Sara LeAnn (Caldwell) Eldridge
I am a Microbiologist in the Studies Section.
I started with the USGS New Mexico Water Science Center in 2003 as a student studying Earth Science with an emphasis on subsurface (groundwater) microbiology. After receiving an MS in Biology in 2009, I worked as a Hydrologic Technician and later, Microbiologist, with the Oregon Water Science Center, Klamath Falls Field Station. In Oregon, I worked primarily on monitoring the frequent cyanobacteria blooms and associated toxins (“HABs”) and environmental parameters in Upper Klamath Lake. In 2018, I transferred to the Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, and I am now building a microbiology/microbial ecology program and supporting water-quality studies throughout Montana and Wyoming.
Professional Experience
Microbiologist, USGS, Dec 2013-present
Hydrologist, USGS, Jan 2010-Dec 2013
Hydrologic Technician, USGS, April 2009-Jan 2010
Graduate Research Assistant, Portland State University, Sept 2005-April 2009
Hydrologic Technician, USGS, Jan 2003-June 2005
Education and Certifications
M.S. Biology, Portland State University, 2009
B.S. Earth and Planetary Sciences (Magna Cum Laude), University of New Mexico, 2005
B.S. Zoology (Summa Cum Laude), Texas State University, 1997
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
Integrating environmental DNA results with diverse data sets to improve biosurveillance of river health Integrating environmental DNA results with diverse data sets to improve biosurveillance of river health
Autonomous, robotic environmental (e)DNA samplers now make it possible for biological observations to match the scale and quality of abiotic measurements collected by automated sensor networks. Merging these automated data streams may allow for improved insight into biotic responses to environmental change and stressors. Here, we merged eDNA data collected by robotic samplers installed...
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, Andrew B. Hoegh, Joshua A. Gage, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, James M. Birch, Christian Stratton, Patrick R. Hutchins, Elliott P. Barnhart
Quantification of trace element loading in the upper Tenmile Creek drainage basin near Rimini, Montana, September 2011 Quantification of trace element loading in the upper Tenmile Creek drainage basin near Rimini, Montana, September 2011
The principle sources of trace elements entering upper Tenmile Creek, Montana, during September 2011, four trace metals and the metalloid arsenic, were identified and quantified by combining and analyzing streamflow data determined from tracer injection with trace-element concentrations and related water-quality data determined from synoptic sampling. The study reach was along upper...
Authors
Tom Cleasby, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge
Contaminant concentrations in sediments, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in proximity to rail tracks used for coal transport in the Pacific Northwest: A baseline assessment Contaminant concentrations in sediments, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in proximity to rail tracks used for coal transport in the Pacific Northwest: A baseline assessment
Railway transport of coal poses an environmental risk because coal dust contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mercury (Hg), and other trace metals. In the Pacific Northwest, proposed infrastructure projects could result in an increase in coal transport by train through the Columbia River corridor. Baseline information is needed on current distributions, levels, and spatial...
Authors
Whitney B Hapke, Robert W. Black, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Cassandra Smith, Lyndal Johnson, Gina M Ylitalo, Daryle Boyd, Jay W. Davis, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Elena Nilsen
Annual variations in microcystin occurrence in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, based on high-throughput DNA sequencing, qPCR, and environmental parameters Annual variations in microcystin occurrence in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, based on high-throughput DNA sequencing, qPCR, and environmental parameters
Cyanobacteria-dominated blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, create poor water quality and produce microcystins that may be detrimental to local wildlife and human health. Genetic tools, including high-throughput DNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), have been shown to improve the identification and quantification of key groups associated with these blooms...
Authors
Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Tamara M. Wood
Nutrient loads in the Lost River and Klamath River Basins, south-central Oregon and northern California, March 2012–March 2015 Nutrient loads in the Lost River and Klamath River Basins, south-central Oregon and northern California, March 2012–March 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation collected water-quality data from March 2012 to March 2015 at locations in the Lost River and Klamath River Basins, Oregon, in an effort to characterize water quality and compute a nutrient budget for the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Reclamation Project. The study described in this report resulted in the following significant findings...
Authors
Liam N. Schenk, Marc A. Stewart, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge
Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, genetic fingerprinting, and quantitative PCR as tools for monitoring bloom-forming and toxigenic cyanobacteria in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2013 and 2014 Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, genetic fingerprinting, and quantitative PCR as tools for monitoring bloom-forming and toxigenic cyanobacteria in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2013 and 2014
Monitoring the community structure and metabolic activities of cyanobacterial blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, is critical to lake management because these blooms degrade water quality and produce toxic microcystins that are harmful to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Genetic tools, such as DNA fingerprinting by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP)...
