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
Mercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
Mercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
A method for assessing carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the United States under present conditions and future scenarios
Dissolved organic carbon export and internal cycling in small, headwater lakes
Public Review Draft: A Method for Assessing Carbon Stocks, Carbon Sequestration, and Greenhouse-Gas Fluxes in Ecosystems of the United States Under Present Conditions and Future Scenarios
Quantification of surface water and groundwater flows to open‐ and closed‐basin lakes in a headwaters watershed using a descriptive oxygen stable isotope model
Soil CO2 Flux in the Amargosa Desert, Nevada, during El Nino 1998 and La Nina 1999
Utilizing chromophoric dissolved organic matter measurements to derive export and reactivity of dissolved organic carbon exported to the Arctic Ocean: A case study of the Yukon River, Alaska
Hydrologic support of carbon dioxide flux revealed by whole-lake carbon budgets
Suspended sediment and carbonate transport in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska: Fluxes and potential future responses to climate change
Sediment organic carbon burial in agriculturally eutrophic impoundments over the last century
Development of pan-Arctic database for river chemistry
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 142
Mercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
We measured mercury (Hg) concentrations and calculated export and yield from the Yukon River Basin (YRB) to quantify Hg flux from a large, permafrost-dominated, high-latitude watershed. Exports of Hg averaged 4400 kg Hg yr-1. The average annual yield for the YRB during the study period was 5.17 μg m-2 yr-1, which is 3–32 times more than Hg yields reported for 8 other major northern hemisphere riveAuthorsPaul F. Schuster, Robert G. Striegl, George R. Aiken, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F. DeWild, Kenna D. Butler, Ben Kamark, Mark DornblaserMercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
We measured mercury (Hg) concentrations and calculated export and yield from the Yukon River Basin (YRB) to quantify Hg flux from a large, permafrost-dominated, high-latitude watershed. Exports of Hg averaged 4400 kg Hg yr–1. The average annual yield for the YRB during the study period was 5.17 μg m–2 yr–1, which is 3–32 times more than Hg yields reported for 8 other major northern hemisphere riveAuthorsP. F. Schuster, Robert G. Striegl, G. R. Aiken, David P. Krabbenhoft, J. F. Dewild, K. Butler, B. Kamark, M. DornblaserA method for assessing carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the United States under present conditions and future scenarios
he Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Section 712, mandates the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop a methodology and conduct an assessment of the Nation’s ecosystems, focusing on carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and emissions of three greenhouse gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The major requirements include (1) an assessment of all ecosystemsAuthorsBrian A. Bergamaschi, Richard Bernknopf, David Clow, Dennis Dye, Stephen Faulkner, William Forney, Robert Gleason, Todd Hawbaker, Jinxun Liu, Shu-Guang Liu, Stephen Prisley, Bradley Reed, Matthew Reeves, Matthew Rollins, Benjamin Sleeter, Terry Sohl, Sarah Stackpoole, Stephen Stehman, Robert G. Striegl, Anne Wein, Zhi-Liang ZhuDissolved organic carbon export and internal cycling in small, headwater lakes
Carbon (C) cycling in freshwater lakes is intense but poorly integrated into our current understanding of overall C transport from the land to the oceans. We quantified dissolved organic carbon export (DOCX) and compared it with modeled gross DOC mineralization (DOCR) to determine whether hydrologic or within-lake processes dominated DOC cycling in a small headwaters watershed in Minnesota, USA. WAuthorsEdward G. Stets, Robert G. Striegl, George R. AikenPublic Review Draft: A Method for Assessing Carbon Stocks, Carbon Sequestration, and Greenhouse-Gas Fluxes in Ecosystems of the United States Under Present Conditions and Future Scenarios
