Rob Runkel
Rob is a Research Hydrologist with the USGS Colorado Water Science Center in Lakewood, CO.
Rob began his career with the USGS while he was a graduate student in Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado. Rob's expertise and experience includes the development and application of models to simulate constituent transport, the characterization of small watersheds affected by acid mine drainage, and the use of tracers to quantify constituent transport in surface waters.
Professional Experience
1992-Present Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
1989-1992 Research Engineer, University of Colorado, Center for Advanced Decision Support in Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES), Boulder, Colorado
1987-1989 Hydrologist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Education and Certifications
Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude, 1985, Computer Science and Environmental Studies, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Master of Environmental Management, 1987, Water Resources, Duke University: Monte Carlo Analysis of the Surface Water Component for Land Disposal Restriction Determinations
Doctor of Philosophy, 1993, Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado: Development and Application of an Equilibrium-based Simulation Model for Reactive Solute Transport in Small Streams
Affiliations and Memberships*
Associate Editor, Water Resources Research, 2006–2014
Member, American Geophysical Union
Member, Society for Freshwater Science
Member, European Geosciences Union
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
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Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range
The influence of hyporheic zone interactions on the redox state of fulvic acids and other redox active species was investigated in an alpine stream and adjacent wetland, which is a more reducing environment. A tracer injection experiment using bromide (Br-) was conducted in the stream system. Simulations with a transport model showed that rates of exchange between the stream and...
Authors
Matthew Miller, Diane McKnight, R.M. Cory, Mark Williams, Robert Runkel
Mass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001 Mass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001
A mass-loading study of Lake Fork Creek of the Arkansas River between Sugarloaf Dam and the mouth was completed in September-October 2001 to help ascertain the following: (1) variation of pH and aqueous constituent concentrations (calcium, sulfate, alkalinity, aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc) and their relation to toxicity standards along the study reach; (2)...
Authors
Katherine Walton-Day, Jennifer Flynn, Briant Kimball, Robert Runkel
Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002 Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002
Reactive-transport processes in the Red River, downstream from the town of Red River in north-central New Mexico, were simulated using the OTEQ reactive-transport model. The simulations were calibrated using physical and chemical data from synoptic studies conducted during low-flow conditions in August 2001 and during March/April 2002. Discharge over the 20-km reach from the town of Red...
Authors
James Ball, Robert Runkel, D. Nordstrom
Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998 Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998
Drainage from abandoned and inactive mines and from naturally mineralized areas in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado contributes metals to the upper Animas River near Silverton, Colorado. Tracer-injection studies and associated synoptic sampling were performed along two reaches of the upper Animas River to develop detailed profiles of stream discharge and to locate and quantify...
Authors
Suzanne Paschke, Briant Kimball, Robert Runkel
Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002 Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002
Red Mountain Creek, an acid mine drainage stream in southwestern Colorado, was the subject of a synoptic study conducted in August 2002. During the synoptic study, a solution containing lithium chloride was injected continuously to allow for the calculation of streamflow using the tracer-dilution method. Synoptic water-quality samples were collected from 48 stream sites and 29 inflow...
Authors
Robert Runkel, Briant Kimball, Katherine Walton-Day, Philip Verplanck
Evaluation of metal loading to streams near Creede, Colorado, August and September 2000 Evaluation of metal loading to streams near Creede, Colorado, August and September 2000
Decisions about remediation of mine drainage on the watershed scale require an understanding of metal contributions from all sources to be able to choose the best sites for remediation. A hydrologic framework to study metal loading in the Willow Creek watershed, a tributary to the Rio Grande River, was established by conducting a series of tracer-injection studies. Each study used the...
Authors
B. Kimball, R.L. Runkel, K. Walton-Day, B.K. Stover
Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments
The transient storage model (TSM) has been widely used in studies of stream solute transport and fate, with an increasing emphasis on reactive solute transport. In this study we perform sensitivity analyses of a conservative TSM and two different reactive solute transport models (RSTM), one that includes first-order decay in the stream and the storage zone, and a second that considers...
