Cobourn, J, Saito, L, Brock, J, Naranjo, R, Susfalk, R, Chandra, S. 2008. Ground water-surface water interactions along the Truckee and Carson Rivers. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Special Publication SP-08-23
Ramon C Naranjo
Ramon Naranjo is Research Hydrologist with the U.S Geological Survey in Carson City, NV. Interests include understanding biogeochemical processes at the sediment-water interface and characterizing flow and transport in hyporheic and groundwater systems using innovative technologies and modeling.
Biography
Recent research activities involve characterization of hyporheic flow and nutrients beneath barrier beaches and streams in the shore zone of Lake Tahoe, and using multi-depth observations of temperature in unlined agricultural canal sediments to quantify seepage losses. Near-shore water quality and lake clarity is of interest due to nutrient enrichment leading to algal blooms and ongoing efforts to quantify groundwater contributions to nutrient loads. Understanding the role of groundwater surface-water interactions as it relates to nutrient retention and cycling is an important consideration in this research. He has designed and patented new instrumentation for continuous monitoring of subsurface temperatures to evaluate spatial and temporal variability in seepage rates that allows further development of new heat as tracer model calibration and uncertainty techniques. He is actively testing new modeling software being developed to enable the coupled heat-flow and reactive transport processes. He serves as a member of the Tahoe Science Advisory Council.
Invention, Patent, License Held
Device for monitoring subsurface temperatures (Patent No. 62/100,365). Exclusively licensed to Alpha Mach, Inc. 1/06/2015.
Education
Ph.D. in Hydrology, University of Nevada, Reno, 2012
M.S. in Hydrology, University of Nevada, Reno, 2000
B.S. in Environmental Science, New Mexico Highlands University, 1997
Employment
1992- 1997 Hydrologist, Water Quality and Hydrology, Los Alamos National Laboratory
1997- 2000 Research Assistant, University of Nevada Reno/ Desert Research Institute
2002- 2010 Environmental Scientist III, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
2004- 2012 Research Assistant, Desert Research Institute, Reno Nevada
2011- Active Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Nevada Water Science Center
Science and Products
Date published: October 2, 2020
Status: Active Quantifying watershed controls on fine sediment particles and nutrient loading to Lake Tahoe using data mining and machine learning
Since the late 1980’s, the USGS has collected discharge, sediment, and water quality data at seven major drainages under the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP). Recently, continuous, real-time measurements of turbidity were added to the LTIMP. These data can be combined with in situ, model simulations, and remotely-sensed datasets available from the USGS, National Aeronautics...
Contacts: Ramon C Naranjo, Todd Gregory Caldwell, Ph.D.
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: May 8, 2020
Status: Active Nutrient Source Identification in Groundwater and Periphyton Along the Nearshore of Lake Tahoe
High concentrations of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are responsible for excessive, or nuisance algal blooms in many ecosystems world-wide, and climate change is predicted to exacerbate the problem1,2. Excessive nutrients supplied to the nearshore zone of Lake Tahoe may have significant consequences to ecological communities, water clarity, and water quality. The nearshore zone...
Contacts: Ramon C Naranjo
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: December 21, 2017
Status: Active Quantifying Seepage Losses on the Truckee Canal, Derby Dam to Lahontan Reservoir
Seepage losses from the Truckee Canal poses major challenges to water managers. Seepage losses result in inefficiencies in water delivery and cause more water than is needed by farmers to be diverted from the Truckee River to meet required demands. Increased diversions from the Truckee River result in less water flowing through the lower Truckee River system and into Pyramid Lake, a terminal...
Contacts: Ramon C Naranjo
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: December 18, 2017
Status: Completed Lake Tahoe Nearshore Periphyton Study
Periphyton, a type of algae, is growing on bottom sediment and rocks along nearshore areas of Lake Tahoe. Periphyton is seen as a nuisance and negatively impacts the recreational value of the lake. Periphyton biomass (PB) data collected along the nearshore of Lake Tahoe exhibit increasing trends over the last decade. However, the mechanisms that have caused these changes are not well...
Contacts: Ramon C Naranjo
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: April 3, 2017
Status: Active Occurrence and Mobility of Arsenic in Groundwater Used for Public Supply in Southern Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada
Over the past 15 years, Douglas County, Nev., has removed production wells in northern Carson Valley from use due to relatively high arsenic concentrations. To maintain the supply of water to the public, the town of Minden has been providing water to Douglas County and Carson City. Due to the projected increases in municipal demand, water resource managers are concerned that increasing...
Contacts: Angela Paul, Ramon C Naranjo
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: March 27, 2017
Status: Active Evaluating Artificial Storage and Recovery Potential of Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a public water purveyor in northwest Nevada with responsibility for providing water to approximately 385,000 people in the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area and suburban communities north of Reno. TMWA has a conjunctive use strategy, which includes aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), to both maintain the health of local aquifers and supplement limited...
