Ronald Griffiths
Ron Griffiths is a hydrologist with the Southwest Biological Science Center.
Science and Products
River Sediment Dynamics
Sediment controls the physical habitat of river ecosystems. Changes in the amount and areal distribution of different sediment types cause changes in river-channel form and river habitat. The amount and type of sediment suspended in the water column determines water clarity. Understanding sediment transport and the conditions under which sediment is deposited or eroded from the various...
Sediment Acoustics
The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes the need to provide sediment acoustic training and to develop standardized techniques and practices.
Surveyed coordinates and elevations in a 2020 resurvey of previously established cross sections on the Green River between Jensen and Ouray, Utah
These data were compiled for/to National Park Service and Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Objective(s) of our study were to resurvey previously established cross sections on the Green River, Utah, in, and upstream, from Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to document changes in channel width, depth, and cross-sectional area. These data represent the 2020 resurvey coordinates and
Surveyed coordinates and elevations in a 2017 resurvey of previously established cross sections on the Little Snake and Yampa rivers in Lily and Deerlodge parks, Colorado
These data were compiled for the National Park Service and Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Objective(s) of our study were to resurvey previously established cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake rivers in the Deerlodge Park area to document changes in channel width, depth, and cross-sectional area. A secondary purpose of this study was to document the location of the
Surveyed peak-stage elevations, coordinates, and indicator data of strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
These data provide a comprehensive survey of peak-stage indicators along the Colorado River corridor between river mile (RM) 0 and RM 87 (see Figure 1 in the associated USGS-SIR). In 2008, the locations of peak-stage indicators in three short reaches downstream from RM 87 were measured using a handheld GPS unit (see Appendix 1 in the associated USGS-SIR). Total-station measurements were made using
Filter Total Items: 26
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
Changes in the quantity of sand stored within river segments can affect aquatic and riparian habitat, archeological resources, and recreation. Since summer to fall of 2002, gaging stations on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park and on its major tributaries and selected lesser tributaries have measured the mass of sand transported past each station, which allows for changes in the mass
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Joel A. Unema
U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
This proceedings is prepared for the USBR and Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2023 by SBSC's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the GCDAMP. It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to w
Authors
Andrew Alan Schultz, Gregory Mark Anderson, David Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Paul Grams, Keith Kohl, Gerard Lewis Salter, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Katherine Chapman, Erich R. Mueller, Emily C. Palmquist, Bradley J. Butterfield, Joel B. Sankey, Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Morgan Ford, Michael Dodrill, Maria C. Dzul, Pilar Rinker, Michael J. Pillow, David Ward, Josh Korman, Molly A.H. Webb, James A. Crossman, Eric J Frye, David L. Rogowski, Kimberley Dibble, Lucas Bair, Joshua Abbott, Thomas Gushue, Erica Paige Byerley, Joseph E Thomas, Thomas A. Sabol, Bryce Anthony Mihalevich
Resurvey of cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers in Lily and Deerlodge Parks, Colorado
Resurveys of seven geomorphologic cross sections located in the Lily Park and Deerlodge Park, Colorado, reaches of the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers were conducted in October 2017. These cross sections extend from Lily Park, at the confluence of the two rivers, to Deerlodge Park within Dinosaur National Monument. Four cross sections were first surveyed in 1983 and then resurveyed in 1997. The rema
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Christina Leonard, Joel A. Unema
State of the science and decision support for measuring suspended sediment with acoustic instrumentation
Acoustic instrumentation can be used to provide time-series and discrete estimates of suspended-sediment concentration, load, and sediment particle sizes in fluvial systems, which are essential for creating informed solutions to many sediment-related environmental, engineering, and land management concerns. Historically, scientists have developed relations between suspended sediment characteristic
Authors
Molly S. Wood, Joel T. Groten, Timothy D. Straub, Dan R.W. Haught, Ronald E. Griffiths, Justin A. Boldt, Zulimar Lucena, Jeb E. Brown, Steven E. Suttles, Patrick J. Dickhudt
Acoustic measurements on a shallow, sand-bed river: A case study from the Rio Grande
The Middle Rio Grande (MRG) is a dynamic and complex fluvial system where flow and sediment transported from the Upper Rio Grande and MRG tributaries influence the form of the river. How sediment is transported through the MRG is an important planning question as it addresses a wide range of concerns including flood control and river rehabilitation, thus continuous sediment measurements are needed
Authors
Jonathan AuBuchon, David Abraham, Ari Posner, Jeb E. Brown, Tony Jackson, Ronald E. Griffiths
Proceedings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Reporting Meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
(Hartwell) This report is prepared primarily to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2022 by GCMRC and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP).
