Tess Harden is a hydrologist at the USGS Oregon Water Science Center.
Tess started as a student hydrologist at the USGS in 2008 but spent 2011-2015 as a geologist for the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, Colorado developing data to improve flood hazard assessments for dam safety before returning to the USGS at the end of 2015.
Tess’s work primarily focuses on paleoflood hydrology, quantifying extreme riverine floods, reducing uncertainty in flood-frequency analyses, and investigating the link between climate and extreme events. When not hunting for flood deposits, Tess has been known to develop 1D and 2D hydraulic models, map floodplain geomorphology, dabble in sediment fingerprinting and examine trends in streamflow.
Education and Certifications
B.S. in geology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Southern Indiana, 1999
M.S. in geosciences from the University of Arizona, 2007
Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Resources/Geology from Portland State University, 2012
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 13
Attribution of monotonic trends and change points in peak streamflow across the conterminous United States using a multiple working hypotheses framework, 1941–2015 and 1966–2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of leading flood-frequency analysis studies. These studies play a critical role in the assessment of risk, protection of lives, and planning and design of flood protection infrastructure. Standard flood-frequency analysis is based on the assumption of stationarity—that is, that the distribution of floods at a given site varies around a particular mean
Historical and paleoflood analyses for probabilistic flood-hazard assessments—Approaches and review guidelines
Paleoflood studies are an effective means of providing specific information on the recurrence and magnitude of rare and large floods. Such information can be combined with systematic flood measurements to better assess the frequency of large floods. Paleoflood data also provide valuable information about the linkages among climate, land use, flood-hazard assessments, and channel morphology. This d
Improving flood-frequency analysis with a 4,000-year record of flooding on the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee
This comprehensive field study applied paleoflood hydrology methods to estimate the frequency of low-probability floods for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study combined stratigraphic records of large, previously unrecorded floods with modern streamflow records and historical flood accounts. The overall approach was to (1) develop a flood chronology for the Tennessee River ne
Quantitative paleoflood hydrology
This chapter reviews the paleohydrologic techniques and approaches used to reconstruct the magnitude and frequency of past floods using geological evidence. Quantitative paleoflood hydrology typically leads to two phases of analysis: (1) documentation and assessment of flood physical evidence (paleostage indicators), and (2) relating identified flood evidence to flood discharge, based on hydraulic
Holocene paleofloods and their climatological context, Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Given its singular importance for water resources in the southwestern U.S., the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) is remarkable for the paucity of its conventional hydrological record of extreme flooding. This study uses paleoflood hydrology to examine a small portion the underutilized, but very extensive natural record of Holocene extreme floods in the UCRB. We perform a meta-analysis of 77 ext
Differentiating sediment sources using sediment fingerprinting techniques, in the Sprague River Basin, South-Central Oregon
Identifying sources of sediment to streams in the Sprague River Basin, in south-central Oregon, is important for restoration efforts that are focused on reducing sediment erosion and transport. Reducing sediment loads in these streams also contributes to compliance with the total maximum daily load reduction requirements for total phosphorus in this basin. In the Sprague River Basin, phosphorus oc
Seasonality of climatic drivers of flood variability in the conterminous United States
Flood variability due to changes in climate is a major economic and social concern. Climate drivers can affect the amount and distribution of flood-generating precipitation through seasonal shifts in storm tracks. An understanding of how the drivers may change in the future is critical for identifying the regions where the magnitude of floods may change. Here we show the regions in the conterminou
Preface to historic and paleoflood analyses: New perspectives on climate, extreme flood risk, and the geomorphic effects of large floods
Paleofloods are flood events that occurred prior to instrumented records that are discerned from sedimentary evidence. Historic floods are flood events that predate the instrumented record that have been reconstructed based on evidence provided by historical sources. This special issue presents papers on historic and paleoflood analyses that stemmed from the 5th International Paleoflood Symposium
Prehistoric floods on the Tennessee River—Assessing the use of stratigraphic records of past floods for improved flood-frequency analysis