Contacts: Ramon C Naranjo
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: November 3, 2017
Groundwater Sites Evaluated to Assess The Vulnerability of Public Supply Wells To Increasing Arsenic Concentrations In Southeastern Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada
This data set provides a spatial and temporal assessment of available chemical and physical data from local, county, state, and federal databases for the Carson Valley, near Minden, Nevada.
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center
Date published: January 1, 2017
Nitrogen and phosphorus, other water quality parameters, and sediment temperature data for Incline Creek and Marlette Creek stream-lake interface, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, September 2013.
This data set contains the following parameters: sediment and water temperature, dissolved nitrate plus nitrite dissolved, ammonium, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, soluble orthophosphate, dissolved phosphorus, total phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon.
Attribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2021
Select techniques for detecting and quantifying seepage from unlined canals
Canal seepage losses affect the ability of water conveyance structures to maximize efficiency and can be a precursor to canal failure. Identification and quantification of canal seepage out of unlined canals is a complex interaction affected by geology, canal stage, operations, embankment geometry, siltation, animal burrows, structures, and other...
Lindenbach, Evan J.; Kang, Jong Beom; Rittgers, Justin B.; Naranjo, Ramon C.Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center, Water Resources
Year Published: 2019
Methods for installation, removal, and downloading data from the temperature profiling probe (TROD)
This document provides a brief method overview on the deployment and removal of the temperature profiling probe developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2015 and referred to as SensorRod or temperature rod (TROD). The TROD is suitable for short- to long-term deployments (days to years) for evaluating thermal gradients in soils and...
Naranjo, Ramon C.Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center, Water Resources
View Citation
Naranjo, R.C., 2019, Methods for installation, removal, and downloading data from the temperature profiling probe (TROD): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1066, 14 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191066.
Year Published: 2019
Linkages between hydrology and seasonal variations of nutrients and periphyton in a large oligotrophic subalpine lake
Periphyton is important to lake ecosystems, contributing to primary production, nutrient cycling, and benthic metabolism. Increases in periphyton growth in lakes can be indicative of changes in water quality, shifts in ecosystem structure, and increases in nutrient fluxes. In oligotrophic lakes, conservationists are interested in characterizing...
Niswonger, Richard G.; Smith, David; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Sudeep Chandra; Naranjo, Ramon C.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Smith, David; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Chandra, SudeepAttribution: Nevada Water Science Center, Water Resources
Year Published: 2018
Evaluation of bias associated with capture maps derived from nonlinear groundwater flow models
The impact of groundwater withdrawal on surface water is a concern of water users and water managers, particularly in the arid western United States. Capture maps are useful tools to spatially assess the impact of groundwater pumping on water sources (e.g., streamflow depletion) and are being used more frequently for conjunctive management of...
Nadler, Cara; Allander, Kip K.; Pohll, Greg; Morway, Eric D.; Naranjo, Ramon C.; Huntington, Justin
Year Published: 2017
Knowing requires data
Groundwater-flow models are often calibrated using a limited number of observations relative to the unknown inputs required for the model. This is especially true for models that simulate groundwater surface-water interactions. In this case, subsurface temperature sensors can be an efficient means for collecting long-term data that capture the...
Naranjo, Ramon C.Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center, Water Resources, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, United States of America
View Citation
Naranjo, R. C. (2017), Knowing Requires Data. Groundwater. doi:10.1111/gwat.12553
Year Published: 2017
Nutrient processes at the stream-lake interface for a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth
Inorganic forms of nitrogen and phosphorous impact freshwater lakes by stimulating primary production and affecting water quality and ecosystem health. Communities around the world are motivated to sustain and restore freshwater resources and are interested in processes controlling nutrient inputs. We studied the environment where streams flow...
Niswonger, Richard G.; Naranjo, Ramon C.; Smith, David; Constantz, James E.; Allander, Kip K.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Neilson, Bethany; Rosen, Michael R.; Stonestrom, David A.Attribution: Water Resources,
View Citation
Niswonger, R., Naranjo, R., Smith, D., Constantz, J., Allander, K., Rosenberry, D., Neilson, B., Rosen, M., Stonestrom, D., 2017, Nutrient processes at the stream-lake interface for a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth, Water Resour. Res., 53, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016WR019538
Year Published: 2016
Quantifying seepage using heat as a tracer in selected irrigation canals, Walker River Basin, Nevada, 2012 and 2013
The Walker River is an important source of water for western Nevada. The river provides water for agriculture and recharge to local aquifers used by several communities. Farmers began diverting water from the Walker River in the 1860s to support growing agricultural development. Over time, the reduced inflows into Walker Lake from upstream...
Naranjo, Ramon C.; Smith, David W.View Citation
Naranjo, R.C., and Smith, D.W., 2016, Quantifying seepage using heat as a tracer in selected irrigation canals, Walker River Basin, Nevada, 2012 and 2013: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5133, 169 p.,
http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20165133.
