Rob Striegl
Rob Striegl is an Emeritus Research Hydrologist with the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Professional Studies/Experience
I am a Research Aquatic Biogeochemist / Hydrologist located in Boulder, Colorado. My research focuses on the role of inland waters in the global carbon cycle and on hydrologic, climatic, and disturbance controls on the biogeochemical cycling, sequestration, transport, and surface-atmosphere exchange of aquatic carbon. Investigations conducted by me and my research group address a broad range of field, laboratory and modeling studies, including the transport of inorganic and organic carbon by surface and subsurface waters; the production, consumption, and atmospheric exchange of carbon dioxide and methane by streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and soils; the effects of climate warming, permafrost thaw, and other disturbances on the carbon cycle of subarctic and boreal regions; and extrapolation of inland waters carbon biogeochemical processes and rates of carbon exchange from site to regional, continental, and global scales. I lead USGS LandCarbon investigations of Ecosystem Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Exchange by Inland Waters of the USA and am also the Principal Investigator of the NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) project "Aquatic Vulnerabilites of Inland Waters and the Aquatic Carbon Cycle to Changing Permafrost and Climate across Boreal North America".
Professional societies/affiliations/committees/editorial boards
- Carbon Cycle Scientific Steering Group,
- U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program,
- U.S. Global Change Research Program
- Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences, American Geophysical Union
Education and Certifications
Education
PhD: University of Wisconsin - Madison; Oceanography and Limnology
MSc: Univeristy of Illinois - Urbana; Biology / Aquatic Ecology
BSc: Western Illinois Univeristy - Macomb; Zoology
Science and Products
Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate-size subarctic watershed
Field-scale sulfur hexafluoride tracer experiment to understand long distance gas transport in the deep unsaturated zone
CO2 and CH4 emissions from streams in a lake-rich landscape: Patterns, controls, and regional significance
Ebullitive methane emissions from oxygenated wetland streams
The impact of climate and reservoirs on longitudinal riverine carbon fluxes from two major watersheds in the Central and Intermontane West
Influences of glacial melt and permafrost thaw on the age of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River basin
Global carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters
Hydrologic controls on the transport and cycling of carbon and nitrogen in a boreal catchment underlain by continuous permafrost
Inorganic carbon loading as a primary driver of dissolved carbon dioxide concentrations in the lakes and reservoirs of the contiguous United States
Emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from a headwater stream network of interior Alaska
U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change
Rapid runoff via shallow throughflow and deeper preferential flow in a boreal catchment underlain by frozen silt (Alaska, USA)
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 142
Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate-size subarctic watershed
Hydrologic exports of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC, DOC) reflect permafrost conditions in arctic and subarctic river basins. DIC yields in particular, increase with decreased permafrost extent. We investigated the influence of permafrost extent on DIC and DOC yield in a tributary of the Yukon River, where the upper watershed has continuous permafrost and the lower watershed has discAuthorsMark M. Dornblaser, Robert G. StrieglField-scale sulfur hexafluoride tracer experiment to understand long distance gas transport in the deep unsaturated zone
A gas-tracer test in a deep arid unsaturated zone demonstrates that standard estimates of effective diffusivity from sediment properties allow a reasonable first-cut assessment of gas contaminant transport. Apparent anomalies in historic transport behavior at this and other waste disposal sites may result from factors other than nonreactive gas transport properties. A natural gradient SF6 tracer eAuthorsMichelle Ann Walvoord, Brian J. Andraski, Christopher T. Green, David A. Stonestrom, Robert G. StrieglCO2 and CH4 emissions from streams in a lake-rich landscape: Patterns, controls, and regional significance
Aquatic ecosystems are important components of landscape carbon budgets. In lake-rich landscapes, both lakes and streams may be important sources of carbon gases (CO2 and CH4) to the atmosphere, but the processes that control gas concentrations and emissions in these interconnected landscapes have not been adequately addressed. We use multiple data sets that vary in their spatial and temporal exteAuthorsJohn T. Crawford, Noah R. Lottig, Emily H. Stanley, John F. Walker, Paul C. Hanson, Jacques C. Finlay, Robert G. StrieglEbullitive methane emissions from oxygenated wetland streams