Authors
Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Conner Driscoll, Theo W. Dreher
Non-USGS Publications**
Caldwell Eldridge, S.L, Wood, T.M., Echols, K.R., and Topping, B.R., 2013, Microcystins, nutrient dynamics, and other environmental factors during blooms of non-microcystin-producing Aphanizomenon flos-aquae in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2009, Lake and Reservoir Management, 29: 68-81
Caldwell, S. Liu, Y. Ferrera, I., Beveridge, T. and Reysenbach, A.-L., 2010, Thermocrinis minervae sp. nov., a hydrogen- and sulfur-oxidizing, thermophilic member of the Aquificales from a Costa Rican terrestrial hot spring, International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 60: 338-343
Caldwell, S.L., Laidler, J.R., Brewer, E.A., Eberly, J.O., Sandborgh, S.C., and Colwell F.S., 2008, Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane: Mechanisms, Bioenergetics, and the Ecology of Associated Microorganisms, Environmental Science and Technology, 42: 18, 6791-6799
**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
Filter Total Items: 15
Integrating environmental DNA results with diverse data sets to improve biosurveillance of river health Integrating environmental DNA results with diverse data sets to improve biosurveillance of river health
Autonomous, robotic environmental (e)DNA samplers now make it possible for biological observations to match the scale and quality of abiotic measurements collected by automated sensor networks. Merging these automated data streams may allow for improved insight into biotic responses to environmental change and stressors. Here, we merged eDNA data collected by robotic samplers installed...
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, Andrew B. Hoegh, Joshua A. Gage, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, James M. Birch, Christian Stratton, Patrick R. Hutchins, Elliott P. Barnhart
Quantification of trace element loading in the upper Tenmile Creek drainage basin near Rimini, Montana, September 2011 Quantification of trace element loading in the upper Tenmile Creek drainage basin near Rimini, Montana, September 2011
The principle sources of trace elements entering upper Tenmile Creek, Montana, during September 2011, four trace metals and the metalloid arsenic, were identified and quantified by combining and analyzing streamflow data determined from tracer injection with trace-element concentrations and related water-quality data determined from synoptic sampling. The study reach was along upper...
Authors
Tom Cleasby, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge
Contaminant concentrations in sediments, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in proximity to rail tracks used for coal transport in the Pacific Northwest: A baseline assessment Contaminant concentrations in sediments, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in proximity to rail tracks used for coal transport in the Pacific Northwest: A baseline assessment
Railway transport of coal poses an environmental risk because coal dust contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mercury (Hg), and other trace metals. In the Pacific Northwest, proposed infrastructure projects could result in an increase in coal transport by train through the Columbia River corridor. Baseline information is needed on current distributions, levels, and spatial...
Authors
Whitney B Hapke, Robert W. Black, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Cassandra Smith, Lyndal Johnson, Gina M Ylitalo, Daryle Boyd, Jay W. Davis, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Elena Nilsen
Annual variations in microcystin occurrence in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, based on high-throughput DNA sequencing, qPCR, and environmental parameters Annual variations in microcystin occurrence in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, based on high-throughput DNA sequencing, qPCR, and environmental parameters
Cyanobacteria-dominated blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, create poor water quality and produce microcystins that may be detrimental to local wildlife and human health. Genetic tools, including high-throughput DNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), have been shown to improve the identification and quantification of key groups associated with these blooms...
Authors
Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Tamara M. Wood
Nutrient loads in the Lost River and Klamath River Basins, south-central Oregon and northern California, March 2012–March 2015 Nutrient loads in the Lost River and Klamath River Basins, south-central Oregon and northern California, March 2012–March 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation collected water-quality data from March 2012 to March 2015 at locations in the Lost River and Klamath River Basins, Oregon, in an effort to characterize water quality and compute a nutrient budget for the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Reclamation Project. The study described in this report resulted in the following significant findings...
Authors
Liam N. Schenk, Marc A. Stewart, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge
Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, genetic fingerprinting, and quantitative PCR as tools for monitoring bloom-forming and toxigenic cyanobacteria in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2013 and 2014 Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, genetic fingerprinting, and quantitative PCR as tools for monitoring bloom-forming and toxigenic cyanobacteria in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2013 and 2014
Monitoring the community structure and metabolic activities of cyanobacterial blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, is critical to lake management because these blooms degrade water quality and produce toxic microcystins that are harmful to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Genetic tools, such as DNA fingerprinting by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP)...
Authors
Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Conner Driscoll, Theo W. Dreher
Non-USGS Publications**
Caldwell Eldridge, S.L, Wood, T.M., Echols, K.R., and Topping, B.R., 2013, Microcystins, nutrient dynamics, and other environmental factors during blooms of non-microcystin-producing Aphanizomenon flos-aquae in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2009, Lake and Reservoir Management, 29: 68-81
Caldwell, S. Liu, Y. Ferrera, I., Beveridge, T. and Reysenbach, A.-L., 2010, Thermocrinis minervae sp. nov., a hydrogen- and sulfur-oxidizing, thermophilic member of the Aquificales from a Costa Rican terrestrial hot spring, International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 60: 338-343
Caldwell, S.L., Laidler, J.R., Brewer, E.A., Eberly, J.O., Sandborgh, S.C., and Colwell F.S., 2008, Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane: Mechanisms, Bioenergetics, and the Ecology of Associated Microorganisms, Environmental Science and Technology, 42: 18, 6791-6799
**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.