It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to work plans, results, and recommendations related to projects i
Authors
David Topping, Paul Grams, Emily C. Palmquist, Joel B. Sankey, Helen C. Fairley, Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Maria C. Dzul, David Ward, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, Lucas Bair, Thomas Gushue, Caitlin M. Andrews, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Keith Kohl, Michael J Moran, Nicholas Voichick, Thomas A. Sabol, Laura A. Tennant, Kimberly Dibble, Michael C. Runge
Field investigation of sub-isokinetic sampling by the US D-96-type suspended-sediment sampler and its effect on suspended-sediment measurements
Collection of accurate suspended-sediment data using depth-integrating samplers requires that they operate isokinetically, that is, that they sample at the local stream velocity unaffected by the presence of the suspended-sediment sampler. Sub-isokinetic suspended-sediment sampling causes grain-size dependent positive biases in the suspended-sediment concentration measured by the suspended-sedimen
Authors
Thomas A. Sabol, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, Guillaume Dramais
Strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Strandlines of peak-stage indicators (such as driftwood logs, woody debris, and trash) provide valuable data for understanding the maximum stage and extent of inundation during floods. A series of seven strandlines have been preserved along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. A survey and analysis of these strandlines was completed from the Colorado River at Lees Ferry,
Authors
Thomas A. Sabol, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Erich R. Mueller, Robert B. Tusso, Joseph E. Hazel
Self-limitation of sand storage in a bedrock-canyon river arising from the interaction of flow and grain size
Bedrock-canyon rivers tend to be supply limited because they are efficient transporters of sediment and not because the upstream supply of sediment is small. A byproduct of this supply limitation is that the finer alluvium stored in these rivers has shorter residence times and smaller volumes than in alluvial rivers. To improve our understanding of disequilibrium sediment transport and its effect
Authors
David Topping, Paul Grams, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Scott Wright, Joel A. Unema
Interpreting flux-based sediment budgets in a habitat context: Linking precise temporal-resolution measurements of sediment flux to spatially robust characterization of channel change
Continuous measurements of sediment transport at reach-bracketing gaging stations allow for the construction of continuous mass-balance sediment budgets for the intervening reach. Although these budgets identify periods of sediment surplus (net deposition) or sediment deficit (net erosion), such analyses cannot identify the locations within the reach where channel change occurs. Because channel ch
Authors
Christina Leonard, John C. Schmidt, David Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths
Optimal timing of high-flow experiments for sandbar deposition
Sediment-transport theory and field measurements indicate that the greatest or most efficient deposition of sand in eddies occurs during controlled floods (a.k.a. High-Flow Experiments or HFEs) when the greatest amount of the finest sand is available on the bed of the Colorado River (Topping and others, 2010). Conducting HFEs when the sand on the bed of the Colorado River is depleted and coarse ca
Authors
David Topping, Paul E. Grams, Ronald E. Griffiths, Joseph E. Hazel, Matthew Kaplinski, David Dean, Nicholas Voichick, Joel Unema, Thomas A. Sabol
Long-term evolution of sand transport through a river network: Relative influences of a dam versus natural changes in grain size from sand waves
Temporal and spatial nonuniformity in supplies of water and sand in a river network leads to sand transport that is in local disequilibrium with the upstream sand supply. In such river networks, sand is transported downstream as elongating waves in which coupled changes in grain size and transport occur. Depending on the magnitude of each sand‐supplying event and the interval between such events,
Authors
David Topping, Erich R. Mueller, John C. Schmidt, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Paul E. Grams
Science and Products
River Sediment Dynamics
Sediment controls the physical habitat of river ecosystems. Changes in the amount and areal distribution of different sediment types cause changes in river-channel form and river habitat. The amount and type of sediment suspended in the water column determines water clarity. Understanding sediment transport and the conditions under which sediment is deposited or eroded from the various...
