In this capacity, Sarah oversees the research and assessments conducted on the location, quantity, and quality of mineral and energy resources, including the economic and environmental effects of resource extraction and use.
Before joining the Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Sarah served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water & Science/Acting Counselor for Water & Science in the Department of the Interior (DOI). In addition to previously holding the position of Deputy AD for Climate and Land Use Change from September 2011 to January 2016, Sarah has extensive prior experience with the USGS as a researcher from 1989 to 2002. Sarah’s additional professional experience includes acting as the Director of the Office of North Africa and Arabian Affairs/Middle East Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and roles with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University
Undergraduate studies at the University of Washington
Science and Products
Summary of nitrate concentrations in ground water of Adams, Franklin, and Grant Counties, Washington, fall 1998 -- A baseline for future trend analysis
Water quality in the central Columbia Plateau, Washington and Idaho, 1992-95
Pesticides in Public Supply Wells of Washington State
Pesticides in Public Supply Wells of the Central Columbia Plateau
Agricultural pesticide applications and observed concentrations in surface waters from four drainage basins in the Central Columbia Plateau, Washington and Idaho, 1993-94
Nitrate concentrations in ground water of the central Columbia Plateau
Science and Products
- Publications
Summary of nitrate concentrations in ground water of Adams, Franklin, and Grant Counties, Washington, fall 1998 -- A baseline for future trend analysis
No abstract available.AuthorsSarah J. Ryker, Lonna M. FransWater quality in the central Columbia Plateau, Washington and Idaho, 1992-95
Water quality in the Central Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington and western Idaho has been adversely affected by agriculture, especially in irrigated areas, according to the results of a five-year investigation by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). Some improvements, however, are noticeable, such as less sediment being washed into streams. These improvements may be the result of increased useAuthorsAlex K. Williamson, Mark D. Munn, Sarah J. Ryker, Richard J. Wagner, James C. Ebbert, Ann M. VanderpoolPesticides in Public Supply Wells of Washington State
No abstract available.AuthorsSarah J. Ryker, Alex K. WilliamsonPesticides in Public Supply Wells of the Central Columbia Plateau
No abstract available.AuthorsSarah J. Ryker, Alex K. WilliamsonAgricultural pesticide applications and observed concentrations in surface waters from four drainage basins in the Central Columbia Plateau, Washington and Idaho, 1993-94
As part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program, the use and occurrence of agricultural pesticides were investigated in four drainage basins--two dominated by irrigated agriculture and two by dryland agriculture--in the Central Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington. For this study, 85 pesticides or pesticide metabolites were selected for analysis from a list of nAuthorsR. J. Wagner, J. C. Ebbert, L.M. Roberts, S.J. RykerNitrate concentrations in ground water of the central Columbia Plateau
No abstract available.AuthorsSarah J. Ryker, Joseph L. Jones