Richard L Reynolds
I investigate how climatic variability, weather, and land uses affect surfaces and ecosystems of deserts, with emphasis on sediment eroded, transported, and deposited by wind, mostly as atmospheric dust.
My studies probe the geologic, biologic, and human controls on dust generation as well as the mineralogic and geochemical properties of dust that in turn affect climate, weather, ecosystem health, water resources (effects of dust on melting of snow and ice), ocean fertility, and the health of a large proportion of earth’s people. I have also conducted research on:
- Hawaiian coral-reef health in settings of coastal erosion
- Quaternary climate and responses of landscapes to climatic change and human activities
- Iron-sulfur diagenesis and its effects on lake-sediment paleoenvironmental records
- Magnetic and chemical records of airborne pollution and environmental change
- Paleomagnetism of Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary and igneous rocks
- Sources of magnetic anomalies in the shallow crust
- Field geology, Antarctica (1970-1971; 1978-1979)
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, USGS (periodic supervisory positions) 1975-2012
Acting Program Manager, Global Change Program USGS 2002
Senior Scientist, USGS 2012-2013 Emeritus since 2013
Adjunct Research Professor, Univ. of Minnesota
Affiliate, Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research Univ. of Colorado
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Univ. of Colorado, 1975
M.S., Univ. of Colorado, 1970
A.B., Princeton University, 1968
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America; Fellow
American Geophysical Union. Assoc. Editor, Jour. Geophysical Res. 1992-1995
Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Assoc.
American Quaternary Assoc.
International Medical Geology Assoc.
International Society for Aeolian Research (guest editor, 2013-14; Board of Directors, 2014-2016)
Honors and Awards
2012 Elected Senior Scientist, USGS
2012-2014 Distinguished Visiting Scholar, School of Geography and the Environment, Univ. of Oxford
2011 Astor Visiting Lecturer for the Humanities, Univ. of Oxford
2007 Co-recipient, Kirk Bryan Award; best publication in Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology, Geological Society of America
Meritorious Service Award, Dept. of the Interior (1995)
1995 Best Paper Award, Jour. Great Lakes Res.
1994 Elected Fellow, Geological Society of America
1993 Visiting Fellow, Institute for Rock Magnetism, Univ. Minnesota
1992 Best Paper Award, Geophysics
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 170
Spatial and temporal patterns of dust emissions (2004-2012) in semi-arid landscapes, southeastern Utah, USA Spatial and temporal patterns of dust emissions (2004-2012) in semi-arid landscapes, southeastern Utah, USA
Aeolian dust can influence nutrient availability, soil fertility, plant interactions, and water-holding capacity in both source and downwind environments. A network of 85 passive collectors for aeolian sediment spanning numerous plant communities, soil types, and land-use histories covering approximately 4000 square kilometers across southeastern Utah was used to sample horizontal...
Authors
Cody B. Flagg, Jason C. Neff, Richard L. Reynolds, Jayne Belnap
A survey of methods for implementing and documenting water conservation in New York A survey of methods for implementing and documenting water conservation in New York
Water conservation methods and best management practices (BMPs) for water conservation are described for major categories of non-drinking-water users, including—but not limited to—industrial, commercial, power-generation, agricultural, and institutional categories. The BMPs were drawn from a literature search of reports published by state agencies, Federal agencies, the U.S. military...
Authors
Kristin S. Linsey, Richard J. Reynolds
Phylogeography, post-glacial gene flow, and population history of North American goshawks (Accipeter gentilis) Phylogeography, post-glacial gene flow, and population history of North American goshawks (Accipeter gentilis)
Climate cycling during the Quaternary played a critical role in the diversification of avian lineages in North America, greatly influencing the genetic characteristics of contemporary populations. To test the hypothesis that North American Northern Goshawks (Accipitergentilis) were historically isolated within multiple Late Pleistocene refugia, we assessed diversity and population...
Authors
Shelley Bayard De Volo, Richard T. Reynolds, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot, Michael F. Antolin
Fingerprinting of glacial silt in lake sediments yields continuous records of alpine glaciation (35–15 ka), western USA Fingerprinting of glacial silt in lake sediments yields continuous records of alpine glaciation (35–15 ka), western USA
Fingerprinting glacial silt in last glacial-age sediments from Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) and Bear Lake (BL) provides continuous radiocarbon-dated records of glaciation for the southeastern Cascade Range and northwestern Uinta Mountains, respectively. Comparing of these records to cosmogenic exposure ages from moraines suggests that variations in glacial flour largely reflect glacial...