Stratigraphic analysis, coupled with geochronologic techniques, indicates that a rich history of large Tennessee River floods is preserved in the Tennessee River Gorge area. Deposits of flood sediment from the 1867 peak discharge of record (460,000 cubic feet per second at Chattanooga, Tennessee) are preserved at many locations throughout the study area at sites with flood-sediment accumulation. S
Paleoflood investigations to improve peak-streamflow regional-regression equations for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, developed regional-regression equations for estimating the 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, 0.2-percent annual exceedance-probability discharge (AEPD) for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado. A total of 188 streamgages, consisting of 6,536 years of record and a mean of approximately 35 years of rec
Late Holocene flood probabilities in the Black Hills, South Dakota with emphasis on the Medieval Climate Anomaly
A stratigraphic record of 35 large paleofloods and four large historical floods during the last 2000 years for four basins in the Black Hills of South Dakota reveals three long-term flooding episodes, identified using probability distributions, at A.D.: 120–395, 900–1290, and 1410 to present. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly (~ A.D. 900–1300) the four basins collectively experienced 13 large fl
Results of paleoflood investigations for Spring, Rapid, Boxedler, and Elk Creeks, Black Hills, western South Dakota
Flood-frequency analyses for the Black Hills area are especially important because of severe flooding of June 9–10, 1972, that was caused by a large mesoscale convective system and resulted in at least 238 deaths. This paper summarizes results of paleoflood investigations for six study reaches in the central Black Hills. Stratigraphic records and resulting long-term flood chronologies, locally ext
Non-USGS Publications**
Greenbaum, N. Harden, T.M., Baker, V.R., Weisheit, J., Cline, M.L., Porat, N., Halevi, R., Dohrenwend, J., 2014, A 2000 year natural record of magnitudes and frequencies for the largest Upper Colorado River floods near Moab, Utah, Water Resources Research, vol. 50, no. 6, p. 5249-5269.
Harden, T.M., Macklin, M.G., Baker, V.R., 2010, Holocene flood histories in southern-western USA, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, vol. 35, p. 707-716.
Harden, T.M., Stamm, J., Driscoll, D.G., O’Connor, J.E., 2010, Holocene paleoflood events in the Black Hills: Evidence preserved in alcoves and caves, in Terry, M.P., Duke, E.F. and Tielke, J.A. (Eds.), Geological Field Trips in the Black Hills Region, South Dakota, South Dakota Schools of Mines and Technology, Bulletin no. 21, p. 139-150.
DeWolfe, G.F., Harden, T.M., Bauer, T.R., 2016, Paleoflood Study on the North Fork Malheur River downstream of Agency Valley Dam, Oregon, Technical Memorandum no. 85-833000-2016-07, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 102 p.
Harden, T.M., DeWolfe, G.F., Klinger, R.E., 2014, Peak discharge indirect measurements of the September 11-12, 2013 flood for selected streams along the Colorado Front Range, Technical Memorandum 86-6833000-2014-24, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 23 p.
Harden, T.M., Bauer, T.R., 2014, Paleoflood study for Little Panoche Detention Dam, CA, Technical Memorandum 85-833000-2014-36, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 79 p.
Klinger, R.E., Harden, T.M., Hilldale, R.C., 2013, Field review of the paleoflood study on the Kern River for Isabella Dam, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO, 71 p.
Godaire, J.E., Caldwell, J., Novembre, N., Harden, T.M., Sankovich, V., 2013, Extreme floods in a changing climate, Report DSO-2013-02, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 149 p.
Harden, T.M., 2013, Geomorphic mapping of terraces and other geomorphic features along the Siletz River near Siletz, Oregon, Technical Memorandum 85-833000-2014-06, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 28 p.
Harden, T.M., 2013, Paleoflood study for Island Park Dam, ID, Technical Memorandum 86-68330-2013-24, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 132 p.
Klumpp, C.C., Harden, T.M., 2013, Hydraulic modeling, sediment analysis, and geomorphic evaluation for the Aamodt Project – revised, Technical Memorandum SRH-2014-07, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 63 p.
Harden, T.M., Bauer, T.R., 2012, Paleoflood study of Little Bear River near Hyrum Dam, UT, Technical Memorandum 86-68330-2012-02, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 132 p.
Greenbaum, N., Weisheit, J.S., Harden, T.M., Dohrenwood, J.C., 2005, Paleoflood of the Upper Colorado River near Moab, Utah, in Weisheit, J.S., and Fields, S.M. (Eds.), The Moab Mill Project: A technical report towards reclaiming uranium mill tailings along the Colorado River in Grand County, Utah. Living Rivers, Moab, UT, p. 13-28.
**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.
Hydraulic modeling and flood-frequency analyses using paleoflood hydrology for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee
This data release contains the results from a comprehensive field study that applied paleoflood hydrology methods to estimate the frequency of low-probability floods for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study combined stratigraphic records of large, previously unrecorded floods with modern systematic flood records and historical flood accounts.
