Ryan L Fosness
Biography
Ryan Fosness is a hydraulic engineer with 13 years of experience with the USGS. 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
M.S., Civil Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 2006
B.S., Civil Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 2005
Science and Products
Streamflow Evaluation for Water Right Claims 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 (...
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.
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.
Lower Granite Reservoir Bed Sediment Coring and Analysis
Some groups are concerned that dredging the reservoir and the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers to remove excess sediment may mobilize contaminants in sediment that could negatively affect endangered species such as steelhead and salmon.
Defining 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...
Legleiter, Carl J.; Fosness, Ryan L.
Bridge 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....
Dudunake, Taylor J.; Huizinga, Richard J.; Fosness, Ryan L. Substrate 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...
Hatten, James R.; Parsley, Michael; Barton, Gary; Batt, Thomas; Fosness, Ryan L.
Bridge 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....
Dudunake, Taylor J.; Huizinga, Richard J.; Fosness, Ryan L. Field 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...
Constantinescu, George; Garcia, Marcelo H.; Hanes, Dan; McDonald, Richard R.; Nelson, Jonathan M.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Nelson, Peter O.
Estimating 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...
Wood, Molly S.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Skinner, Kenneth D.; Veilleux, Andrea G. Effects 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...
Hatten, James R.; Batt, Thomas R.; Skalicky, Joseph J.; Engle, Rod; Barton, Gary J.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Warren, Joe Evaluation 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...
Wood, Molly S.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Pachman, Gregory; Lorang, Mark; Tonolla, Diego
Sediment 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...
Wood, Molly S.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Etheridge, Alexandra B.
Topographic 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 (...
Fosness, Ryan L.; Dietsch, Benjamin J.
Maps and geospatial data for the Shorty’s Island and Myrtle Bend substrate enhancement pilot projects, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, 2014
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, conducted a study to characterize the physical habitat occupied by Kootenai River white sturgeon during spawning and early-life phases. The objective was to gain a better understanding of spawning behavior, site selection, and type of habitat used during egg...
Fosness, Ryan L.
Archive of digital chirp subbottom profile data collected during USGS Cruise 13GFP01, Brownlee Dam and Hells Canyon Reservoir, Idaho and Oregon, 2013
From March 16 - 31, 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Idaho Power Company conducted a geophysical survey to investigate sediment deposits and long-term sediment transport within the Snake River from Brownlee Dam to Hells Canyon Reservoir, along the Idaho and Oregon border; this effort will help the USGS to better understand...
Forde, Arnell S.; Dadisman, Shawn V.; Flocks, James G.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Welcker, Chris; Kelso, Kyle W.