Sediment Acoustics
The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes the need to provide sediment acoustic training and to develop standardized techniques and practices.
Surveyed coordinates and elevations in a 2020 resurvey of previously established cross sections on the Green River between Jensen and Ouray, Utah
These data were compiled for/to National Park Service and Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Objective(s) of our study were to resurvey previously established cross sections on the Green River, Utah, in, and upstream, from Ouray National Wildlife Refuge to document changes in channel width, depth, and cross-sectional area. These data represent the 2020 resurvey coordinates and
Surveyed coordinates and elevations in a 2017 resurvey of previously established cross sections on the Little Snake and Yampa rivers in Lily and Deerlodge parks, Colorado
These data were compiled for the National Park Service and Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Objective(s) of our study were to resurvey previously established cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake rivers in the Deerlodge Park area to document changes in channel width, depth, and cross-sectional area. A secondary purpose of this study was to document the location of the
Surveyed peak-stage elevations, coordinates, and indicator data of strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
These data provide a comprehensive survey of peak-stage indicators along the Colorado River corridor between river mile (RM) 0 and RM 87 (see Figure 1 in the associated USGS-SIR). In 2008, the locations of peak-stage indicators in three short reaches downstream from RM 87 were measured using a handheld GPS unit (see Appendix 1 in the associated USGS-SIR). Total-station measurements were made using
Filter Total Items: 26
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
Changes in the quantity of sand stored within river segments can affect aquatic and riparian habitat, archeological resources, and recreation. Since summer to fall of 2002, gaging stations on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park and on its major tributaries and selected lesser tributaries have measured the mass of sand transported past each station, which allows for changes in the mass
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Joel A. Unema
U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
This proceedings is prepared for the USBR and Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2023 by SBSC's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the GCDAMP. It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to w
Authors
Andrew Alan Schultz, Gregory Mark Anderson, David Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Paul Grams, Keith Kohl, Gerard Lewis Salter, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Katherine Chapman, Erich R. Mueller, Emily C. Palmquist, Bradley J. Butterfield, Joel B. Sankey, Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Morgan Ford, Michael Dodrill, Maria C. Dzul, Pilar Rinker, Michael J. Pillow, David Ward, Josh Korman, Molly A.H. Webb, James A. Crossman, Eric J Frye, David L. Rogowski, Kimberley Dibble, Lucas Bair, Joshua Abbott, Thomas Gushue, Erica Paige Byerley, Joseph E Thomas, Thomas A. Sabol, Bryce Anthony Mihalevich
Resurvey of cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers in Lily and Deerlodge Parks, Colorado
Resurveys of seven geomorphologic cross sections located in the Lily Park and Deerlodge Park, Colorado, reaches of the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers were conducted in October 2017. These cross sections extend from Lily Park, at the confluence of the two rivers, to Deerlodge Park within Dinosaur National Monument. Four cross sections were first surveyed in 1983 and then resurveyed in 1997. The rema
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Christina Leonard, Joel A. Unema
State of the science and decision support for measuring suspended sediment with acoustic instrumentation
Acoustic instrumentation can be used to provide time-series and discrete estimates of suspended-sediment concentration, load, and sediment particle sizes in fluvial systems, which are essential for creating informed solutions to many sediment-related environmental, engineering, and land management concerns. Historically, scientists have developed relations between suspended sediment characteristic
Authors
Molly S. Wood, Joel T. Groten, Timothy D. Straub, Dan R.W. Haught, Ronald E. Griffiths, Justin A. Boldt, Zulimar Lucena, Jeb E. Brown, Steven E. Suttles, Patrick J. Dickhudt
Acoustic measurements on a shallow, sand-bed river: A case study from the Rio Grande
The Middle Rio Grande (MRG) is a dynamic and complex fluvial system where flow and sediment transported from the Upper Rio Grande and MRG tributaries influence the form of the river. How sediment is transported through the MRG is an important planning question as it addresses a wide range of concerns including flood control and river rehabilitation, thus continuous sediment measurements are needed
Authors
Jonathan AuBuchon, David Abraham, Ari Posner, Jeb E. Brown, Tony Jackson, Ronald E. Griffiths
Proceedings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Reporting Meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
(Hartwell) This report is prepared primarily to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2022 by GCMRC and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP).
