Regolith Water in Zero-Order Chaparral and Perennial Grass Watersheds Four Decades after Vegetation Conversion Tanja N. Williamson, Brent D. Newman, Robert C. Graham, and Peter J. Shouse Vadose Zone Journal 2004 3: 3: 1007-1016 doi:10.2136/vzj2004.1007
Tanja N Williamson, Ph. D. (KY)
Soil-water scientist experienced in natural systems, including links with vegetation and landscape dynamics. Previous experience as university professor, independent researcher, and collaborative consultant. Published research supported by OSMRE, USDA, NSF, USEPA, USGS, Kentucky Division of Water, University of the Pacific, and University of California at Riverside.
Biography
Recent and ongoing research includes:
- Hydrologic modeling of mixed land-use watersheds
- the importance of land-cover change to streamflow magnitude, variability, and seasonality
- developing decision-support systems that inform resource managers
- Incorporation of soil-physical data into hydrologic modeling
- Comparison of lab and field measurements to modeled soil properties
- Sensitivity of hydrologic models to changes in soil properties
- Temporal variability of soil-water storage and movement
- Agricultural resilience under projected climate change
- Delineation of ephemeral and intermittent streams in Appalachia
- Conservation management and tile-drainage in agricultural landscapes
- Identifying sediment source
- Linking soil-water storage with the stream environment
Education
Ph.D. Soil and Water Science (Pedology), University of California, Riverside, 1999
M.S. Earth Science (Geomorphology), University of California, Riverside, 1995
B.S. Geoscience, The Pennsylvania State University, 1992 (includes PSU Field Camp)
Professional Experience
U.S. Geological Survey
- Research Hydrologist, Kentucky Water Science Center (2010 to present)
- Hydrologist, Kentucky Water Science Center (2006 to 2010)
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky
Quinte Conservation, Belleville, ON, Canada (2006)
Loyalist College, Belleville, ON, Canada (2004-2005)
University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, Geosciences (1999-2004)
Science and Products
Date published: April 10, 2019
Status: Active Environmental Effects of Agricultural Practices
As agricultural land in the Minnesota River Basin is retired, tile drains are removed or broken and riparian corridors are planted to reduce runoff. Early studies saw decreased sediment and nitrogen and improved biological indicators but no significant changes in phosphorus. This project continues to investigate the linkages...
Attribution: Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Year Published: 2019
Delineation of tile-drain networks using thermal and multispectral imagery—Implications for water quantity and quality differences from paired edge-of-field sites
As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, paired edge-of-field sites were established in high priority subwatersheds to assess the effectiveness of agricultural management practices. One pairing was in Black Creek, a tributary to the Maumee River and Lake Erie. These fields were paired because of similarity in soils, topography, and...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Dobrowolski, Edward G.; Meyer, Shawn M.; Frey, Jeffrey W.; Allred, Barry J.Attribution: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, United States of America
Year Published: 2019
Sensitivity of streamflow simulation in the Delaware River Basin to forecasted land‐cover change for 2030 and 2060
In order to simulate the potential effect of forecasted land‐cover change on streamflow and water availability, there has to be confidence that the hydrologic model used is sensitive to small changes in land cover (<10%) and that this land‐cover change exceeds the inherent uncertainty in forecasted conditions. To investigate this, a 26‐year...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Claggett, Peter
Year Published: 2017
Multiple-source tracking: Investigating sources of pathogens, nutrients, and sediment in the Upper Little River Basin, Kentucky, water years 2013–14
The South Fork Little River (SFLR) and the North Fork Little River (NFLR) are two major headwater tributaries that flow into the Little River just south of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Both tributaries are included in those water bodies in Kentucky and across the Nation that have been reported with declining water quality. Each tributary has been...