Authors
Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Richard L. Reynolds, Steven M. Colman
Post-fire land treatments and wind erosion -- lessons from the Milford Flat Fire, UT, USA Post-fire land treatments and wind erosion -- lessons from the Milford Flat Fire, UT, USA
We monitored sediment flux at 25 plots located at the northern end of the 2007 Milford Flat Fire (Lake Bonneville Basin, west-central Utah) to examine the effectiveness of post-fire rehabilitation treatments in mitigating risks of wind erosion during the first 3 years post fire. Maximum values were recorded during Mar–Jul 2009 when horizontal sediment fluxes measured with BSNE samplers...
Authors
Mark E. Miller, Matthew A. Bowker, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein
Physical, chemical, and mineralogical data from surficial deposits, groundwater levels, and water composition in the area of Franklin Lake playa and Ash Meadows, California and Nevada Physical, chemical, and mineralogical data from surficial deposits, groundwater levels, and water composition in the area of Franklin Lake playa and Ash Meadows, California and Nevada
This report presents data and describes the methods used to determine the physical attributes, as well as the chemical and mineralogical composition of surficial deposits; groundwater levels; and water composition in the area of Franklin Lake playa and Ash Meadows, California and Nevada. The results support studies that examine (1) the interaction between groundwater and the ground...
Authors
Harland L. Goldstein, George N. Breit, James C. Yount, Richard L. Reynolds, Marith C. Reheis, Gary L. Skipp, Eric M. Fisher, Paul J. Lamothe
Dust: Small-scale processes with global consequences Dust: Small-scale processes with global consequences
Desert dust, both modern and ancient, is a critical component of the Earth system. Atmospheric dust has important effects on climate by changing the atmospheric radiation budget, while deposited dust influences biogeochemical cycles in the oceans and on land. Dust deposited on snow and ice decreases its albedo, allowing more light to be trapped at the surface, thus increasing the rate of...
Authors
G. S. Okin, J. E. Bullard, Richard L. Reynolds, J. #NAME? Ballantine, K. Schepanski, M. C. Todd, Jayne Belnap, M. C. Baddock, T. E. Gill, M. E. Miller
Chemical and textural controls on phosphorus mobility in drylands of southeastern Utah Chemical and textural controls on phosphorus mobility in drylands of southeastern Utah
We investigated several forms of phosphorus (P) in dryland soils to examine the chemical and textural controls on P stabilization on a diverse set of substrates. We examined three P fractions including labile, moderately labile, and occluded as determined by a modified Hedley fractionation technique. The P fractions were compared to texture measurements and total elemental concentrations
Authors
Susan E. Buckingham, Jason Neff, Behan Titiz-Maybach, Richard L. Reynolds
Atmospheric mineral dust in dryland ecosystems: Applications of environmental magnetism Atmospheric mineral dust in dryland ecosystems: Applications of environmental magnetism
Magnetic properties of shallow (
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Mark E. Miller
Diatom changes in two Uinta mountain lakes, Utah, USA: Responses to anthropogenic and natural atmospheric inputs Diatom changes in two Uinta mountain lakes, Utah, USA: Responses to anthropogenic and natural atmospheric inputs
Diatom assemblages in sediments from two subalpine lakes in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, show asynchronous changes that are related to both anthropogenic and natural inputs of dust. These lakes are downwind of sources of atmospheric inputs originating from mining, industrial, urban, agricultural and natural sources that are distributed within tens to hundreds of kilometers west and south...
Authors
Katrina Moser, Jessica S. Mordecai, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Michael E. Ketterer
Integrated characterization of the Richelieu/Lake Champlain basin Integrated characterization of the Richelieu/Lake Champlain basin
No abstract available.
