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
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 101
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 L. Runkel, Charles G. Crawford, Timothy A. Cohn
Quantification of metal loading to Silver Creek through the Silver Maple Claims area, Park City, Utah, May 2002 Quantification of metal loading to Silver Creek through the Silver Maple Claims area, Park City, Utah, May 2002
The Silver Maple Claims area along Silver Creek, near Park City, Utah, is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. To quantify possible sources of elevated zinc concentrations in Silver Creek that exceed water-quality standards, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a mass-loading study in May 2002 along a 1,400-meter reach of Silver Creek that included the Silver Maple Claims area
Authors
Briant A. Kimball, Kevin K. Johnson, Robert L. Runkel, Judy I. Steiger
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 M. McKnight, R.L. Runkel, C. M. Tate, J.H. Duff, D.L. Moorhead
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. B. Barber, R.L. Runkel, J. N. Ryan
Modeling hyporheic zone processes Modeling hyporheic zone processes
Stream biogeochemistry is influenced by the physical and chemical processes that occur in the surrounding watershed. These processes include the mass loading of solutes from terrestrial and atmospheric sources, the physical transport of solutes within the watershed, and the transformation of solutes due to biogeochemical reactions. Research over the last two decades has identified the...
Authors
Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Harihar Rajaram
Use of field-scale experiments and reactive transport modeling to evaluate remediation alternatives in streams affected by acid mine drainage Use of field-scale experiments and reactive transport modeling to evaluate remediation alternatives in streams affected by acid mine drainage
No abstract available.
Authors
B. A. Kimball, R.L. Runkel, Katherine Walton-Day
Determining long time-scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams Determining long time-scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams
In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, glaciers are the source of meltwater during the austral summer, and the streams and adjacent hyporheic zones constitute the entire physical watershed; there are no hillslope processes in these systems. Hyporheic zones can extend several metres from each side of the stream, and are up to 70 cm deep, corresponding to a lateral cross‐section as...
Authors
M.N. Gooseff, Diane M. McKnight, Robert L. Runkel, B. H. Vaughn
Automated calibration of a stream solute transport model: Implications for interpretation of biogeochemical parameters Automated calibration of a stream solute transport model: Implications for interpretation of biogeochemical parameters
The hydrologic processes of advection, dispersion, and transient storage are the primary physical mechanisms affecting solute transport in streams. The estimation of parameters for a conservative solute transport model is an essential step to characterize transient storage and other physical features that cannot be directly measured, and often is a preliminary step in the study of...
Authors
D.T. Scott, M.N. Gooseff, K.E. Bencala, R.L. Runkel
Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids
An in‐stream injection of two dissolved organic acids (phthalic and aspartic acids) was performed in an acidic mountain stream to assess the effects of organic acids on Fe photoreduction and H2O2 cycling. Results indicate that the fate of Fe is dependent on a net balance of oxidative and reductive processes, which can vary over a distance of several meters due to changes in incident...
Authors
Durelle T. Scott, Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Bettina M. Voelker, Briant A. Kimball, Elizabeth R. Carraway
Evaluating remedial alternatives for an acid mine drainage stream: Application of a reactive transport model Evaluating remedial alternatives for an acid mine drainage stream: Application of a reactive transport model
A reactive transport model based on one-dimensional transport and equilibrium chemistry is applied to synoptic data from an acid mine drainage stream. Model inputs include streamflow estimates based on tracer dilution, inflow chemistry based on synoptic sampling, and equilibrium constants describing acid/base, complexation, precipitation/dissolution, and sorption reactions. The dominant...
Authors
R.L. Runkel, B. A. Kimball
A new metric for determining the importance of transient storage A new metric for determining the importance of transient storage
A review of various metrics used to characterize transient storage indicates that none of the existing measures successfully integrate the interaction between advective velocity and the transient storage parameters (storage zone area, storage zone exchange coefficient). Further, 2 existing metrics are related to mean travel time, a quantity that is independent of the storage zone...
Authors
R.L. Runkel
Assessment of metal loads in watersheds affected by acid mine drainage by using tracer injection and synoptic sampling: Cement Creek, Colorado, USA Assessment of metal loads in watersheds affected by acid mine drainage by using tracer injection and synoptic sampling: Cement Creek, Colorado, USA
Watersheds in mineralized zones may contain many mines, each of which can contribute to acidity and the metal load of a stream. In this study the authors delineate hydrogeologic characteristics determining the transport of metals from the watershed to the stream in the watershed of Cement Creek, Colorado. Combining the injection of a chemical tracer, to determine a discharge, with...
