Tamara Kraus is a Research Soil Scientist at the California Water Science Center.
Tamara Kraus received a master's degree in Agronomy and a doctoral degree in Soils and Biogeochemistry from the University of California, Davis. She has been working at the USGS California Water Science Center (CAWSC) in Sacramento since 2004, where she does research on the cycling of carbon and nutrients, and the linkages between terrestrial and aquatic systems. Her projects span a range of topics from identifying sources of dissolved organic carbon and to inform drinking water quality management, to using constructed wetlands to reverse subsidence, to the application of in situ coagulation to remove mercury from surface waters, to understanding the links between nutrients and phytoplankton.
Professional Experience
2010-present Soil Scientist, US Geological Survey, Sacramento, CA
2006-2009 Post Doctoral Researcher, US Geological Survey through UC Davis, Sacramento, CA
2004-2005 National Research Council Post Doctoral Fellow with US Geological Survey, Sacramento, CA
1996-2003 Research Assistant: Soil Chemistry Lab, , University of California, Davis, CA
1996-2003 Teaching Assistant: Soils and Biogeochemistry, , University of California, Davis, CA
1995-1996 Post-Graduate Researcher/Project Manager, University of California, Davis, CA
1992-1994 Research Assistant: Agronomy, University of California, Davis, CA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Soils and Biogeochemistry, 2002, University of California, Davis , CA Dissertation: Tannins and Nutrient Dynamics in Forest Soils: Plant-Litter-Soil Interactions
M.S., Agronomy and Range Science, 1994, University of California, Davis, CAThesis: Weed Abundance and Competition in Water-Seeded versus Drill-Seeded Rice in California
B.A., Biology and Society: Agriculture and the Environment, 1989, College of Arts and Sciences Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Science and Products
Biogeochemistry Group
The Biogeochemistry (BGC) Group uses an interdisciplinary approach to address surface water quality issues and food web dynamics throughout California, particularly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.
Assessing Sediment Nutrient Storage and Release in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Sediments represent an important pool of nutrients in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). The exchange of nutrients between the water column and the benthos impacts water quality and effects phytoplankton, harmful algal blooms, aquatic vegetation, and drinking water quality. To date, there is very limited information about nutrient pools in Delta sediments, nor how these nutrients are...
Evaluating the effects of wastewater-derived nutrients on phytoplankton abundance and community structure in the San Francisco Estuary and Delta
Planned upgrades to the Sacramento Regional wastewater treatment plant (SRWTP) will substantially reduce nutrient discharge and also alter the types and amounts of nutrients being distributed across the San Francisco Delta and Estuary (Delta). One highly anticipated outcome of lower nutrients is improved productivity in the phytoplankton communities that supply aquatic food webs, which should...
Modeling Nitrogen Reduction Benefit to Invasive Aquatic Vegetation vs. Native Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton comprise the bottom of the aquatic food web and the abundance of phytoplankton serves as an indicator of healthy aquatic habitats. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta), competing with phytoplankton for required nitrogen, invasive aquatic vegetation (IAV) has increased exponentially in recent years. Once established, IAV can negatively impact local ecosystems and...
Monitoring Cyanotoxins in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Fixed Stations and High-Resolution Mapping Surveys
California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) provides drinking water to about 30 million people and irrigation water to the agriculturally rich Central Valley. The Delta is also home to numerous threatened and endangered native species. The health of the Delta's aquatic ecosystems, and fish in particular, have long been in a state of decline. This is associated with decreasing...
Trends in Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta contains high concentrations of disinfection byproduct-forming (DBP-forming) materials when treated for potable use. DBPs form when dissolved organic compounds (DOC) in water react with disinfectants such as chlorine and ozone during the water treatment process. The amount of DBPs that form is a function of both the amount and source of the DOC, both of...
Subsidence in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is part of the San Francisco Estuary, home to a diverse flora and fauna, including several threatened and endangered species, has a large area of prime farmland, and serves as the hub of California's freshwater-delivery system that moves water from the wet north to the dry southern part of the State.
Nitrogen Dynamics Along the Sacramento River and Links to Phytoplankton Dynamics: Resolving Spatial and Temporal Variability Using In-Situ, High-Frequency Measurements and Other Tools
The overall project objective is to further our understanding of the link between nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics in the Sacramento River and to elucidate effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on food web dynamics.
Causes and Relevance of Phytoplankton Blooms in the Northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Phytoplankton are an important part of aquatic food webs and ecosystems. These single-celled plants grow faster in the stronger light of spring or summer, resulting in population explosions called phytoplankton blooms. These blooms in turn feed zooplankton (free-floating aquatic microorganisms), providing food for many aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates.