Attributions for nonstationary peak streamflow records across the conterminous United States, 1941-2015 and 1966-2015
The U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, analyzed annual peak-flow data to determine if trends are present and provide attribution of trends where possible. Work for the national trend attributions for nonstationary annual peak-flow records was broken into seven regions that are loosely based off of two-digit hydrologic unit wa
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 13
Attribution of monotonic trends and change points in peak streamflow across the conterminous United States using a multiple working hypotheses framework, 1941–2015 and 1966–2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of leading flood-frequency analysis studies. These studies play a critical role in the assessment of risk, protection of lives, and planning and design of flood protection infrastructure. Standard flood-frequency analysis is based on the assumption of stationarity—that is, that the distribution of floods at a given site varies around a particular meanHistorical and paleoflood analyses for probabilistic flood-hazard assessments—Approaches and review guidelines
Paleoflood studies are an effective means of providing specific information on the recurrence and magnitude of rare and large floods. Such information can be combined with systematic flood measurements to better assess the frequency of large floods. Paleoflood data also provide valuable information about the linkages among climate, land use, flood-hazard assessments, and channel morphology. This dImproving flood-frequency analysis with a 4,000-year record of flooding on the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee
This comprehensive field study applied paleoflood hydrology methods to estimate the frequency of low-probability floods for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study combined stratigraphic records of large, previously unrecorded floods with modern streamflow records and historical flood accounts. The overall approach was to (1) develop a flood chronology for the Tennessee River neQuantitative paleoflood hydrology
This chapter reviews the paleohydrologic techniques and approaches used to reconstruct the magnitude and frequency of past floods using geological evidence. Quantitative paleoflood hydrology typically leads to two phases of analysis: (1) documentation and assessment of flood physical evidence (paleostage indicators), and (2) relating identified flood evidence to flood discharge, based on hydraulicHolocene paleofloods and their climatological context, Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Given its singular importance for water resources in the southwestern U.S., the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) is remarkable for the paucity of its conventional hydrological record of extreme flooding. This study uses paleoflood hydrology to examine a small portion the underutilized, but very extensive natural record of Holocene extreme floods in the UCRB. We perform a meta-analysis of 77 extDifferentiating sediment sources using sediment fingerprinting techniques, in the Sprague River Basin, South-Central Oregon
Identifying sources of sediment to streams in the Sprague River Basin, in south-central Oregon, is important for restoration efforts that are focused on reducing sediment erosion and transport. Reducing sediment loads in these streams also contributes to compliance with the total maximum daily load reduction requirements for total phosphorus in this basin. In the Sprague River Basin, phosphorus ocSeasonality of climatic drivers of flood variability in the conterminous United States
Flood variability due to changes in climate is a major economic and social concern. Climate drivers can affect the amount and distribution of flood-generating precipitation through seasonal shifts in storm tracks. An understanding of how the drivers may change in the future is critical for identifying the regions where the magnitude of floods may change. Here we show the regions in the conterminouPreface to historic and paleoflood analyses: New perspectives on climate, extreme flood risk, and the geomorphic effects of large floods
Paleofloods are flood events that occurred prior to instrumented records that are discerned from sedimentary evidence. Historic floods are flood events that predate the instrumented record that have been reconstructed based on evidence provided by historical sources. This special issue presents papers on historic and paleoflood analyses that stemmed from the 5th International Paleoflood SymposiumPrehistoric floods on the Tennessee River—Assessing the use of stratigraphic records of past floods for improved flood-frequency analysis
Stratigraphic analysis, coupled with geochronologic techniques, indicates that a rich history of large Tennessee River floods is preserved in the Tennessee River Gorge area. Deposits of flood sediment from the 1867 peak discharge of record (460,000 cubic feet per second at Chattanooga, Tennessee) are preserved at many locations throughout the study area at sites with flood-sediment accumulation. SPaleoflood investigations to improve peak-streamflow regional-regression equations for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, developed regional-regression equations for estimating the 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, 0.2-percent annual exceedance-probability discharge (AEPD) for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado. A total of 188 streamgages, consisting of 6,536 years of record and a mean of approximately 35 years of recLate Holocene flood probabilities in the Black Hills, South Dakota with emphasis on the Medieval Climate Anomaly