Authors
A. Rivera, C. Rivard, M. Parent, N. Benoit, R. Lefebvre, M.A. Carrier, E. Gloaguen, Richard J. Reynolds, Thomas J. Mack, J.H. Williams, Y. H. Baevsky
Compositional changes in sediments of subalpine lakes, Uinta Mountains (Utah): Evidence for the effects of human activity on atmospheric dust inputs Compositional changes in sediments of subalpine lakes, Uinta Mountains (Utah): Evidence for the effects of human activity on atmospheric dust inputs
Sediments in Marshall and Hidden Lakes in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah contain records of atmospheric mineral-dust deposition as revealed by differences in mineralogy and geochemistry of lake sediments relative to Precambrian clastic rocks in the watersheds. In cores spanning more than a thousand years, the largest changes in composition occurred within the past approximately...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Jessica S. Mordecai, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Michael E. Ketterer, Megan K. Walsh, Katrina Moser
Non-USGS Publications**
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Major element petrochemistry of some extrusive rocks from the volcanically active Mariana Islands: Bulletin Volcanologique, v. 39, p. 361-377.
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleomagnetism of Miocene volcanics of Guam and the curvature of the southern Mariana Island Arc: Geological Society America Bulletin, v. 86, p. 346‑350.
Levi, S., Merrill, R.T., Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleosecular variation of lavas from the Marianas in the Western Pacific Ocean: Journal Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity, v. 27, p. 57-66.
Rowley, P.D., Williams, P.L., Schmidt, D.L., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Copper mineralization along the Lassiter Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula: Economic Geology, v. 70, p. 982‑992.
**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
Filter Total Items: 170
Spatial and temporal patterns of dust emissions (2004-2012) in semi-arid landscapes, southeastern Utah, USA Spatial and temporal patterns of dust emissions (2004-2012) in semi-arid landscapes, southeastern Utah, USA
Aeolian dust can influence nutrient availability, soil fertility, plant interactions, and water-holding capacity in both source and downwind environments. A network of 85 passive collectors for aeolian sediment spanning numerous plant communities, soil types, and land-use histories covering approximately 4000 square kilometers across southeastern Utah was used to sample horizontal...
Authors
Cody B. Flagg, Jason C. Neff, Richard L. Reynolds, Jayne Belnap
A survey of methods for implementing and documenting water conservation in New York A survey of methods for implementing and documenting water conservation in New York
Water conservation methods and best management practices (BMPs) for water conservation are described for major categories of non-drinking-water users, including—but not limited to—industrial, commercial, power-generation, agricultural, and institutional categories. The BMPs were drawn from a literature search of reports published by state agencies, Federal agencies, the U.S. military...
Authors
Kristin S. Linsey, Richard J. Reynolds
Phylogeography, post-glacial gene flow, and population history of North American goshawks (Accipeter gentilis) Phylogeography, post-glacial gene flow, and population history of North American goshawks (Accipeter gentilis)
Climate cycling during the Quaternary played a critical role in the diversification of avian lineages in North America, greatly influencing the genetic characteristics of contemporary populations. To test the hypothesis that North American Northern Goshawks (Accipitergentilis) were historically isolated within multiple Late Pleistocene refugia, we assessed diversity and population...
Authors
Shelley Bayard De Volo, Richard T. Reynolds, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot, Michael F. Antolin
Fingerprinting of glacial silt in lake sediments yields continuous records of alpine glaciation (35–15 ka), western USA Fingerprinting of glacial silt in lake sediments yields continuous records of alpine glaciation (35–15 ka), western USA
Fingerprinting glacial silt in last glacial-age sediments from Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) and Bear Lake (BL) provides continuous radiocarbon-dated records of glaciation for the southeastern Cascade Range and northwestern Uinta Mountains, respectively. Comparing of these records to cosmogenic exposure ages from moraines suggests that variations in glacial flour largely reflect glacial...
Authors
Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Richard L. Reynolds, Steven M. Colman
Post-fire land treatments and wind erosion -- lessons from the Milford Flat Fire, UT, USA Post-fire land treatments and wind erosion -- lessons from the Milford Flat Fire, UT, USA
We monitored sediment flux at 25 plots located at the northern end of the 2007 Milford Flat Fire (Lake Bonneville Basin, west-central Utah) to examine the effectiveness of post-fire rehabilitation treatments in mitigating risks of wind erosion during the first 3 years post fire. Maximum values were recorded during Mar–Jul 2009 when horizontal sediment fluxes measured with BSNE samplers...