Decomposition of Organic Soils in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California was once a great tidal freshwater marsh. It is blanketed by peat and peaty alluvium deposited where streams originating in the Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, and South Cascade Range enter San Francisco Bay. In the late 1800s, levees were built along the stream channels, and the land thus protected from flooding was drained, cleared, and planted (...
Low Intensity Chemical Dosing (LICD)
Rivers, wetlands, and agricultural operations supply natural organic material to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) and the San Francisco Estuary. This natural organic matter provides many ecosystem benefits, but it also adversely affects drinking water. During drinking water treatment, chlorine added for purposes of pathogen control reacts with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the water to...
Effects of Aquatic Vegetation on Water Quality and Residence Time in the Bay-Delta
The spread of invasive aquatic vegetation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is having a profound impact on the Delta’s natural habitat. The presence of these “aquatic weeds” has been shown to alter water velocity and increase water clarity, posing threats to native fish species, specifically the threatened Delta Smelt. These aquatic plants can also affect the foodweb by altering nutrient...
Science and Products
- Science
Biogeochemistry Group
The Biogeochemistry (BGC) Group uses an interdisciplinary approach to address surface water quality issues and food web dynamics throughout California, particularly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.Assessing Sediment Nutrient Storage and Release in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Sediments represent an important pool of nutrients in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). The exchange of nutrients between the water column and the benthos impacts water quality and effects phytoplankton, harmful algal blooms, aquatic vegetation, and drinking water quality. To date, there is very limited information about nutrient pools in Delta sediments, nor how these nutrients are...Evaluating the effects of wastewater-derived nutrients on phytoplankton abundance and community structure in the San Francisco Estuary and Delta
Planned upgrades to the Sacramento Regional wastewater treatment plant (SRWTP) will substantially reduce nutrient discharge and also alter the types and amounts of nutrients being distributed across the San Francisco Delta and Estuary (Delta). One highly anticipated outcome of lower nutrients is improved productivity in the phytoplankton communities that supply aquatic food webs, which should...Modeling Nitrogen Reduction Benefit to Invasive Aquatic Vegetation vs. Native Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton comprise the bottom of the aquatic food web and the abundance of phytoplankton serves as an indicator of healthy aquatic habitats. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta), competing with phytoplankton for required nitrogen, invasive aquatic vegetation (IAV) has increased exponentially in recent years. Once established, IAV can negatively impact local ecosystems and...Monitoring Cyanotoxins in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Fixed Stations and High-Resolution Mapping Surveys
California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) provides drinking water to about 30 million people and irrigation water to the agriculturally rich Central Valley. The Delta is also home to numerous threatened and endangered native species. The health of the Delta's aquatic ecosystems, and fish in particular, have long been in a state of decline. This is associated with decreasing...Trends in Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta contains high concentrations of disinfection byproduct-forming (DBP-forming) materials when treated for potable use. DBPs form when dissolved organic compounds (DOC) in water react with disinfectants such as chlorine and ozone during the water treatment process. The amount of DBPs that form is a function of both the amount and source of the DOC, both of...Subsidence in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is part of the San Francisco Estuary, home to a diverse flora and fauna, including several threatened and endangered species, has a large area of prime farmland, and serves as the hub of California's freshwater-delivery system that moves water from the wet north to the dry southern part of the State.Nitrogen Dynamics Along the Sacramento River and Links to Phytoplankton Dynamics: Resolving Spatial and Temporal Variability Using In-Situ, High-Frequency Measurements and Other Tools
The overall project objective is to further our understanding of the link between nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics in the Sacramento River and to elucidate effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on food web dynamics.Causes and Relevance of Phytoplankton Blooms in the Northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Phytoplankton are an important part of aquatic food webs and ecosystems. These single-celled plants grow faster in the stronger light of spring or summer, resulting in population explosions called phytoplankton blooms. These blooms in turn feed zooplankton (free-floating aquatic microorganisms), providing food for many aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates.Decomposition of Organic Soils in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California was once a great tidal freshwater marsh. It is blanketed by peat and peaty alluvium deposited where streams originating in the Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges, and South Cascade Range enter San Francisco Bay. In the late 1800s, levees were built along the stream channels, and the land thus protected from flooding was drained, cleared, and planted (...Low Intensity Chemical Dosing (LICD)
Rivers, wetlands, and agricultural operations supply natural organic material to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) and the San Francisco Estuary. This natural organic matter provides many ecosystem benefits, but it also adversely affects drinking water. During drinking water treatment, chlorine added for purposes of pathogen control reacts with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the water to...Effects of Aquatic Vegetation on Water Quality and Residence Time in the Bay-Delta
The spread of invasive aquatic vegetation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is having a profound impact on the Delta’s natural habitat. The presence of these “aquatic weeds” has been shown to alter water velocity and increase water clarity, posing threats to native fish species, specifically the threatened Delta Smelt. These aquatic plants can also affect the foodweb by altering nutrient... - Data
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