A stratigraphic record of 35 large paleofloods and four large historical floods during the last 2000 years for four basins in the Black Hills of South Dakota reveals three long-term flooding episodes, identified using probability distributions, at A.D.: 120–395, 900–1290, and 1410 to present. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly (~ A.D. 900–1300) the four basins collectively experienced 13 large flResults of paleoflood investigations for Spring, Rapid, Boxedler, and Elk Creeks, Black Hills, western South Dakota
Flood-frequency analyses for the Black Hills area are especially important because of severe flooding of June 9–10, 1972, that was caused by a large mesoscale convective system and resulted in at least 238 deaths. This paper summarizes results of paleoflood investigations for six study reaches in the central Black Hills. Stratigraphic records and resulting long-term flood chronologies, locally extNon-USGS Publications**
Greenbaum, N. Harden, T.M., Baker, V.R., Weisheit, J., Cline, M.L., Porat, N., Halevi, R., Dohrenwend, J., 2014, A 2000 year natural record of magnitudes and frequencies for the largest Upper Colorado River floods near Moab, Utah, Water Resources Research, vol. 50, no. 6, p. 5249-5269.Harden, T.M., Macklin, M.G., Baker, V.R., 2010, Holocene flood histories in southern-western USA, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, vol. 35, p. 707-716.Harden, T.M., Stamm, J., Driscoll, D.G., O’Connor, J.E., 2010, Holocene paleoflood events in the Black Hills: Evidence preserved in alcoves and caves, in Terry, M.P., Duke, E.F. and Tielke, J.A. (Eds.), Geological Field Trips in the Black Hills Region, South Dakota, South Dakota Schools of Mines and Technology, Bulletin no. 21, p. 139-150.DeWolfe, G.F., Harden, T.M., Bauer, T.R., 2016, Paleoflood Study on the North Fork Malheur River downstream of Agency Valley Dam, Oregon, Technical Memorandum no. 85-833000-2016-07, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 102 p.Harden, T.M., DeWolfe, G.F., Klinger, R.E., 2014, Peak discharge indirect measurements of the September 11-12, 2013 flood for selected streams along the Colorado Front Range, Technical Memorandum 86-6833000-2014-24, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 23 p.Harden, T.M., Bauer, T.R., 2014, Paleoflood study for Little Panoche Detention Dam, CA, Technical Memorandum 85-833000-2014-36, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 79 p.Klinger, R.E., Harden, T.M., Hilldale, R.C., 2013, Field review of the paleoflood study on the Kern River for Isabella Dam, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO, 71 p.Godaire, J.E., Caldwell, J., Novembre, N., Harden, T.M., Sankovich, V., 2013, Extreme floods in a changing climate, Report DSO-2013-02, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 149 p.Harden, T.M., 2013, Geomorphic mapping of terraces and other geomorphic features along the Siletz River near Siletz, Oregon, Technical Memorandum 85-833000-2014-06, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 28 p.Harden, T.M., 2013, Paleoflood study for Island Park Dam, ID, Technical Memorandum 86-68330-2013-24, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 132 p.Klumpp, C.C., Harden, T.M., 2013, Hydraulic modeling, sediment analysis, and geomorphic evaluation for the Aamodt Project – revised, Technical Memorandum SRH-2014-07, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 63 p.Harden, T.M., Bauer, T.R., 2012, Paleoflood study of Little Bear River near Hyrum Dam, UT, Technical Memorandum 86-68330-2012-02, Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center, Denver, CO., 132 p.Greenbaum, N., Weisheit, J.S., Harden, T.M., Dohrenwood, J.C., 2005, Paleoflood of the Upper Colorado River near Moab, Utah, in Weisheit, J.S., and Fields, S.M. (Eds.), The Moab Mill Project: A technical report towards reclaiming uranium mill tailings along the Colorado River in Grand County, Utah. Living Rivers, Moab, UT, p. 13-28.**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.
- Data
Hydraulic modeling and flood-frequency analyses using paleoflood hydrology for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee
This data release contains the results from a comprehensive field study that applied paleoflood hydrology methods to estimate the frequency of low-probability floods for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study combined stratigraphic records of large, previously unrecorded floods with modern systematic flood records and historical flood accounts.Attributions for nonstationary peak streamflow records across the conterminous United States, 1941-2015 and 1966-2015
The U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, analyzed annual peak-flow data to determine if trends are present and provide attribution of trends where possible. Work for the national trend attributions for nonstationary annual peak-flow records was broken into seven regions that are loosely based off of two-digit hydrologic unit wa