Authors
Mark E. Miller, Matthew A. Bowker, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein
Physical, chemical, and mineralogical data from surficial deposits, groundwater levels, and water composition in the area of Franklin Lake playa and Ash Meadows, California and Nevada Physical, chemical, and mineralogical data from surficial deposits, groundwater levels, and water composition in the area of Franklin Lake playa and Ash Meadows, California and Nevada
This report presents data and describes the methods used to determine the physical attributes, as well as the chemical and mineralogical composition of surficial deposits; groundwater levels; and water composition in the area of Franklin Lake playa and Ash Meadows, California and Nevada. The results support studies that examine (1) the interaction between groundwater and the ground...
Authors
Harland L. Goldstein, George N. Breit, James C. Yount, Richard L. Reynolds, Marith C. Reheis, Gary L. Skipp, Eric M. Fisher, Paul J. Lamothe
Dust: Small-scale processes with global consequences Dust: Small-scale processes with global consequences
Desert dust, both modern and ancient, is a critical component of the Earth system. Atmospheric dust has important effects on climate by changing the atmospheric radiation budget, while deposited dust influences biogeochemical cycles in the oceans and on land. Dust deposited on snow and ice decreases its albedo, allowing more light to be trapped at the surface, thus increasing the rate of...
Authors
G. S. Okin, J. E. Bullard, Richard L. Reynolds, J. #NAME? Ballantine, K. Schepanski, M. C. Todd, Jayne Belnap, M. C. Baddock, T. E. Gill, M. E. Miller
Chemical and textural controls on phosphorus mobility in drylands of southeastern Utah Chemical and textural controls on phosphorus mobility in drylands of southeastern Utah
We investigated several forms of phosphorus (P) in dryland soils to examine the chemical and textural controls on P stabilization on a diverse set of substrates. We examined three P fractions including labile, moderately labile, and occluded as determined by a modified Hedley fractionation technique. The P fractions were compared to texture measurements and total elemental concentrations
Authors
Susan E. Buckingham, Jason Neff, Behan Titiz-Maybach, Richard L. Reynolds
Atmospheric mineral dust in dryland ecosystems: Applications of environmental magnetism Atmospheric mineral dust in dryland ecosystems: Applications of environmental magnetism
Magnetic properties of shallow (
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Mark E. Miller
Diatom changes in two Uinta mountain lakes, Utah, USA: Responses to anthropogenic and natural atmospheric inputs Diatom changes in two Uinta mountain lakes, Utah, USA: Responses to anthropogenic and natural atmospheric inputs
Diatom assemblages in sediments from two subalpine lakes in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, show asynchronous changes that are related to both anthropogenic and natural inputs of dust. These lakes are downwind of sources of atmospheric inputs originating from mining, industrial, urban, agricultural and natural sources that are distributed within tens to hundreds of kilometers west and south...
Authors
Katrina Moser, Jessica S. Mordecai, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Michael E. Ketterer
Integrated characterization of the Richelieu/Lake Champlain basin Integrated characterization of the Richelieu/Lake Champlain basin
No abstract available.
Authors
A. Rivera, C. Rivard, M. Parent, N. Benoit, R. Lefebvre, M.A. Carrier, E. Gloaguen, Richard J. Reynolds, Thomas J. Mack, J.H. Williams, Y. H. Baevsky
Compositional changes in sediments of subalpine lakes, Uinta Mountains (Utah): Evidence for the effects of human activity on atmospheric dust inputs Compositional changes in sediments of subalpine lakes, Uinta Mountains (Utah): Evidence for the effects of human activity on atmospheric dust inputs
Sediments in Marshall and Hidden Lakes in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah contain records of atmospheric mineral-dust deposition as revealed by differences in mineralogy and geochemistry of lake sediments relative to Precambrian clastic rocks in the watersheds. In cores spanning more than a thousand years, the largest changes in composition occurred within the past approximately...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Jessica S. Mordecai, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Michael E. Ketterer, Megan K. Walsh, Katrina Moser
Non-USGS Publications**
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Major element petrochemistry of some extrusive rocks from the volcanically active Mariana Islands: Bulletin Volcanologique, v. 39, p. 361-377.
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleomagnetism of Miocene volcanics of Guam and the curvature of the southern Mariana Island Arc: Geological Society America Bulletin, v. 86, p. 346‑350.
Levi, S., Merrill, R.T., Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleosecular variation of lavas from the Marianas in the Western Pacific Ocean: Journal Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity, v. 27, p. 57-66.
Rowley, P.D., Williams, P.L., Schmidt, D.L., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Copper mineralization along the Lassiter Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula: Economic Geology, v. 70, p. 982‑992.
**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.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government