Ryan serves as a hydraulic engineer and the Surface Water Specialist with the USGS Idaho Water Science Center in Boise, Idaho.
Ryan began his career in South Dakota where he led field efforts for estimating potential bridge scour at more than 1,000 bridges. Ryan moved to the Idaho Water Science Center in 2007 and has worked on suspended and bedload sediment transport; GNSS surveying; high-resolution bathymetric and acoustic Doppler surveys; underwater sediment coring; sediment facies mapping; sub-bottom seismic surveys; bridge scour surveys; two-dimensional hydraulic modeling; river restoration monitoring, and streamflow statistics studies.
Education and Certifications
M.S., Civil Engineering, 2006, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
B.S., Civil Engineering, 2005, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Science and Products
Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) fine-scale habitat selection and preference, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, 2017
Assessment of bridge scour countermeasures at selected bridges in the United States, 2014–18
Defining the limits of spectrally based bathymetric mapping on a large river
Bridge scour countermeasure assessments at select bridges in the United States, 2016–18
Substrate and flow characteristics associated with White Sturgeon recruitment in the Columbia River Basin
Bridge scour countermeasure assessments at select bridges in the United States, 2014–16
Field scale test of multi-dimensional flow and morphodynamic simulations used for restoration design analysis
Estimating peak-flow frequency statistics for selected gaged and ungaged sites in naturally flowing streams and rivers in Idaho
Evaluation of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport
Sediment transport and evaluation of sediment surrogate ratings in the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Water Years 2011–14
Effects of dam removal on Tule Fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the White Salmon River, Washington
Topographic and hydrographic survey data for the São Francisco River near Torrinha, Bahia, Brazil, 2014
Estimating Spring Discharge to the Snake River, Milner Dam to King Hill, Southern Idaho
Developing CE-QUAL-W2 Models of the Kootenai River and Koocanusa Reservoir, Montana and Idaho
Bathymetric Survey of the Mores Creek Arm of Lucky Peak Lake
American Falls Reservoir Bathymetry
Bathymetric Mapping of the Kootenai River
Evaluating Spatial and Temporal Fine-Scale Movement of Kootenai River White Sturgeon
Real-Time Bridge Scour Monitoring and Evaluation
Kootenai River Sediment Studies
Streamflow Evaluation for Wild and Scenic Rivers, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness
Estimating Seepage Rates of Streams, Ponds, and Lakes at the Camas National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Granite Reservoir Bathymetric and Underwater Video Surveys
Surrogate Technologies for Estimating Suspended Sediment in the Snake and Clearwater Rivers
Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Project Bathymetric Surveys near Bonners Ferry, ID, Water Years 2012-2021
U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bathymetric Survey of Lake Koocanusa, Lincoln County, Montana, 2016-2018
Mores Creek Arm Bathymetric Survey, Lucky Peak Lake, Boise County, Idaho, May 11 - 13, 2021
Synthetic streamflow regressions and daily mean streamflow estimates at three sites on the Yankee Fork Salmon River near Clayton, ID, Water Years 2012-2019
Kootenai River Substrate Enhancement Pilot Projects near Bonners Ferry, ID (ver. 3.0, January 2023)
Kootenai River Topobathymetric Lidar Validation Survey Data
Nimz Ranch Tie Channel Velocity Mapping and Discharge Measurements, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, ID
Hyperspectral image data and multibeam echosounder surveys used for bathymetric mapping of the Kootenai River in northern Idaho, September 26-27, 2017
Bathymetric map, surface area, and stage-capacity for the U.S. part of Lake Koocanusa, Lincoln County, Montana, 2016–18
Bathymetry and capacity of Blackfoot Reservoir, Caribou County, Idaho, 2011
Bathymetric and sediment facies maps for China Bend and Marcus Flats, Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington, 2008 and 2009
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 25
Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) fine-scale habitat selection and preference, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, 2017
To quantify fine-scale Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) staging and spawning habitat selection and preference within a recently restored reach of the Kootenai River, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, integrated acoustic telemetry data with two-dimensional hydraulic model simulations within a 1.5-kilometer reach of the KootenaAuthorsRyan L. Fosness, Taylor J. Dudunake, Richard R. McDonald, Ryan S. Hardy, Shawn Young, Susan Ireland, Gregory C. HoffmanAssessment of bridge scour countermeasures at selected bridges in the United States, 2014–18
Erosion of the streambed, known also as scour, around pier 3 of the New York State Thruway bridge over Schoharie Creek caused the pier to fail, which ultimately resulted in bridge failure during the flooding event of April 5, 1987. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) responded to the need for better guidance on the evaluation of bridge scour and the selection and installation of scour counteAuthorsThomas P. Suro, Richard J. Huizinga, Ryan L. Fosness, Taylor DudunakeDefining the limits of spectrally based bathymetric mapping on a large river
