Robert R Mason
Science and Products
Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs)
Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs) are fully-functional streamgages designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit stream stage data in emergency situations.
USGS Flood Information
The USGS collects flood data and conducts targeted flood science to help Federal, State, and local agencies, decision makers, and the public before, during, and after a flood. Our efforts provide situational awareness, drive predictive models, inform infrastructure design and operation, undergird floodplain mapping, assist flood constituent/load quantification, and facilitate flood impact...
Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network
During large coastal storms, the storm surge and waves are the main cause of destruction and landscape change, transporting saline water, sediment, and debris inland. The USGS, in collaboration with stakeholders, has constructed a national Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network for the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Central Pacific. SWaTH monitors and documents the height, extent...
USGS Flood Event Viewer: Providing Hurricane and Flood Response Data
During large, short-term floods, the USGS collects additional data to help document these high-water events. This data is uploaded to the USGS Short-Term Network (STN) for long-term archival, and served out to the public through the USGS Flood Event Viewer (FEV) which provides convenient, map-based access to storm-surge and other event-based data.
Historical Flooding
The USGS provides practical, unbiased information about the Nation's rivers and streams that is crucial in mitigating hazards associated with floods. This site provides information about the USGS activities, data, and services provided during regional high-flow events, such as hurricanes or multi-state flooding events. The USGS response to these events is typically managed by the National...
U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science strategic plan, 2021–26
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan defines critical, core fire science capabilities for understanding fire-related and fire-responsive earth system processes and patterns, and informing management decision making. Developed by USGS fire scientists and executive leadership, and informed by conversations with...
Steblein, Paul F.; Loehman, Rachel A.; Miller, Mark P.; Holomuzki, Joseph R.; Soileau, Suzanna C.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Drane-Maury, Mia; Hamilton, Hannah M.; Kean, Jason W.; Keeley, Jon E.; Mason, Robert R.; McKerrow, Alexa J.; Meldrum, James R.; Molder, Edmund B.; Murphy, Sheila F.; Peterson, Birgit; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Shinneman, Douglas J.; van Mantgem, Phillip J.; York, Alison
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2010–November 30, 2011
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered June 7, 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversion of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City, to be made under the...
DiFrenna, Vincent J.; Andrews, William J.; Russell, Kendra L.; Norris, J. Michael; Mason,, Robert R.
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2009–November 30, 2010
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered June 7, 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversion of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City, to be made under the...
Russell, Kendra L.; Ockerman, Darwin; Krejmas, Bruce E.; Paulachok, Gary N.; Mason,, Robert R.
Guidelines for determining flood flow frequency—Bulletin 17C
Accurate estimates of flood frequency and magnitude are a key component of any effective nationwide flood risk management and flood damage abatement program. In addition to accuracy, methods for estimating flood risk must be uniformly and consistently applied because management of the Nation’s water and related land resources is a collaborative...
England, John F.; Cohn, Timothy A.; Faber, Beth A.; Stedinger, Jery R.; Thomas, Wilbert O.; Veilleux, Andrea G.; Kiang, Julie E.; Mason,, Robert R.
Evaluation of recommended revisions to Bulletin 17B
For the past 36 years, Bulletin 17B, published by the Interagency Committee on Water Data in 1982, has guided flood-frequency analyses in the United States. During this period, much has been learned about both hydrology and statistical methods. In keeping with the tradition of periodically updating the Bulletin 17B guidelines in light of advances...
Cohn, Timothy A.; Barth, Nancy A. ; England, John F. ; Faber, Beth A.; Mason,, Robert R.; Stedinger, Jery R.
A comparison of methods for streamflow uncertainty estimation
Streamflow time series are commonly derived from stage‐discharge rating curves, but the uncertainty of the rating curve and resulting streamflow series are poorly understood. While different methods to quantify uncertainty in the stage‐discharge relationship exist, there is limited understanding of how uncertainty estimates differ between methods...