Authors
B. A. Kimball, R.L. Runkel, K. Walton-Day, K.E. Bencala
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 101
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 L. Runkel, Charles G. Crawford, Timothy A. Cohn
Quantification of metal loading to Silver Creek through the Silver Maple Claims area, Park City, Utah, May 2002 Quantification of metal loading to Silver Creek through the Silver Maple Claims area, Park City, Utah, May 2002
The Silver Maple Claims area along Silver Creek, near Park City, Utah, is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. To quantify possible sources of elevated zinc concentrations in Silver Creek that exceed water-quality standards, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a mass-loading study in May 2002 along a 1,400-meter reach of Silver Creek that included the Silver Maple Claims area
Authors
Briant A. Kimball, Kevin K. Johnson, Robert L. Runkel, Judy I. Steiger
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 M. McKnight, R.L. Runkel, C. M. Tate, J.H. Duff, D.L. Moorhead
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. B. Barber, R.L. Runkel, J. N. Ryan
Modeling hyporheic zone processes Modeling hyporheic zone processes
Stream biogeochemistry is influenced by the physical and chemical processes that occur in the surrounding watershed. These processes include the mass loading of solutes from terrestrial and atmospheric sources, the physical transport of solutes within the watershed, and the transformation of solutes due to biogeochemical reactions. Research over the last two decades has identified the...
Authors
Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Harihar Rajaram
Use of field-scale experiments and reactive transport modeling to evaluate remediation alternatives in streams affected by acid mine drainage Use of field-scale experiments and reactive transport modeling to evaluate remediation alternatives in streams affected by acid mine drainage
No abstract available.
Authors
B. A. Kimball, R.L. Runkel, Katherine Walton-Day
Determining long time-scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams Determining long time-scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams
In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, glaciers are the source of meltwater during the austral summer, and the streams and adjacent hyporheic zones constitute the entire physical watershed; there are no hillslope processes in these systems. Hyporheic zones can extend several metres from each side of the stream, and are up to 70 cm deep, corresponding to a lateral cross‐section as...
Authors
M.N. Gooseff, Diane M. McKnight, Robert L. Runkel, B. H. Vaughn
Automated calibration of a stream solute transport model: Implications for interpretation of biogeochemical parameters Automated calibration of a stream solute transport model: Implications for interpretation of biogeochemical parameters
The hydrologic processes of advection, dispersion, and transient storage are the primary physical mechanisms affecting solute transport in streams. The estimation of parameters for a conservative solute transport model is an essential step to characterize transient storage and other physical features that cannot be directly measured, and often is a preliminary step in the study of...
Authors
D.T. Scott, M.N. Gooseff, K.E. Bencala, R.L. Runkel
Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids
An in‐stream injection of two dissolved organic acids (phthalic and aspartic acids) was performed in an acidic mountain stream to assess the effects of organic acids on Fe photoreduction and H2O2 cycling. Results indicate that the fate of Fe is dependent on a net balance of oxidative and reductive processes, which can vary over a distance of several meters due to changes in incident...
Authors
Durelle T. Scott, Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Bettina M. Voelker, Briant A. Kimball, Elizabeth R. Carraway
Evaluating remedial alternatives for an acid mine drainage stream: Application of a reactive transport model Evaluating remedial alternatives for an acid mine drainage stream: Application of a reactive transport model
A reactive transport model based on one-dimensional transport and equilibrium chemistry is applied to synoptic data from an acid mine drainage stream. Model inputs include streamflow estimates based on tracer dilution, inflow chemistry based on synoptic sampling, and equilibrium constants describing acid/base, complexation, precipitation/dissolution, and sorption reactions. The dominant...
Authors
R.L. Runkel, B. A. Kimball
A new metric for determining the importance of transient storage A new metric for determining the importance of transient storage
A review of various metrics used to characterize transient storage indicates that none of the existing measures successfully integrate the interaction between advective velocity and the transient storage parameters (storage zone area, storage zone exchange coefficient). Further, 2 existing metrics are related to mean travel time, a quantity that is independent of the storage zone...
Authors
R.L. Runkel
Assessment of metal loads in watersheds affected by acid mine drainage by using tracer injection and synoptic sampling: Cement Creek, Colorado, USA Assessment of metal loads in watersheds affected by acid mine drainage by using tracer injection and synoptic sampling: Cement Creek, Colorado, USA
Watersheds in mineralized zones may contain many mines, each of which can contribute to acidity and the metal load of a stream. In this study the authors delineate hydrogeologic characteristics determining the transport of metals from the watershed to the stream in the watershed of Cement Creek, Colorado. Combining the injection of a chemical tracer, to determine a discharge, with...
Authors
B. A. Kimball, R.L. Runkel, K. Walton-Day, K.E. Bencala
*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