Remote sensing has emerged as a powerful method of characterizing river systems but is subject to several important limitations. This study focused on defining the limits of spectrally based mapping in a large river. We used multibeam echosounder (MBES) surveys and hyperspectral images from a deep, clear-flowing channel to develop techniques for inferring the maximum detectable depth, dmax , direcAuthorsCarl J. Legleiter, Ryan L. FosnessBridge scour countermeasure assessments at select bridges in the United States, 2016–18
In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration published Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 23 (HEC-23) to provide specific design and implementation guidelines for bridge scour and stream instability countermeasures. However, the effectiveness of countermeasures implemented over the past decade following those guidelines has not been evaluated. Therefore, in 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey, in coopAuthorsTaylor J. Dudunake, Richard J. Huizinga, Ryan L. FosnessSubstrate and flow characteristics associated with White Sturgeon recruitment in the Columbia River Basin
A study was conducted to identify habitat characteristics associated with age 0+ White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson, 1863) recruitment in three reaches of the Columbia River Basin: Skamania reach (consistent recruitment), John Day reach (intermittent/inconsistent recruitment), and Kootenai reach (no recruitment). Our modeling approach involved numerous steps. First, we collected inAuthorsJames R. Hatten, Michael Parsley, Gary Barton, Thomas Batt, Ryan L. FosnessBridge scour countermeasure assessments at select bridges in the United States, 2014–16
In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration published Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 23 (HEC-23) to provide specific design and implementation guidelines for bridge scour and stream instability countermeasures. However, the effectiveness of countermeasures implemented over the past decade following those guidelines has not been evaluated. Therefore, in 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey, in coopAuthorsTaylor J. Dudunake, Richard J. Huizinga, Ryan L. FosnessField scale test of multi-dimensional flow and morphodynamic simulations used for restoration design analysis
Two- and three-dimensional morphodynamic simulations are becoming common in studies of channel form and process. The performance of these simulations are often validated against measurements from laboratory studies. Collecting channel change information in natural settings for model validation is difficult because it can be expensive and under most channel forming flows the resulting channel chaAuthorsRichard R. McDonald, Jonathan M. Nelson, Ryan L. Fosness, Peter O. NelsonEstimating peak-flow frequency statistics for selected gaged and ungaged sites in naturally flowing streams and rivers in Idaho
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Transportation Department, updated regional regression equations to estimate peak-flow statistics at ungaged sites on Idaho streams using recent streamflow (flow) data and new statistical techniques. Peak-flow statistics with 80-, 67-, 50-, 43-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (1.25-, 1.50-, 2.00-AuthorsMolly S. Wood, Ryan L. Fosness, Kenneth D. Skinner, Andrea G. VeilleuxEvaluation of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport
The use of multiple-frequency, active acoustics through deployment of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) shows potential for estimating bedload in selected grain size categories. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the University of Montana (UM), evaluated the use of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport during a pilot studyAuthorsMolly S. Wood, Ryan L. Fosness, Gregory Pachman, Mark Lorang, Diego TonollaSediment transport and evaluation of sediment surrogate ratings in the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Water Years 2011–14
The Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and other native fish species are culturally important to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, but their habitat and recruitment have been affected by anthropogenic changes to the river. Although the interconnections among anthropogenic changes and their impacts on fish are complex, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with other agencies,AuthorsMolly S. Wood, Ryan L. Fosness, Alexandra B. EtheridgeEffects of dam removal on Tule Fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the White Salmon River, Washington
Condit Dam is one of the largest hydroelectric dams ever removed in the USA. Breached in a single explosive event in October 2011, hundreds-of-thousands of cubic metres of sediment washed down the White Salmon River onto spawning grounds of a threatened species, Columbia River tule fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. We investigated over a 3-year period (2010–2012) how dam breaching affeAuthorsJames R. Hatten, Thomas R. Batt, Joseph J. Skalicky, Rod Engle, Gary J. Barton, Ryan L. Fosness, Joe WarrenTopographic and hydrographic survey data for the São Francisco River near Torrinha, Bahia, Brazil, 2014
Navigable inland waterways, including lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, are important transportation routes for people and goods in Brazil. Natural and anthropogenic effects coupled with recent severe droughts have led to decreased inland waterway navigation. The Company for Development of the São Francisco and Parnaíba River Valleys (CODEVASF) has recognized the decrease in waterway navigation and iAuthorsRyan L. Fosness, Benjamin J. Dietsch - Science