Kiang, Julie E.; Gazoorian, Christopher L.; McMillan, Hillary; Coxon, Gemma; Le Coz, Jerome; Westerberg, Ida; Belleville, Arnaud; Sevrez, Damien; Sikorska, Anna; Petersen‐Øverleir, Asgeir; Reitan, Trond; Freer, Jim; Renard, Benjamin; Mansanarez, Valentin; Mason,, Robert R.
The U.S. Geological Survey Peak-Flow File Data Verification Project, 2008–16
Annual peak streamflow (peak flow) at a streamgage is defined as the maximum instantaneous flow in a water year. A water year begins on October 1 and continues through September 30 of the following year; for example, water year 2015 extends from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015. The accuracy, characterization, and completeness of the...
Ryberg, Karen R.; Goree, Burl B.; Williams-Sether, Tara; Mason,, Robert R. How uncertainty analysis of streamflow data can reduce costs and promote robust decisions in water management applications
Streamflow data are used for important environmental and economic decisions, such as specifying and regulating minimum flows, managing water supplies, and planning for flood hazards. Despite significant uncertainty in most flow data, the flow series for these applications are often communicated and used without uncertainty information. In this...
McMilan, Hilary; Seibert, Jan; Petersen‐Øverleir, Asgeir; Lang, Michel; White, Paul; Snelder, Ton; Rutherford, Kit; Krueger, Tobias; Mason,, Robert R.; Kiang, Julie E. Engaging the user community for advancing societal applications of the Surface Water Ocean Topography mission
Scheduled for launch in 2021, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will be a truly unique mission that will provide high-temporal-frequency maps of surface water extents and elevation variations of global water bodies (lakes/reservoirs, rivers, estuaries, oceans, and sea ice) at higher spatial resolution than is available with...
Hossain, Faisal; Srinivasan, Margaret; Peterson, Craig; Andral, Alice; Beighley, Ed; Anderson, Eric; Amini, Rashied; Birkett, Charon; Bjerklie, David M.; Blain, Cheryl Ann; Cherchali, Selma; David, Cédric H.; Doorn, Bradley D.; Escurra, Jorge; Fu, Lee-Lueng; Frans, Chris; Fulton, John W.; Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; Ghosh, Subimal; Gleason, Colin; Gosset, Marielle; Hausman, Jessica; Jacobs, Gregg; Jones, John W.; Kaheil, Yasir; Laignel, Benoit; Le Moigne, Patrick; Li, Li; Lefèvre, Fabien; Mason, Robert R.; Mehta, Amita; Mukherjee, Abhijit; Nguy-Robertson, Anthony; Ricci, Sophie; Paris, Adrien; Pavelsky, Tamlin; Picot, Nicolas; Schumann, Guy; Shrestha, Sudhir; Le Traon, Pierre-Yves; Trehubenko, Eric A survey of uncertainty in stage-discharge rating curves and streamflow records in the United States
No abstract available.
Kiang, Julie E.; Mason,, Robert R.; Cohn, Timothy A.
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2008–November 30, 2009
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered June 7, 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City, to be made...
Krejmas, Bruce E.; Paulachok, Gary N.; Mason, Robert R.; Owens, Marie Rating curve uncertainty: A comparison of estimation methods
The USGS is engaged in both internal development and collaborative efforts to evaluate existing methods for characterizing the uncertainty of streamflow measurements (gaugings), stage-discharge relations (ratings), and, ultimately, the streamflow records derived from them. This paper provides a brief overview of two candidate methods that may be...
Constantinescu, George; Garcia, Marcelo H.; Hanes, Dan; Mason, Robert R.; Kiang, Julie E.; Cohn, Timothy A.
USGS and Canada Reach Confluence in Monitoring Streamflow
In a joint effort, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Water Survey of Canada (WSC) have produced the North America WaterWatch (NAWW), an online website that displays streamflow conditions throughout much of North America.