Stream and river carbon dioxide emissions are an important component of the global carbon cycle. Methane emissions from streams could also contribute to regional or global greenhouse gas cycling, but there are relatively few data regarding stream and river methane emissions. Furthermore, the available data do not typically include the ebullitive (bubble-mediated) pathway, instead focusing on emissAuthorsJohn T. Crawford, Emily H. Stanley, Seth A. Spawn, Jacques C. Finlay, Robert G. StrieglThe impact of climate and reservoirs on longitudinal riverine carbon fluxes from two major watersheds in the Central and Intermontane West
A nested sampling network on the Colorado (CR) and Missouri Rivers (MR) provided data to assess impacts of large-scale reservoir systems and climate on carbon export. The Load Estimator (LOADEST) model was used to estimate both dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC and DOC) fluxes for a total of 22 sites along the main stems of the CR and MR. Both the upper CR and MR DIC and DOC fluxes increAuthorsSarah M. Stackpoole, Edward G. Stets, Robert G. StrieglInfluences of glacial melt and permafrost thaw on the age of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River basin
Responses of near-surface permafrost and glacial ice to climate change are of particular significance for understanding long-term effects on global carbon cycling and carbon export by high-latitude northern rivers. Here we report Δ14C-dissolved organic carbon (DOC) values and dissolved organic matter optical data for the Yukon River, 15 tributaries of the Yukon River, glacial meltwater, and groundAuthorsGeorge R. Aiken, Robert G.M. Spencer, Robert G. Striegl, Paul F. Schuster, Peter A. RaymondGlobal carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters
Carbon dioxide (CO2) transfer from inland waters to the atmosphere, known as CO2 evasion, is a component of the global carbon cycle. Global estimates of CO2 evasion have been hampered, however, by the lack of a framework for estimating the inland water surface area and gas transfer velocity and by the absence of a global CO2 database. Here we report regional variations in global inland water surfaAuthorsPeter A. Raymond, Jens Hartmann, Ronny Lauerwald, Sebastian Sobek, Cory P. McDonald, Mark Hoover, David Butman, Robert G. Striegl, Emilio Mayorga, Christoph Humborg, Pirkko Kortelainen, Hans H. Durr, Michel Meybeck, Philippe Ciais, Peter GuthHydrologic controls on the transport and cycling of carbon and nitrogen in a boreal catchment underlain by continuous permafrost
Boreal ecosystems represent a large carbon (C) reservoir and a substantial source of greenhouse gases. Hydrologic conditions dictate whether C leached from boreal soils is processed in catchments or flushed to less productive environments via the stream. This study quantified hydrologic and biogeochemical C loss from a boreal catchment underlain by frozen silt, where flowpaths may deepen as the acAuthorsJoshua C. Koch, Robert L. Runkel, Robert G. Striegl, Diane M. McKnightInorganic carbon loading as a primary driver of dissolved carbon dioxide concentrations in the lakes and reservoirs of the contiguous United States
Accurate quantification of CO2 flux across the air-water interface and identification of the mechanisms driving CO2 concentrations in lakes and reservoirs is critical to integrating aquatic systems into large-scale carbon budgets, and to predicting the response of these systems to changes in climate or terrestrial carbon cycling. Large-scale estimates of the role of lakes and reservoirs in the carAuthorsCory P. McDonald, Edward G. Stets, Robert G. Striegl, David ButmanEmissions of carbon dioxide and methane from a headwater stream network of interior Alaska
Boreal ecosystems store significant quantities of organic carbon (C) that may be vulnerable to degradation as a result of a warming climate. Despite their limited coverage on the landscape, streams play a significant role in the processing, gaseous emission, and downstream export of C, and small streams are thought to be particularly important because of their close connection with the surroundingAuthorsJohn T. Crawford, Robert G. Striegl, Kimberly P. Wickland, Mark M. Dornblaser, Emily H. StanleyU.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a nonregulatory Federal science agency with national scope and responsibilities, is uniquely positioned to serve the Nation’s needs in understanding and responding to global change, including changes in climate, water availability, sea level, land use and land cover, ecosystems, and global biogeochemical cycles. Global change is among the most chAuthorsVirginia R. Burkett, David A. Kirtland, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson, Alec G. Maule, Gerard McMahon, Robert G. StrieglRapid runoff via shallow throughflow and deeper preferential flow in a boreal catchment underlain by frozen silt (Alaska, USA)
In high-latitude catchments where permafrost is present, runoff dynamics are complicated by seasonal active-layer thaw, which may cause a change in the dominant flowpaths as water increasingly contacts mineral soils of low hydraulic conductivity. A 2-year study, conducted in an upland catchment in Alaska (USA) underlain by frozen, well-sorted eolian silt, examined changes in infiltration and runofAuthorsJoshua C. Koch, Stephanie A. Ewing, Robert G. Striegl, Diane M. McKnight