Filter Total Items: 14
Estimating Spring Discharge to the Snake River, Milner Dam to King Hill, Southern Idaho
Groundwater discharges to the Snake River from numerous volcanic rock springs along the northern canyon wall between Milner Dam and King Hill. Water-resource managers need to be able to quantify the amount of this water to understand the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer's recharge, storage, and discharge. When completed, this study will provide the Idaho Department of Water Resources with an...Developing CE-QUAL-W2 Models of the Kootenai River and Koocanusa Reservoir, Montana and Idaho
The construction and operation of Libby Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project located in northwestern Montana, has altered the natural hydrograph, thermal regime, sediment transport, and nutrient loadings on the Kootenai River. Dam operation impacts riverine ecosystem function and many fish species, including the federally endangered Kootenai River White Sturgeon and federally...Bathymetric Survey of the Mores Creek Arm of Lucky Peak Lake
In 2004, about 90 migrating elk and 25 mule deer broke through thin ice and drowned as they attempted to cross the Mores Creek arm of Lucky Peak Lake upstream of the Highway 21 bridge. To prevent any similar incidents, reservoir managers and wildlife biologists needed a better understanding of water depths over a range of reservoir pool elevations.American Falls Reservoir Bathymetry
In cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, we surveyed the bathymetry within an area of about 500 acres of American Falls Reservoir between River Miles 713 and 714 August 6-8, 2019. The bathymetric survey provided high-resolution detail of a proposed treatment area for an aeration system that is being developed to support water quality during the American Falls spillway concrete repair project...Bathymetric Mapping of the Kootenai River
The Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and other native fish species are culturally important to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, but their habitat and recruitment have been affected by anthropogenic changes to the river. The Tribe has undertaken a large-scale restoration project and needs objective information on which to base restoration decisions.Evaluating Spatial and Temporal Fine-Scale Movement of Kootenai River White Sturgeon
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has published a plan for recovering the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon. This study supports the objectives of that plan by quantifying white sturgeon habitat preference within a recently restored reach of the Kootenai River. Fine-scale acoustic telemetry positioning data will be integrated with quasi-three-dimensional hydraulic model simulations for the...Real-Time Bridge Scour Monitoring and Evaluation
The most common cause of bridge failure is scour, when high-velocity streamflow scours streambed material from around bridge piers and abutments. As of 2017, the National Bridge Inventory listed 265 of Idaho's nearly 4,500 bridges (about 6 percent) as "scour critical." When rivers rise quickly, bridge inspectors have little or no time to mobilize and monitor bridges at risk of scour. Real-time...Kootenai River Sediment Studies
The Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and other native fish species are culturally important to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, but their habitat and recruitment have been affected by anthropogenic changes to the river. White sturgeon and burbot have not successfully spawned in the Kootenai River since the completion of Libby Dam upstream in Montana. In recent years, most white...Streamflow Evaluation for Wild and Scenic Rivers, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness
Several river segments in the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness have been designated as “Wild and Scenic” under the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. This designation is intended to protect the “outstanding remarkable values” (ORVs) in this area—specifically fish and wildlife habitat, scenic and geological features, and recreational opportunities. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is...Estimating Seepage Rates of Streams, Ponds, and Lakes at the Camas National Wildlife Refuge
The Camas National Wildlife Refuge provides essential resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for waterfowl including migratory birds. A variety of other animals, large and small, are found there, too. Since the refuge was established in 1937, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has been responsible for managing this vital resource.Traditionally, Camas Creek and groundwater inflow have fed...Lower Granite Reservoir Bathymetric and Underwater Video Surveys
Sedimentation of Lower Granite Reservoir, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, affects commercial navigation and reservoir storage capacity. Some groups are concerned that dredging the reservoir to remove excess sediment may negatively affect endangered species such as steelhead and salmon.Surrogate Technologies for Estimating Suspended Sediment in the Snake and Clearwater Rivers
Because fluvial sediment poses both economic and ecological problems, resource managers need a safe, cost-effective way to measure sediment in streams, particularly in remote areas. - Data
Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Project Bathymetric Surveys near Bonners Ferry, ID, Water Years 2012-2021
