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Richard L Kiesling, Ph.D.

Dr. Kiesling is a hydrologist and limnologist with USGS. He holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Minnesota (1980) and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Michigan (1990) with specialization in limnology and community ecology. He is currently the Lake Specialist with the Minnesota Water Science Office, Upper Midwest Water Science Center.

Research Interests:

Dr. Kiesling’s current research includes studies of the effects of endocrine disruption on lake fish communities and the effects of land use and hydrologic modifications on nutrient fate and transport in aquatic ecosystems. Current research projects include modeling the effect of landuse and hydrologic modifications on nutrient fate and transport in lake and reservoir systems; linking spatial analysis of watersheds with mechanistic, biological response models of lakes; and developing nutrient and aquatic habitat restoration criteria through the use of predictive, biophysical ecosystem models

Education

1980      B.S.  Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

1990      Ph. D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Professional Experience:

    US Geological Survey: Hydrologist 8/2001 to present

  • Limnology Specialist, 9/2005 to present
  • Water Quality Specialist 8/2008 to 9/2020

    Tarleton State University:

  • Adjunct Professor, Environmental Sciences, Tarleton State University, 1/99 to 8/07
  • Research Scientist, Environmental Sciences Program, Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research; Tarleton State University, 1/98 to 8/01

     Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission:

  • Research Scientist and Team Leader, Ecosystem Research and Assessment Team, Research and Environmental Assessments Division 1993 to 1997
  • Research Scientist, Science Policy and Research Section, Standards and Assessment Division, Texas Water Commission, 1992 to 1993
  • Aquatic Ecologist, Water Quality Standards Team, Standards and Assessment Division, Texas Water Commission, 1990 to 1992

Additional Work Experience:

     University Appointments: 2001-2014

  • St. Cloud State University - Adjunct Professor. Dept. of Biology, 9/2013 to present
  • University of Minnesota - Research Associate, Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, 2/2006 to 2/2008
  • University of Texas - Research Fellow, Environmental Science Institute, 1/02 to 8/2008
  • University of Michigan - Lecturer for General Ecology, Biology 381, University of Michigan 6/88‑12/89

     International Consulting

  • Instream Flow Water Resource Consultant, Environmental Policies and Institutions for Armenia, ARD Inc., US Agency for International Development, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, 10/01 to 4/03
  • Water Quality Consultant, Environmental Policies and Institutions for Central Asia, US Agency for International Development, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, 4/99 to 8/99

Professional Affiliations:

  • American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
  • International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology
  • North American Lake Management Society
  • Phycological Society of America

Publications:

Refereed Publications -

  • Smith, E.A., Kiesling, R.L., and Hayter, E.J. 2020. Simulation of discharge, water-surface elevations, and water tem

Science and Products

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A boat docked near the Shingobee Headwaters research station.

Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP)

For 43 years, the Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP) brought together scientists from the USGS along with students and professors from universities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and California to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes of lakes, wetlands, and streams at local and watershed scales. In early 2022, The University of Minnesota and Bemidji...
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP)

For 43 years, the Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP) brought together scientists from the USGS along with students and professors from universities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and California to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes of lakes, wetlands, and streams at local and watershed scales. In early 2022, The University of Minnesota and Bemidji...
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St. Louis River estuary (Minnesota-Wisconsin) EFDC model scenarios for velocity profiles around Munger Landing, selected years (2012-2019)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ran a series of model scnearios using a predictive, mechanistic, three-dimensional hydrodynamic model for the St. Louis River Estuary (SLRE), Minnesota-Wisconsin. The original SLRE model was developed and published in the U.S. Ge
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Filter Total Items: 25

A pilot study to assess the influence of infiltrated stormwater on groundwater: Hydrology and trace organic contaminants

Underground infiltration basins (UIBs) mimic the natural hydrologic cycle by allowing stormwater to recharge local groundwater aquifers. However, little is known about the potential transport of organic contaminants to receiving groundwater. We conducted a pilot study in which we collected paired grab samples of stormwater runoff flowing into two UIBs (inflow) and shallow groundwater adjacent to t
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Andrew M. Berg, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Multiple lines of evidence for identifying potential hazards to fish from contaminants of emerging concern in Great Lakes tributaries

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs; e.g., pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, pesticides, and industrial chemicals) are omnipresent throughout tributaries to the Great Lakes. Furthermore, CECs are often present at concentrations that are potentially hazardous to aquatic species. Since 2010, we characterized the presence of CECs at 309 sites within 47 Great Lakes tributaries and characterized re
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Daniel J. Gefell, Richard L. Kiesling, Stephanie L. Hummel, Chryssa K. King, Charles H. Christen, Satomi Kohno, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Identifying sources of contaminants in urban stormwater and evaluation of their removal efficacy across a continuum of urban best management practices

