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Stephen B Gingerich

Stephen Gingerich is a research hydrologist at the USGS Oregon Water Science Center.

Stephen Gingerich has been a Research Hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey since 1995. He has authored over 35 scientific papers on subjects such as groundwater modeling and island hydrology. He was a Fulbright Scholar working in Japan during 2008-09. He started working for the USGS in 1990 as a student. He has worked on hydrologic studies in Oregon, Hawaii, Guam, Japan, the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Diego Garcia.

Education and Certifications

  • BS in Geosciences from the Pennsylvania State University, 1986

  • MS in Hydrology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1992

  • PhD in Hydrology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995

Science and Products

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Image: Coral reefs, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

The Impact of Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change on Pacific Ocean Atolls

Providing basic understanding and specific information on storm-wave inundation of atoll islands that house Department of Defense installations, and assessing the resulting impact of sea-level rise and storm-wave inundation on infrastructure and freshwater availability under a variety of sea-level rise and climatic scenarios.
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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The Impact of Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change on Pacific Ocean Atolls

Providing basic understanding and specific information on storm-wave inundation of atoll islands that house Department of Defense installations, and assessing the resulting impact of sea-level rise and storm-wave inundation on infrastructure and freshwater availability under a variety of sea-level rise and climatic scenarios.
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Harney Basin, Oregon

Harney Basin Groundwater Study

This study will characterize and quantify the groundwater system in the Harney Basin to address gaps in our present understanding.
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Oregon Water Science Center
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Harney Basin Groundwater Study

This study will characterize and quantify the groundwater system in the Harney Basin to address gaps in our present understanding.
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Location Information, Discharge, and Water-Quality Data for Selected Wells, Springs, and Streams in the Harney Basin, Oregon

This data release contains five comma separated value (csv) files that describe the location and water-quality data for wells, springs, and streams compiled for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) investigation of the groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, Oregon. The data included are site IDs, various site location information, well-construction det
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Oregon Water Science Center

Contour Dataset of the Potentiometric Surfaces of Shallow and Deep Groundwater-Level Altitudes in Harney Basin, Oregon, February-March 2018

This dataset contains manually developed 5-, 10-, and 500-ft contours for the Harney Basin, Oregon aquifer system shallow and deep potentiometric-surface maps. The potentiometric-surfaces show altitude at the water-table surface (shallow) and at which the water level would have risen in tightly-cased wells deeper than 100 ft (deep) and generally represents synoptic conditions during February-March
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Oregon Water Science Center

SUTRA model used to evaluate the freshwater flow system for a future (2080-2099) climate on Guam

A previously published three-dimensional, groundwater model (SUTRA) (http://doi.org/10.3133/sir20135216) was used to evaluate the effects of future climate and withdrawal on the freshwater lens of Guam. The model was run using 2080 to 2099 estimated recharge and sea-level rise. This USGS data release contains all of the input and output files for the simulations described in the associat
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Water Resources, Pacific Islands Water Science Center
Filter Total Items: 53

Groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon

Groundwater development has increased substantially in southeastern Oregon’s Harney Basin since 2010, mainly for the purpose of large-scale irrigation. Concurrently, some areas of the basin experienced groundwater-level declines of more than 100 feet, and some shallow wells have gone dry. The Oregon Water Resources Department has limited new groundwater development in the basin until an improved u

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Water Resources, Oregon Water Science Center

Hydrologic budget of the Harney Basin groundwater system, southeastern Oregon

Groundwater-level declines and limited quantitative knowledge of the groundwater-flow system in the Harney Basin prompted a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oregon Water Resources Department to evaluate the groundwater-flow system and budget. This report provides a hydrologic budget of the Harney Basin groundwater system that includes separate groundwater budgets for up

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Water Resources, Oregon Water Science Center

Groundwater dynamics at Kīlauea Volcano and vicinity, Hawaiʻi

Kīlauea Volcano, on the Island of Hawaiʻi, is surrounded and permeated by active groundwater systems that interact dynamically with the volcanic system. A generalized conceptual model of Hawaiian hydrogeology includes high-level dike-impounded groundwater, very permeable perched and basal aquifers, and a transition (mixing) zone between freshwater and saltwater. Most high-level groundwater is asso
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Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center