In 2009, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho released and implemented the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Master Plan. This plan aimed to restore, enhance, and maintain the Kootenai River habitat and landscape to support and sustain habitat conditions for aquatic species and animal populations. In support of these restoration efforts, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe oU.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bathymetric Survey of Lake Koocanusa, Lincoln County, Montana, 2016-2018
In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) started collecting high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) data on Lake Koocanusa. The survey originated near the International Boundary (River Mile (RM) 271.0) and extended down the reservoir, hereinafter referred to as downstream, about 1.4 miles downstream of the Montana 37 Highway Bridge near Boulder Creek (about RM 253). USACE continued tMores Creek Arm Bathymetric Survey, Lucky Peak Lake, Boise County, Idaho, May 11 - 13, 2021
In 2004, about 90 migrating elk drowned after attempting to cross thin ice on the Mores Creek arm of Lucky Peak Lake upstream of the Highway 21 bridge. To better understand the depths over a range of reservoir pool elevations in the Mores Creek Arm, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Lucky Peak Power Plant Project, conducted high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetricSynthetic streamflow regressions and daily mean streamflow estimates at three sites on the Yankee Fork Salmon River near Clayton, ID, Water Years 2012-2019
To provide daily mean streamflow values at ungaged (partial-record) sites within the Yankee Fork Salmon River watershed, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, used discharge measurements at three partial-record sites and related those measurements to a nearby USGS real-time streamgage (index site). Daily mean streamflow was estimated by developing a regKootenai River Substrate Enhancement Pilot Projects near Bonners Ferry, ID (ver. 3.0, January 2023)
In 2009, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho released and implemented the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Master Plan. This plan aimed to restore, enhance, and maintain the Kootenai River habitat and landscape to support and sustain habitat conditions for aquatic species and animal populations. In support of these restoration efforts, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe oKootenai River Topobathymetric Lidar Validation Survey Data
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists conducted field data collection efforts during the week of September 25 - 29, 2017, using a combination of conventional surveying technologies, for a large stretch of the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The work was initiated as an effort to validate commercially acquired topobathymetric light detection and ranging (lidar) data. The goal was to coNimz Ranch Tie Channel Velocity Mapping and Discharge Measurements, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, ID
Discharge measurements and velocity mapping surveys were completed at select tie channels located at Nimz Ranch, on the main-stem Kootenai River. Tie channels convey water and sediments between the main river channel and river floodplain waterbodies. The velocity mapping surveys are used to document how the tie channels interact with the main-stem Kootenai River. Similar surveys will be conductedHyperspectral image data and multibeam echosounder surveys used for bathymetric mapping of the Kootenai River in northern Idaho, September 26-27, 2017
To support research on remote sensing of rivers, hyperspectral image data and supporting field measurements of water depth obtained with a multibeam echosounder were acquired from a segment of the Kootenai River in northern Idaho, September 26 and 27, 2017. These data sets also facilitate efforts to characterize in-stream habitat for sturgeon, understand and model dispersion processes, and monito - Maps
Bathymetric map, surface area, and stage-capacity for the U.S. part of Lake Koocanusa, Lincoln County, Montana, 2016–18
The U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected high-resolution multibeam sonar data during 2016–18 to compute stage-area and stage-capacity tables for the U.S. part of Koocanusa Reservoir in Lincoln County, northwestern Montana. Koocanusa Reservoir is a transboundary reservoir extending about 48 miles from Libby Dam upstream to the U.S. international boundary with Canada andBathymetry and capacity of Blackfoot Reservoir, Caribou County, Idaho, 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, surveyed the bathymetry and selected above-water sections of Blackfoot Reservoir, Caribou County, Idaho, in 2011. Reservoir operators manage releases from Government Dam on Blackfoot Reservoir based on a stage-capacity relation developed about the time of dam construction in the early 1900s. Reservoir operation dirBathymetric and sediment facies maps for China Bend and Marcus Flats, Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington, 2008 and 2009
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created bathymetric and sediment facies maps for portions of two reaches of Lake Roosevelt in support of an interdisciplinary study of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and their habitat areas within Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington. In October 2008, scientists from the USGS used a boat-mounted multibeam echo sounder (MBES) to describe bathymetric dat - Multimedia