Precipitation events in urban areas often result in stormwater runoff containing a diverse array of chemical contaminants. Although many traditional contaminants, such as nutrients, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been studied extensively, only recently has evidence emerged showing that trace organic compounds (TrOCs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products and p
Authors
Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Richard L. Kiesling, Sarah M. Elliott, Satomi Kohno
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Simulation of discharge, water-surface elevations, and water temperatures for the St. Louis River estuary, Minnesota-Wisconsin, 2016–17

The St. Louis River estuary is a large freshwater estuary, next to Duluth, Minnesota, that encompasses the headwaters of Lake Superior. The St. Louis River estuary is one of the most complex and compromised near-shore systems in the upper Great Lakes with a long history of environmental contamination caused by logging, mining, paper mills, and other heavy industrial activities. Presently (2020), a
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Richard L. Kiesling, Earl J. Hayter
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Updates to the Madison Lake (Minnesota) CE–QUAL–W2 water-quality model for assessing algal community dynamics

A previously developed CE–QUAL–W2 model for Madison Lake, Minnesota, simulated the algal community dynamics, water quality, and fish habitat suitability of Madison Lake under recent (2014) meteorological conditions. Additionally, this previously developed model simulated the complex interplay between external nutrient loading, internal nutrient loading from sediment release of phosphorus, and the
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Richard L. Kiesling
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Effects of urban stormwater and iron‐enhanced sand filtration on Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas

Urban stormwater is an important but incompletely characterized contributor to surface‐water toxicity. The present study used 5 bioassays of 2 model organisms (Daphnia magnaand fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas) to investigate stormwater toxicity and mitigation by full‐scale iron‐enhanced sand filters (IESFs). Stormwater samples were collected from major stormwater conveyances and full‐scale IES
Authors
Benjamin M. Westerhoff, David J. Fairbairn, Mark L. Ferrey, Adriana Matilla, Jordan Kunkel, Sarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Dustin Woodruff, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Predicting the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern in surface water and sediment across the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes Basin

Chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) are introduced into the aquatic environment via various sources, posing a potential risk to aquatic organisms. Previous studies have identified relationships between the presence of CECs in water and broad-scale watershed characteristics. However, relationships between the presence of CECs and source-related watershed characteristics have not been explored acro
Authors
Richard L. Kiesling, Sarah M. Elliott, Leah E. Kammel, Steven J. Choy, Stephanie E. Hummel
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in urban stormwater: Spatiotemporal patterns and removal by iron-enhanced sand filters (IESFs)

Numerous contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) typically occur in urban rivers. Wastewater effluents are a major source of many CECs. Urban runoff (stormwater) is a major urban water budget component and may constitute another major CEC pathway. Yet, stormwater-based CEC field studies are rare. This research investigated 384 CECs in 36 stormwater samples in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Authors
David J. Fairbairn, Sarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Mark L. Ferrey, Benjamin J. Westerhoff
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Environmentally relevant chemical mixtures of concern in waters of United States tributaries to the Great Lakes

The North American Great Lakes are a vital natural resource that provide fish and wildlife habitat, as well as drinking water and waste assimilation services for millions of people. Tributaries to the Great Lakes receive chemical inputs from various point and nonpoint sources, and thus are expected to have complex mixtures of chemicals. However, our understanding of the co‐occurrence of specific c
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Mark E. Brigham, Richard L. Kiesling, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Zachary G. Jorgenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Nitrogen cycling in large temperate floodplain rivers of contrasting nutrient regimes and management

Hydraulic connection between channels and floodplains (“connectivity”) is a fundamental determinant of ecosystem function in large floodplain rivers. Factors controlling material processing in these rivers depend not only on the degree of connectivity but also on the sediment conditions, nutrient loads, and source. Nutrient cycling in the nutrient‐rich upper Mississippi River (MISS) is relatively
Authors
William B. Richardson, Lynn A. Bartsch, Michelle Bartsch, Richard L. Kiesling, Brenda Mroska-LaFrancois
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Simulation of hydrodynamics, water quality, and lake sturgeon habitat volumes in Lake St. Croix, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2013

Lake St. Croix is a naturally impounded, riverine lake that makes up the last 40 kilometers of the St. Croix River. Substantial land-use changes during the past 150 years, including increased agriculture and urban development, have reduced Lake St. Croix water-quality and increased nutrient loads delivered to Lake St. Croix. A recent (2012–13) total maximum daily load phosphorus-reduction plan set
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Richard L. Kiesling, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, Sarah M. Elliott, Suzanne Magdalene
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Water-quality models to assess algal community dynamics, water quality, and fish habitat suitability for two agricultural land-use dominated lakes in Minnesota, 2014

Fish habitat can degrade in many lakes due to summer blue-green algal blooms. Predictive models are needed to better manage and mitigate loss of fish habitat due to these changes. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, developed predictive water-quality models for two agricultural land-use dominated lakes in Minnesota—Madison Lake and
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Richard L. Kiesling, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

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