual RiverSondes to measure flow patterns at a location which is important in the study of juvenile fish migr