Year Published: 2016
Groundwater exchanges near a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth discharging to a subalpine lake
The terminus of a stream flowing into a larger river, pond, lake, or reservoir is referred to as the stream-mouth reach or simply the stream mouth. The terminus is often characterized by rapidly changing thermal and hydraulic conditions that result in abrupt shifts in surface water/groundwater (sw/gw) exchange patterns, creating the...
Constantz, James; Naranjo, Ramon C.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Allander, Kip K.; Neilson, B.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Smith, David W.; Rosecrans, C.; Stonestrom, David A.Attribution: Water Resources, United States of America
Year Published: 2015
A new temperature profiling probe for investigating groundwater-surface water interaction
Measuring vertically nested temperatures at the streambed interface poses practical challenges that are addressed here with a new discrete subsurface temperature profiling probe. We describe a new temperature probe and its application for heat as a tracer investigations to demonstrate the probe's utility. Accuracy and response time of temperature...
Naranjo, Ramon C.; Robert TurcotteView Citation
Naranjo, R. C., and R. Turcotte (2015), A new temperature profiling probe for investigating groundwater-surface water interaction, Water Resour. Res., 51, doi:10.1002/2015WR017574
Year Published: 2015
Mixing effects on nitrogen and oxygen concentrations and the relationship to mean residence time in a hyporheic zone of a riffle-pool sequence
Flow paths and residence times in the hyporheic zone are known to influence biogeochemical processes such as nitrification and denitrification. The exchange across the sediment-water interface may involve mixing of surface water and groundwater through complex hyporheic flow paths that contribute to highly variable biogeochemically active zones....
Naranjo, Ramon C.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Clinton DavisView Citation
Naranjo, R. C., Niswonger, R. G. and Davis, C. (2015), Mixing effects on nitrogen and oxygen concentrations and the relationship to mean residence time in a hyporheic zone of a riffle-pool sequence. Water Resour. Res. doi:10.1002/2014WR016593
Year Published: 2013
The distribution and modeling of nitrate transport in the Carson Valley alluvial aquifer, Douglas County, Nevada
Residents of Carson Valley in Douglas County, Nevada, rely on groundwater from an alluvial aquifer for domestic use and agricultural irrigation. Since the 1970s, there has been a rapid increase in population in several parts of the valley that rely on domestic wells for drinking water and septic systems for treatment of household waste. As a...
Naranjo, Ramon C.; Welborn, Toby L.; Rosen, Michael R.Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center, Water Resources
View Citation
The distribution and modeling of nitrate transport in the Carson Valley alluvial aquifer, Douglas County, Nevada; 2013; SIR; 2013-5136; Naranjo, Ramon C.; Welborn, Toby L.; Rosen, Michael R.
Year Published: 2013
Using heat as a tracer to estimate spatially distributed mean residence times in the hyporheic zone of a riffle-pool sequence
Biochemical reactions that occur in the hyporheic zone are highly dependent on the time solutes that are in contact with sediments of the riverbed. In this investigation, we developed a 2-D longitudinal flow and solute-transport model to estimate the spatial distribution of mean residence time in the hyporheic zone. The flow model was calibrated...
Naranjo, Ramon C.Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center, Water Resources
View Citation
Using heat as a tracer to estimate spatially distributed mean residence times in the hyporheic zone of a riffle-pool sequence; 2013; Article; Journal; Water Resources Research; Naranjo, Ramon C.
Pre-USGS Publications
Naranjo, R.C. 2012 Hyporheic flow, residence times and nitrogen reactions in a riffle-pool sequence, Truckee River, NV. Dissertation, University of Nevada, Reno. Fall 2012.
Sada, D.W., M. Stone, K. Acharya, R.C Naranjo. 2007. Examining Relationships Between Near Bed Velocity and Turbulence and Benthic Community Structure at the McCarran Ranch Restoration Site, Lower Truckee River, Nevada. Desert Research Institute Report.
Naranjo, R.C., J.J. Warwick and R. French, 2000. Runoff from a military deposition site in a semiarid, highland environment; comparison of environmental results with those predicted by the WEPP model (in Proceedings; AWRA's spring specialty conference; Water resources in extreme environments, Kane,) Technical Publication Series - American Water Resources Association, 00-1 303-308.
Naranjo, R.C., 2000. Overland Flow Simulations of the Upper Burning Ground, Herlong CA, M.S. Thesis, University of Nevada, Reno.
September 12, 2013
Nearshore Algae
Algae along nearshore at Chimney Beach, Lake Tahoe.
Attribution: Natural Hazards
Date published: August 12, 2015
Key Study Launched to Understand Increased Algae Growth in Lake Tahoe
The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Nevada, Reno, will study the cause of eutrophication, or increased algae growth, along the nearshore of Lake Tahoe. Supported by California’s Lahontan Water Quality Control Board, the investigation is in response to widespread concerns with water quality and ecological degradation of the lake’s nearshore environment.
Attribution: