Sara Brandt Levin
Sara is a staff scientist in the Upper Midwest Water Science Center with a focus on surface water hydrology and statistics.
I began working at the USGS in 2007 with a background in surface hydrology and statistics. My recent studies have focused on flood frequency estimation and characterization of changes in magnitude and timing of floods in the midwest. Additional interests and past projects have focused on simulation and statistical modeling of surface water reservoirs, streamflow at ungaged sites, and the effects of human water use on water availability and fish populations.
Education and Certifications
Master of Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, 2010
Master of Environmental Management, Duke University, 2002
Bachelor of Arts, University of North Carolina, 1997
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 24
The Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator—A decision-support tool to estimate water availability at ungaged stream locations in Connecticut
Freshwater streams in Connecticut are subject to many competing demands, including public water supply; agricultural, commercial, and industrial water use; and ecosystem and habitat needs. In recent years, drought has further stressed Connecticut’s water resources. To sustainably allocate and manage water resources among these competing uses, Federal, State, and local water-resource managers requi
Authors
Sara B. Levin, Scott A. Olson, Martha G. Nielsen, Gregory E. Granato
Characterizing uncertainty in daily streamflow estimates at ungauged locations for the Massachusetts sustainable yield estimator
Hydrologic characterization at ungauged locations is one of the quintessential challenges of hydrology. Beyond simulation of historical streamflows, it is similarly important to characterize the level of uncertainty in hydrologic estimates. In tandem with updates to Massachusetts Sustainable Yield Estimator, this work explores the application of global uncertainty estimates to daily streamflow sim
Authors
William H. Farmer, Sara B. Levin
Effects of water-supply reservoirs on streamflow in Massachusetts
State and local water-resource managers need modeling tools to help them manage and protect water-supply resources for both human consumption and ecological needs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, has developed a decision-support tool to estimate the effects of reservoirs on natural streamflow. The Massachusetts Reservoir Sim
Authors
Sara B. Levin
Massachusetts reservoir simulation tool—User’s manual
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey developed the Massachusetts Reservoir Simulation Tool to examine the effects of reservoirs on natural streamflows in Massachusetts by simulating the daily water balance of reservoirs. The simulation tool was developed to assist environmental managers to better manage water withdrawals in reservoirs and to preserve downstream aquatic habitats.
Authors
Sara B. Levin
Hydroclimatic regimes: a distributed water-balance framework for hydrologic assessment, classification, and management
Runoff-based indicators of terrestrial water availability are appropriate for humid regions, but have tended to limit our basic hydrologic understanding of drylands – the dry-subhumid, semiarid, and arid regions which presently cover nearly half of the global land surface. In response, we introduce an indicator framework that gives equal weight to humid and dryland regions, accounting fully for bo
Authors
Peter K. Weiskel, David M. Wolock, Phillip J. Zarriello, Richard M. Vogel, Sara B. Levin, Robert M. Lent
Estimating irrigation water use in the humid eastern United States
Accurate accounting of irrigation water use is an important part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Use Information Program and the WaterSMART initiative to help maintain sustainable water resources in the Nation. Irrigation water use in the humid eastern United States is not well characterized because of inadequate reporting and wide variability associated with climate, soils, crops, an
Authors
Sara B. Levin, Phillip J. Zarriello
Magnitude of flood flows for selected annual exceedance probabilities in Rhode Island through 2010
Heavy persistent rains from late February through March 2010 caused severe widespread flooding in Rhode Island that set or nearly set record flows and water levels at many long-term streamgages in the State. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, conducted a study to update estimates of flood magnitudes at streamgages and regional equa
Authors
Phillip J. Zarriello, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, Sara B. Levin
Factors influencing riverine fish assemblages in Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, conducted an investigation of fish assemblages in small- to medium-sized Massachusetts streams. The objective of this study was to determine relations between fish-assemblage characteris
Authors
David S. Armstrong, Todd A. Richards, Sara B. Levin
Refinement and evaluation of the Massachusetts firm-yield estimator model version 2.0
The firm yield is the maximum average daily withdrawal that can be extracted from a reservoir without risk of failure during an extended drought period. Previously developed procedures for determining the firm yield of a reservoir were refined and applied to 38 reservoir systems in Massachusetts, including 25 single- and multiple-reservoir systems that were examined during previous studies and 13
Authors
Sara B. Levin, Stacey A. Archfield, Andrew J. Massey
Indicators of streamflow alteration, habitat fragmentation, impervious cover, and water quality for Massachusetts stream basins
Massachusetts streams and stream basins have been subjected to a wide variety of human alterations since colonial times. These alterations include water withdrawals, treated wastewater discharges, construction of onsite septic systems and dams, forest clearing, and urbanization—all of which have the potential to affect streamflow regimes, water quality, and habitat integrity for fish and other aqu
Authors
Peter K. Weiskel, Sara L. Brandt, Leslie A. DeSimone, Lance J. Ostiguy, Stacey A. Archfield
The Massachusetts Sustainable-Yield Estimator: A decision-support tool to assess water availability at ungaged stream locations in Massachusetts
Federal, State and local water-resource managers require a variety of data and modeling tools to better understand water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, has developed a statewide, interactive decision-support tool to meet this need. The decision-support tool, referred to as the Massachusetts Sustainable-Yield Esti
Authors
Stacey A. Archfield, Richard M. Vogel, Peter A. Steeves, Sara L. Brandt, Peter K. Weiskel, Stephen P. Garabedian
Local and Cumulative Impervious Cover of Massachusetts Stream Basins
Impervious surfaces such as paved roads, parking lots, and building roofs can affect the natural streamflow patterns and ecosystems of nearby streams. This dataset summarizes the percentage of impervious area for watersheds across Massachusetts by using a newly available statewide 1-m binary raster dataset of impervious surface for 2005. In order to accurately capture the wide spatial variability
Authors
Sara L. Brandt, Peter A. Steeves
Non-USGS Publications**
Levin, S. B., Briggs, M. A., Foks, S. S., Goodling, P. J., Raffensperger, J. P., Rosenberry, D. O., Scholl, M. A., Tiedeman, C. R., & Webb, R. M. (2023). Uncertainties in measuring and estimating water-budget components: Current state of the science. WIREs Water, 10(4), e1646. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1646
Farmer, William H. and Sara Levin, 2018. Characterizing Uncertainty in Daily Streamflow Estimates at Ungauged Locations for the Massachusetts Sustainable Yield Estimator. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 54(1): 198‐210. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12603
P. K. Weiskel, D. M. Wolock, P. J. Zarriello, R. M. Vogel, S. B. Levin, 2014: Hydroclimatic regimes: a distributed water-balance framework for hydrologic assessment, classification, and management, Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences, vol 18.
, and R. M. Lent4
, and R. M. Lent4
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 24
The Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator—A decision-support tool to estimate water availability at ungaged stream locations in Connecticut
Freshwater streams in Connecticut are subject to many competing demands, including public water supply; agricultural, commercial, and industrial water use; and ecosystem and habitat needs. In recent years, drought has further stressed Connecticut’s water resources. To sustainably allocate and manage water resources among these competing uses, Federal, State, and local water-resource managers requiAuthorsSara B. Levin, Scott A. Olson, Martha G. Nielsen, Gregory E. GranatoCharacterizing uncertainty in daily streamflow estimates at ungauged locations for the Massachusetts sustainable yield estimator
Hydrologic characterization at ungauged locations is one of the quintessential challenges of hydrology. Beyond simulation of historical streamflows, it is similarly important to characterize the level of uncertainty in hydrologic estimates. In tandem with updates to Massachusetts Sustainable Yield Estimator, this work explores the application of global uncertainty estimates to daily streamflow simAuthorsWilliam H. Farmer, Sara B. LevinEffects of water-supply reservoirs on streamflow in Massachusetts
State and local water-resource managers need modeling tools to help them manage and protect water-supply resources for both human consumption and ecological needs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, has developed a decision-support tool to estimate the effects of reservoirs on natural streamflow. The Massachusetts Reservoir SimAuthorsSara B. LevinMassachusetts reservoir simulation tool—User’s manual
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey developed the Massachusetts Reservoir Simulation Tool to examine the effects of reservoirs on natural streamflows in Massachusetts by simulating the daily water balance of reservoirs. The simulation tool was developed to assist environmental managers to better manage water withdrawals in reservoirs and to preserve downstream aquatic habitats.AuthorsSara B. LevinHydroclimatic regimes: a distributed water-balance framework for hydrologic assessment, classification, and management