Isotopic and geochemical assessment of the sensitivity of groundwater resources of Guam, Mariana Islands, to intra- and inter-annual variations in hydroclimate

Assessing the sensitivity of groundwater systems to hydroclimate variability is critical to sustainable management of the water resources of Guam, US territory. We assess spatial and temporal variability of isotopic and geochemical compositions of vadose and phreatic groundwater sampled from cave drip sites and production wells, respectively, to better understand the vulnerability of the freshwate
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Water Resources, Pacific Islands Water Science Center

Water resources on Guam—Potential impacts of and adaptive response to climate change

The goals of this joint U.S. Geological Survey, University of Hawaiʻi, University of Guam, University of Texas, and East-West Center study were to (1) provide basic understanding about water resources for U.S. Department of Defense installations on Guam and (2) assess the resulting effect of sea-level rise and a changing climate on freshwater availability, on the basis of historic information, sea
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Water Resources, Pacific Islands Water Science Center

Deep aquifer recharge in the Columbia River Basalt Group, upper Umatilla River Basin, northeastern Oregon

Groundwater is an important component of the water resources of the upper Umatilla River Basin of northeastern Oregon. As such, understanding the capacity of the resource is vital. Past studies have estimated recharge in the study area. One recent study of the upper Umatilla River Basin indicated that about 80 percent of recharge entering the groundwater system is discharged to streams in the stud
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Water Resources, Oregon Water Science Center

Tropical cyclone projections: Changing climate threats for Pacific Island defense installations

Potential changing climate threats in the tropical and subtropical North Pacific Ocean were assessed, using coupled ocean-atmosphere and atmosphere-only general circulation models, to explore their response to projected increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical cyclone occurrence, described by their frequency and intensity, near islands housing major U.S. defense installations was the primary
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Natural Hazards, Water Resources, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Pacific Islands Water Science Center

Most atolls will be uninhabitable by the mid-21st century because of sea-level rise exacerbating wave-driven flooding

Sea levels are rising, with the highest rates in the tropics, where thousands of low-lying coral atoll islands are located. Most studies on the resilience of these islands to sea-level rise have projected that they will experience minimal inundation impacts until at least the end of the 21st century. However, these have not taken into account the additional hazard of wave-driven overwash or its im
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Noble gas signatures in the Island of Maui, Hawaii: Characterizing groundwater sources in fractured systems

Uneven distribution of rainfall and freshwater scarcity in populated areas in the Island of Maui, Hawaii, renders water resources management a challenge in this complex and ill-defined hydrological system. A previous study in the Galapagos Islands suggests that noble gas temperatures (NGTs) record seasonality in that fractured, rapid infiltration groundwater system rather than the commonly observe
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Water Resources, Oregon Water Science Center

Seawater-flooding events and impact on freshwater lenses of low-lying islands: Controlling factors, basic management and mitigation

An unprecedented set of hydrologic observations was collected after the Dec 2008 seawater-flooding event on Roi-Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. By two days after the seawater flooding that occurred at the beginning of dry season, the observed salinity of water withdrawn by the island’s main skimming well increased to 100% seawater concentration, but by ten days later alre
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Water Resources, Pacific Islands Water Science Center

Observations of nearshore groundwater discharge: Kahekili Beach Park submarine springs, Maui, Hawaii

Study regionThe study region encompasses the nearshore, coastal waters off west Maui, Hawaii. Here abundant groundwater—that carries with it a strong land-based fingerprint—discharges into the coastal waters and over a coral reef.Study focusCoastal groundwater discharge is a ubiquitous hydrologic feature that has been shown to impact nearshore ecosystems and material budgets. A unique combined geo
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Climate trends and projections for Guam

The island of Guam experiences a tropical marine climate, which is warm and humid moderated by seasonal tradewinds and a wet and dry season. The dry season lasts from January to June, while the rainy months are from July to December. Annual rainfall totals 84-116 inches (2133-2946 mm), of which two-thirds fall during the rainy season. Seasonal temperatures and precipitation are also affected by th
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Water Resources, Pacific Islands Water Science Center
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Adaptive management strategies for potential impacts of climate change on Guam

Guam’s water demands are anticipated to increase. Potential impacts of sea-level rise and a changing climate on surface-water and groundwater...

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