Crain, Angela S.; Cherry, Mac A.; Williamson, Tanja N.; Bunch, Aubrey R.View Citation
Crain, A.S., Cherry, M.A., Williamson, T.N., and Bunch, A.R., 2017, Multiple-source tracking—Investigating sources of pathogens, nutrients, and sediment in the Upper Little River Basin, Kentucky, water years 2013–14: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5086, 60 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175086.
Year Published: 2017
Water quality and natural resources in the Green River Basin
No abstract available.
Lee, Brad D.; Williamson, Tanja N.; Crain, Angela S.View Citation
Lee, B.D., Williamson, T.N., and Crain, A.S., 2017, Water quality and natural resources in the Green River Basin, in Lee, B.D., Carey, D.I., and Jones, A.L., eds., Water in Kentucky: Natural History, Communities, and Conservation: University Press of Kentucky, p. 133-150.
Year Published: 2016
Sensitivity of the projected hydroclimatic environment of the Delaware River basin to formulation of potential evapotranspiration
The Delaware River Basin (DRB) encompasses approximately 0.4 % of the area of the United States (U.S.), but supplies water to 5 % of the population. We studied three forested tributaries to quantify the potential climate-driven change in hydrologic budget for two 25-year time periods centered on 2030 and 2060, focusing on sensitivity to...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Milly, Paul C.D.View Citation
Williamson T.N., Nystrom E.A., Milly P.C.D. 2016. Sensitivity of the projected hydroclimatic environment of the Delaware River basin to formulation of potential evapotranspiration. Climatic Change 139:215-228. DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1782-2.
Year Published: 2015
Classification of ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial stream reaches using a TOPMODEL-based approach
Whether a waterway is temporary or permanent influences regulatory protection guidelines, however, classification can be subjective due to a combination of factors, including time of year, antecedent moisture conditions, and previous experience of the field investigator. Our objective was to develop a standardized protocol using publically...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Agouridis, Carmen T.; Barton, Christopher D.; Villines, Jonathan A.; Lant, Jeremiah G.View Citation
Williamson, Tanja N., Carmen T. Agouridis, Christopher D. Barton, Jonathan A. Villines, and Jeremiah G. Lant, 2015. Classification of Ephemeral, Intermittent, and Perennial Stream Reaches Using a TOPMODEL-Based Approach. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) . DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12352
Year Published: 2015
Summary of hydrologic modeling for the Delaware River Basin using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER)
The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) is a decision support system for the nontidal part of the Delaware River Basin that provides a consistent and objective method of simulating streamflow under historical, forecasted, and managed conditions. In order to quantify the uncertainty associated with these simulations, however...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Lant, Jeremiah G.; Claggett, Peter; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Milly, Paul C.D.; Nelson, Hugh L.; Hoffman, Scott A.; Colarullo, Susan J.; Fischer, Jeffrey M.Attribution: Water, Ohio Kentucky Indiana Water Science Center, Water Availability and Use Science Program, United States of America
View Citation
Williamson, T.N., Lant, J.G., Claggett, P.R., Nystrom, E.A., Milly, P.C.D., Nelson, H.L., Hoffman, S.A., Colarullo, S.J., and Fischer, J.M., 2015, Summary of hydrologic modeling for the Delaware River Basin using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5143, 68 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155143.
Year Published: 2015
User manuals for the Delaware River Basin Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (DRB–WATER) and associated WATER application utilities
The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) is a decision support system (DSS) for the nontidal part of the Delaware River Basin (DRB) that provides a consistent and objective method of simulating streamflow under historical, forecasted, and managed conditions. WATER integrates geospatial sampling of landscape characteristics,...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Lant, Jeremiah G.Attribution: Water, Ohio Kentucky Indiana Water Science Center, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Kentucky, United States of America
View Citation
Williamson, T.N., and Lant, J.G., 2015, User manuals for the Delaware River Basin Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (DRB–WATER) and associated WATER application utilities: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1196, 32 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151196.