Runoff-based indicators of terrestrial water availability are appropriate for humid regions, but have tended to limit our basic hydrologic understanding of drylands – the dry-subhumid, semiarid, and arid regions which presently cover nearly half of the global land surface. In response, we introduce an indicator framework that gives equal weight to humid and dryland regions, accounting fully for boAuthorsPeter K. Weiskel, David M. Wolock, Phillip J. Zarriello, Richard M. Vogel, Sara B. Levin, Robert M. LentEstimating irrigation water use in the humid eastern United States
Accurate accounting of irrigation water use is an important part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Use Information Program and the WaterSMART initiative to help maintain sustainable water resources in the Nation. Irrigation water use in the humid eastern United States is not well characterized because of inadequate reporting and wide variability associated with climate, soils, crops, anAuthorsSara B. Levin, Phillip J. ZarrielloMagnitude of flood flows for selected annual exceedance probabilities in Rhode Island through 2010
Heavy persistent rains from late February through March 2010 caused severe widespread flooding in Rhode Island that set or nearly set record flows and water levels at many long-term streamgages in the State. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, conducted a study to update estimates of flood magnitudes at streamgages and regional equaAuthorsPhillip J. Zarriello, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, Sara B. LevinFactors influencing riverine fish assemblages in Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, conducted an investigation of fish assemblages in small- to medium-sized Massachusetts streams. The objective of this study was to determine relations between fish-assemblage characterisAuthorsDavid S. Armstrong, Todd A. Richards, Sara B. LevinRefinement and evaluation of the Massachusetts firm-yield estimator model version 2.0
The firm yield is the maximum average daily withdrawal that can be extracted from a reservoir without risk of failure during an extended drought period. Previously developed procedures for determining the firm yield of a reservoir were refined and applied to 38 reservoir systems in Massachusetts, including 25 single- and multiple-reservoir systems that were examined during previous studies and 13AuthorsSara B. Levin, Stacey A. Archfield, Andrew J. MasseyIndicators of streamflow alteration, habitat fragmentation, impervious cover, and water quality for Massachusetts stream basins
Massachusetts streams and stream basins have been subjected to a wide variety of human alterations since colonial times. These alterations include water withdrawals, treated wastewater discharges, construction of onsite septic systems and dams, forest clearing, and urbanization—all of which have the potential to affect streamflow regimes, water quality, and habitat integrity for fish and other aquAuthorsPeter K. Weiskel, Sara L. Brandt, Leslie A. DeSimone, Lance J. Ostiguy, Stacey A. ArchfieldThe Massachusetts Sustainable-Yield Estimator: A decision-support tool to assess water availability at ungaged stream locations in Massachusetts
Federal, State and local water-resource managers require a variety of data and modeling tools to better understand water resources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, has developed a statewide, interactive decision-support tool to meet this need. The decision-support tool, referred to as the Massachusetts Sustainable-Yield EstiAuthorsStacey A. Archfield, Richard M. Vogel, Peter A. Steeves, Sara L. Brandt, Peter K. Weiskel, Stephen P. GarabedianLocal and Cumulative Impervious Cover of Massachusetts Stream Basins
Impervious surfaces such as paved roads, parking lots, and building roofs can affect the natural streamflow patterns and ecosystems of nearby streams. This dataset summarizes the percentage of impervious area for watersheds across Massachusetts by using a newly available statewide 1-m binary raster dataset of impervious surface for 2005. In order to accurately capture the wide spatial variabilityAuthorsSara L. Brandt, Peter A. SteevesNon-USGS Publications**
Levin, S. B., Briggs, M. A., Foks, S. S., Goodling, P. J., Raffensperger, J. P., Rosenberry, D. O., Scholl, M. A., Tiedeman, C. R., & Webb, R. M. (2023). Uncertainties in measuring and estimating water-budget components: Current state of the science. WIREs Water, 10(4), e1646. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1646Farmer, William H. and Sara Levin, 2018. Characterizing Uncertainty in Daily Streamflow Estimates at Ungauged Locations for the Massachusetts Sustainable Yield Estimator. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 54(1): 198‐210. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12603P. K. Weiskel, D. M. Wolock, P. J. Zarriello, R. M. Vogel, S. B. Levin, 2014: Hydroclimatic regimes: a distributed water-balance framework for hydrologic assessment, classification, and management, Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences, vol 18.
, and R. M. Lent4**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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