It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to work plans, results, and recommendations related to projects i
Authors
David Topping, Paul Grams, Emily C. Palmquist, Joel B. Sankey, Helen C. Fairley, Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Maria C. Dzul, David Ward, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, Lucas Bair, Thomas Gushue, Caitlin M. Andrews, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Keith Kohl, Michael J Moran, Nicholas Voichick, Thomas A. Sabol, Laura A. Tennant, Kimberly Dibble, Michael C. Runge
Field investigation of sub-isokinetic sampling by the US D-96-type suspended-sediment sampler and its effect on suspended-sediment measurements
Collection of accurate suspended-sediment data using depth-integrating samplers requires that they operate isokinetically, that is, that they sample at the local stream velocity unaffected by the presence of the suspended-sediment sampler. Sub-isokinetic suspended-sediment sampling causes grain-size dependent positive biases in the suspended-sediment concentration measured by the suspended-sedimen
Authors
Thomas A. Sabol, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, Guillaume Dramais
Strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Strandlines of peak-stage indicators (such as driftwood logs, woody debris, and trash) provide valuable data for understanding the maximum stage and extent of inundation during floods. A series of seven strandlines have been preserved along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. A survey and analysis of these strandlines was completed from the Colorado River at Lees Ferry,
Authors
Thomas A. Sabol, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Erich R. Mueller, Robert B. Tusso, Joseph E. Hazel
Self-limitation of sand storage in a bedrock-canyon river arising from the interaction of flow and grain size
Bedrock-canyon rivers tend to be supply limited because they are efficient transporters of sediment and not because the upstream supply of sediment is small. A byproduct of this supply limitation is that the finer alluvium stored in these rivers has shorter residence times and smaller volumes than in alluvial rivers. To improve our understanding of disequilibrium sediment transport and its effect
Authors
David Topping, Paul Grams, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Scott Wright, Joel A. Unema
Interpreting flux-based sediment budgets in a habitat context: Linking precise temporal-resolution measurements of sediment flux to spatially robust characterization of channel change
Continuous measurements of sediment transport at reach-bracketing gaging stations allow for the construction of continuous mass-balance sediment budgets for the intervening reach. Although these budgets identify periods of sediment surplus (net deposition) or sediment deficit (net erosion), such analyses cannot identify the locations within the reach where channel change occurs. Because channel ch
Authors
Christina Leonard, John C. Schmidt, David Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths
Optimal timing of high-flow experiments for sandbar deposition
Sediment-transport theory and field measurements indicate that the greatest or most efficient deposition of sand in eddies occurs during controlled floods (a.k.a. High-Flow Experiments or HFEs) when the greatest amount of the finest sand is available on the bed of the Colorado River (Topping and others, 2010). Conducting HFEs when the sand on the bed of the Colorado River is depleted and coarse ca
Authors
David Topping, Paul E. Grams, Ronald E. Griffiths, Joseph E. Hazel, Matthew Kaplinski, David Dean, Nicholas Voichick, Joel Unema, Thomas A. Sabol
Long-term evolution of sand transport through a river network: Relative influences of a dam versus natural changes in grain size from sand waves
Temporal and spatial nonuniformity in supplies of water and sand in a river network leads to sand transport that is in local disequilibrium with the upstream sand supply. In such river networks, sand is transported downstream as elongating waves in which coupled changes in grain size and transport occur. Depending on the magnitude of each sand‐supplying event and the interval between such events,
Authors
David Topping, Erich R. Mueller, John C. Schmidt, Ronald E. Griffiths, David Dean, Paul E. Grams