Authors
M.N. Gooseff, K.E. Bencala, D.T. Scott, R.L. Runkel, Diane McKnight
Evaluating remedial alternatives for the Alamosa River and Wightman Fork, near Summitville Mine, Colorado: Application of a reactive transport model to low- and high-flow simulations Evaluating remedial alternatives for the Alamosa River and Wightman Fork, near Summitville Mine, Colorado: Application of a reactive transport model to low- and high-flow simulations
Reactive-transport processes in Wightman Fork and the Alamosa River downstream from the SummitvilleMine, south-central Colorado, were simulated at low and high flow using the OTEQ reactive-transport model.The simulations were calibrated using data from synoptic studies conducted during October 1998 and June1999. Discharge over the 30-km reach from just below the mine site to the Alamosa...
Authors
J.W. Ball, R.L. Runkel, D. Nordstrom
Load estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers Load estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers
LOAD ESTimator (LOADEST) is a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers. Given a time series of streamflow, additional data variables, and constituent concentration, LOADEST assists the user in developing a regression model for the estimation of constituent load (calibration). Explanatory variables within the regression model include various functions of...
Authors
Robert Runkel, Charles Crawford, Timothy A. Cohn
Fate of volatile organic compounds in constructed wastewater treatment wetlands Fate of volatile organic compounds in constructed wastewater treatment wetlands
The fate of volatile organic compounds was evaluated in a wastewater-dependent constructed wetland near Phoenix, AZ, using field measurements and solute transport modeling. Numerically based volatilization rates were determined using inverse modeling techniques and hydraulic parameters established by sodium bromide tracer experiments. Theoretical volatilization rates were calculated from...
Authors
S.H. Keefe, L. Barber, R.L. Runkel, J. Ryan
Inorganic N and P dynamics of Antarctic glacial meltwater streams as controlled by hyporheic exchange and benthic autotrophic communities Inorganic N and P dynamics of Antarctic glacial meltwater streams as controlled by hyporheic exchange and benthic autotrophic communities
The McMurdo Dry Valleys of South Victoria Land, Antarctica, contain numerous glacial meltwater streams that drain into lakes on the valley floors. Many of the streams have abundant perennial mats of filamentous cyanobacteria. The algal mats grow during streamflow in the austral summer and are in a dormant freeze-dried state during the rest of the year. NO3 and soluble reactive P (SRP)...
Authors
Diane McKnight, R.L. Runkel, C. Tate, J.H. Duff, D.L. Moorhead
Reach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream Reach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream
McMurdo dry valleys of Antarctica represent the largest of the ice-free areas on the Antarctic continent, containing glaciers, meltwater streams, and closed basin lakes. Previous geochemical studies of dry valley streams and lakes have addressed chemical weathering reactions of hyporheic substrate and geochemical evolution of dry valley surface waters. We examine cation transport and...
Authors
Michael Gooseff, Diane McKnight, Robert Runkel
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 100
Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range
The influence of hyporheic zone interactions on the redox state of fulvic acids and other redox active species was investigated in an alpine stream and adjacent wetland, which is a more reducing environment. A tracer injection experiment using bromide (Br-) was conducted in the stream system. Simulations with a transport model showed that rates of exchange between the stream and...
Authors
Matthew Miller, Diane McKnight, R.M. Cory, Mark Williams, Robert Runkel
Mass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001 Mass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001
A mass-loading study of Lake Fork Creek of the Arkansas River between Sugarloaf Dam and the mouth was completed in September-October 2001 to help ascertain the following: (1) variation of pH and aqueous constituent concentrations (calcium, sulfate, alkalinity, aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc) and their relation to toxicity standards along the study reach; (2)...
Authors
Katherine Walton-Day, Jennifer Flynn, Briant Kimball, Robert Runkel
Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002 Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002
Reactive-transport processes in the Red River, downstream from the town of Red River in north-central New Mexico, were simulated using the OTEQ reactive-transport model. The simulations were calibrated using physical and chemical data from synoptic studies conducted during low-flow conditions in August 2001 and during March/April 2002. Discharge over the 20-km reach from the town of Red...
Authors
James Ball, Robert Runkel, D. Nordstrom
Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998 Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998
Drainage from abandoned and inactive mines and from naturally mineralized areas in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado contributes metals to the upper Animas River near Silverton, Colorado. Tracer-injection studies and associated synoptic sampling were performed along two reaches of the upper Animas River to develop detailed profiles of stream discharge and to locate and quantify...