Year Published: 2014
Simulating soil-water movement through loess-veneered landscapes using nonconsilient saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements
Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) data are available for the entire United States, so are incorporated in many regional and national models of hydrology and environmental management. However, SSURGO does not provide an understanding of spatial variability and only includes saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) values estimated from...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Lee, Brad D.; Schoeneberger, Philip J.; McCauley, W. M.; Indorante, Samuel J.; Owens, Phillip R.
Year Published: 2014
Stream sediment sources in midwest agricultural basins with land retirement along channel
Documenting the effects of agricultural land retirement on stream-sediment sources is critical to identifying management practices that improve water quality and aquatic habitat. Particularly difficult to quantify are the effects from conservation easements that commonly are discontinuous along channelized streams and ditches throughout the...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Christensen, Victoria G.; Richardson, William B.; Frey, Jeffrey W.; Gellis, Allen C.; Kieta, K. A.; Fitzpatrick, Faith A.Attribution: Water, Ohio Kentucky Indiana Water Science Center, Wisconsin Water Science Center, Water Resources, Kentucky, United States of America
View Citation
Stream sediment sources in midwest agricultural basins with land retirement along channel; 2014; Article; Journal; Journal of Environmental Quality; Williamson, Tanja N.; Christensen, Victoria G.; Richardson, William B.; Frey, Jeffrey W.; Gellis, Allen C.; Kieta, K. A.; Fitzpatrick, Faith A.
Year Published: 2013
Significance of exchanging SSURGO and STATSGO data when modeling hydrology in diverse physiographic terranes
The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) is a TOPMODEL-based hydrologic model that depends on spatially accurate soils data to function in diverse terranes. In Kentucky, this includes mountainous regions, karstic plateau, and alluvial plains. Soils data are critical because they quantify the space to store water, as well as...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Taylor, Charles J.; Newson, Jeremy K.View Citation
Significance of exchanging SSURGO and STATSGO data when modeling hydrology in diverse physiographic terranes; 2013; Article; Journal; Soil Science Society of America Journal; Williamson, Tanja N.; Taylor, Charles J.; Newson, Jeremy K.
Year Published: 2012
Phase II modification of the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) for Kentucky: The sinkhole-drainage process, point-and-click basin delineation, and results of karst test-basin simulations
This report describes Phase II modifications made to the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER), which applies the process-based TOPMODEL approach to simulate or predict stream discharge in surface basins in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The previous (Phase I) version of WATER did not provide a means of identifying sinkhole...
Taylor, Charles J.; Williamson, Tanja N.; Newson, Jeremy K.; Ulery, Randy L.; Nelson, Hugh L.; Cinotto, Peter J.View Citation
Phase II modification of the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) for Kentucky: The sinkhole-drainage process, point-and-click basin delineation, and results of karst test-basin simulations; 2012; SIR; 2012-5071; Taylor, Charles J.; Williamson, Tanja N.; Newson, Jeremy K.; Ulery, Randy L.; Nelson, Hugh L., Jr.; Cinotto, Peter J.
Pre-USGS Publications
Effects of a chaparral-to-grass conversion on soil physical and hydrologic properties after four decades Tanja N. Williamson, Robert C. Graham, and Peter J. Shouse Geoderma 2004 123: 1-2: 99-114
Pedogenesis–Terrain Links in Zero-Order Watersheds after Chaparral to Grass Vegetation Conversion Tanja N. Williamson, Paul E. Gessler, Peter J. Shouse, and Robert C. Graham Soil Science Society of America Journal 2006 70: 6: 2065-2074 doi:10.2136/sssaj2003.0316
Identification of stolen rare palm trees by soil morphological and mineralogical properties Brad D. Lee, Tanja N. Williamson, and Robert C. Graham Journal of Forensic Science 2002 47: 190-194
Forensic soils: An integrative laboratory exercise for Introductory Soil Science Brad D. Lee, Tanja N. Williamson, Robert C. Graham, and Lanny J. Lund Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 1998 27:110-112