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Section 712, authorizes the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop a methodology and conduct an assessment of the Nation's ecosystems focusing on carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and emissions of three greenhouse gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The major requirements include (1) an assessment of all ecosysteAuthorsBrian A. Bergamaschi, Richard Bernknopf, David Clow, Dennis Dye, Stephen Faulkner, William Forney, Robert Gleason, Todd Hawbaker, Jinxun Liu, Shu-Guang Liu, Stephen Prisley, Bradley Reed, Matthew Reeves, Matthew Rollins, Benjamin Sleeter, Terry Sohl, Sarah Stackpoole, Stephen Stehman, Robert G. Striegl, Anne Wein, Zhi-Liang ZhuQuantification of surface water and groundwater flows to open‐ and closed‐basin lakes in a headwaters watershed using a descriptive oxygen stable isotope model
Accurate quantification of hydrologic fluxes in lakes is important to resource management and for placing hydrologic solute flux in an appropriate biogeochemical context. Water stable isotopes can be used to describe water movements, but they are typically only effective in lakes with long water residence times. We developed a descriptive time series model of lake surface water oxygen‐18 stable isAuthorsEdward G. Stets, Thomas C. Winter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Robert G. StrieglSoil CO2 Flux in the Amargosa Desert, Nevada, during El Nino 1998 and La Nina 1999
Mean annual soil CO2 fluxes from normally bare mineral soil in the Amargosa Desert in southern Nevada, United States, measured with clear and opaque soil CO2-flux chambers (autochambers) were small -AuthorsAlan C. Riggs, David I. Stannard, Florentino B. Maestas, Michael R. Karlinger, Robert G. StrieglUtilizing chromophoric dissolved organic matter measurements to derive export and reactivity of dissolved organic carbon exported to the Arctic Ocean: A case study of the Yukon River, Alaska
[1] The quality and quantity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) exported by Arctic rivers is known to vary with hydrology and this exported material plays a fundamental role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon at high latitudes. We highlight the potential of optical measurements to examine DOM quality across the hydrograph in Arctic rivers. Furthermore, we establish chromophoric DOM (CDOM) relaAuthorsR.G.M. Spencer, G. R. Aiken, K.D. Butler, M.M. Dornblaser, Robert G. Striegl, P.J. HernesHydrologic support of carbon dioxide flux revealed by whole-lake carbon budgets
Freshwater lakes are an important component of the global carbon cycle through both organic carbon (OC) sequestration and carbon dioxide (CO 2) emission. Most lakes have a net annual loss of CO2 to the atmosphere and substantial current evidence suggests that biologic mineralization of allochthonous OC maintains this flux. Because net CO 2 flux to the atmosphere implies net mineralization of OC wiAuthorsE.G. Stets, Robert G. Striegl, G. R. Aiken, D. O. Rosenberry, T. C. WinterSuspended sediment and carbonate transport in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska: Fluxes and potential future responses to climate change
Loads and yields of suspended sediment and carbonate were measured and modeled at three locations on the Yukon, Tanana, and Porcupine Rivers in Alaska during water years 2001–2005 (1 October 2000 to 30 September 2005). Annual export of suspended sediment and carbonate upstream from the Yukon Delta averaged 68 Mt a−1 and 387 Gg a−1, respectively, with 50% of the suspended sediment load originatingAuthorsMark M. Dornblaser, Robert G. StrieglSediment organic carbon burial in agriculturally eutrophic impoundments over the last century
We estimated organic carbon (OC) burial over the past century in 40 impoundments in one of the most intensively agricultural regions of the world. The volume of sediment deposited per unit time varied as a function of lake and watershed size, but smaller impoundments had greater deposition and accumulation rates per unit area. Annual water storage losses varied from 0.1-20% and were negatively corAuthorsJ. A. Downing, J. J. Cole, J.J. Middelburg, Robert G. Striegl, C.M. Duarte, Pirkko Kortelainen, Y.T. Prairie, K.A. LaubeDevelopment of pan-Arctic database for river chemistry
More than 10% of all continental runoff flows into the Arctic Ocean. This runoff is a dominant feature of the Arctic Ocean with respect to water column structure and circulation. Yet understanding of the chemical characteristics of runoff from the pan-Arctic watershed is surprisingly limited. The Pan- Arctic River Transport of Nutrients, Organic Matter, and Suspended Sediments ( PARTNERS) projectAuthorsJ.W. McClelland, R.M. Holmes, B. J. Peterson, R. Amon, T. Brabets, L. Cooper, J. Gibson, V.V. Gordeev, C. Guay, D. Milburn, R. Staples, P.A. Raymond, I. Shiklomanov, Robert G. Striegl, A. Zhulidov, T. Gurtovaya, S. Zimov