Authors
Suzanne Paschke, Briant Kimball, Robert Runkel
Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002 Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002
Red Mountain Creek, an acid mine drainage stream in southwestern Colorado, was the subject of a synoptic study conducted in August 2002. During the synoptic study, a solution containing lithium chloride was injected continuously to allow for the calculation of streamflow using the tracer-dilution method. Synoptic water-quality samples were collected from 48 stream sites and 29 inflow...
Authors
Robert Runkel, Briant Kimball, Katherine Walton-Day, Philip Verplanck
Evaluation of metal loading to streams near Creede, Colorado, August and September 2000 Evaluation of metal loading to streams near Creede, Colorado, August and September 2000
Decisions about remediation of mine drainage on the watershed scale require an understanding of metal contributions from all sources to be able to choose the best sites for remediation. A hydrologic framework to study metal loading in the Willow Creek watershed, a tributary to the Rio Grande River, was established by conducting a series of tracer-injection studies. Each study used the...
Authors
B. Kimball, R.L. Runkel, K. Walton-Day, B.K. Stover
Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments
The transient storage model (TSM) has been widely used in studies of stream solute transport and fate, with an increasing emphasis on reactive solute transport. In this study we perform sensitivity analyses of a conservative TSM and two different reactive solute transport models (RSTM), one that includes first-order decay in the stream and the storage zone, and a second that considers...
Authors
M.N. Gooseff, K.E. Bencala, D.T. Scott, R.L. Runkel, Diane McKnight
Evaluating remedial alternatives for the Alamosa River and Wightman Fork, near Summitville Mine, Colorado: Application of a reactive transport model to low- and high-flow simulations Evaluating remedial alternatives for the Alamosa River and Wightman Fork, near Summitville Mine, Colorado: Application of a reactive transport model to low- and high-flow simulations
Reactive-transport processes in Wightman Fork and the Alamosa River downstream from the SummitvilleMine, south-central Colorado, were simulated at low and high flow using the OTEQ reactive-transport model.The simulations were calibrated using data from synoptic studies conducted during October 1998 and June1999. Discharge over the 30-km reach from just below the mine site to the Alamosa...
Authors
J.W. Ball, R.L. Runkel, D. Nordstrom
Load estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers Load estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers
LOAD ESTimator (LOADEST) is a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers. Given a time series of streamflow, additional data variables, and constituent concentration, LOADEST assists the user in developing a regression model for the estimation of constituent load (calibration). Explanatory variables within the regression model include various functions of...
Authors
Robert Runkel, Charles Crawford, Timothy A. Cohn
Fate of volatile organic compounds in constructed wastewater treatment wetlands Fate of volatile organic compounds in constructed wastewater treatment wetlands
The fate of volatile organic compounds was evaluated in a wastewater-dependent constructed wetland near Phoenix, AZ, using field measurements and solute transport modeling. Numerically based volatilization rates were determined using inverse modeling techniques and hydraulic parameters established by sodium bromide tracer experiments. Theoretical volatilization rates were calculated from...
Authors
S.H. Keefe, L. Barber, R.L. Runkel, J. Ryan
Inorganic N and P dynamics of Antarctic glacial meltwater streams as controlled by hyporheic exchange and benthic autotrophic communities Inorganic N and P dynamics of Antarctic glacial meltwater streams as controlled by hyporheic exchange and benthic autotrophic communities
The McMurdo Dry Valleys of South Victoria Land, Antarctica, contain numerous glacial meltwater streams that drain into lakes on the valley floors. Many of the streams have abundant perennial mats of filamentous cyanobacteria. The algal mats grow during streamflow in the austral summer and are in a dormant freeze-dried state during the rest of the year. NO3 and soluble reactive P (SRP)...
Authors
Diane McKnight, R.L. Runkel, C. Tate, J.H. Duff, D.L. Moorhead
Reach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream Reach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream
McMurdo dry valleys of Antarctica represent the largest of the ice-free areas on the Antarctic continent, containing glaciers, meltwater streams, and closed basin lakes. Previous geochemical studies of dry valley streams and lakes have addressed chemical weathering reactions of hyporheic substrate and geochemical evolution of dry valley surface waters. We examine cation transport and...
Authors
Michael Gooseff, Diane McKnight, Robert Runkel
*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