Theodore "Teo" Melis, Ph.D.
In 2024, Theodore "Teo" Melis is serving as the Acting Director of the Southwest Biological Science Center at the Flagstaff Science Campus office.
Teo Melis' service to the U.S. Geological Survey has been marked by exceptional performance and dedication. Teo's career started with the Water Resources Division’s National Research Program in Tucson, AZ (1990-1996), studying extreme floods and debris flow influences on Colorado River habitats in Grand Canyon National Park in support of U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Glen Canyon Dam (GCD) operations. He helped plan and implement the first Glen Canyon Dam (GCD) high-flow experiment (HFE), and helped establish the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC). As a GCMRC scientist and program manager (1996-2015), Teo worked closely with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) and its stakeholders to meet science needs to support their recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior on the operations of GCD.
Teo served as Deputy Chief of the GCMRC (2006-2013), leading programs focused on understanding geomorphology in Grand Canyon which helped lead to the implementation of the HFE Protocol, an effort to manage limited sediment resources using Glen Canyon Dam releases to rebuild and maintain sandbars in Grand Canyon. Teo also led knowledge assessments resulting from interdisciplinary science programs to improve understanding of the links between the physical river processes, biological resources, and cultural sites. In 2008, Teo’s contributions to the GCDAMP were recognized with the DOI’s Meritorious Service Award. From 2012 to 2014, he also served on a special technical liaison assignment to the Long-Term Experimental Management Program EIS, to assist in completing compliance on a 20-year long flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam, resulting in a new Record-of-Decision on Glen Canyon Dam operations in 2016. Since 2015, Teo has served as the Deputy Director of the Southwest Biological Science Center, where he helped lead a reorganization of the Center into two branches and oversee Center operations including the IT and safety teams. He is currently SBSC Acting Director.
In his time away from his USGS post, he annually cycle-tours around Europe, while remaining an active bike commuter at 2,100 m in his hometown of Flagstaff.
Professional Experience
1990 - Present: U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ
1985 - 1990: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Honors and Awards
U.S. Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award (2008): "For his outstanding contributions to the USGS, Dr. Theodore Melis is granted the Meritorious Service Award of the Department of the I
Science and Products
Three experimental high-flow releases from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona— Effects on the downstream Colorado River ecosystem
The effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on early life stages of rainbow trout in the Colorado River
Large-scale flow experiments for managing river systems
Proceedings of the Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symposium, November 18-20, 2008, Scottsdale, Arizona
20,000 grain-size observations from the bed of the Colorado River, and implications for sediment transport through Grand Canyon
Effects of High-Flow Experiments from Glen Canyon Dam on Abundance, Growth, and Survival Rates of Early Life Stages of Rainbow Trout in the Lees Ferry Reach of the Colorado River
2008 High-Flow Experiment at Glen Canyon Dam Benefits Colorado River Resources in Grand Canyon National Park
An approach for modeling sediment budgets in supply-limited rivers
Geomorphic response of sandbars to the March 2008 high-flow experiment on the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam
Future challenges for science and resource management of the Colorado River
USGS Workshop on Scientific Aspects of a Long-Term Experimental Plan for Glen Canyon Dam, April 10-11, 2007, Flagstaff, Arizona
Is there enough sand? Evaluating the fate of Grand Canyon sandbars
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 45
Three experimental high-flow releases from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona— Effects on the downstream Colorado River ecosystem
Three high-flow experiments (HFEs) were conducted by the U.S. Department of the Interior at Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, in March 1996, November 2004, and March 2008. Also known as artificial or controlled floods, these scheduled releases of water above the dam's powerplant capacity were designed to mimic pre-dam seasonal flooding on the Colorado River. The goal of the HFEs was to determine whether hAuthorsTheodore S. Melis, Paul E. Grams, Theodore A. Kennedy, Barbara E. Ralston, Christopher T. Robinson, John C. Schmidt, Lara M. Schmit, Richard A. Valdez, Scott A. WrightThe effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on early life stages of rainbow trout in the Colorado River
The Lees Ferry reach of the Colorado River-a 16-mile segment from Glen Canyon Dam to the confluence with the Paria River-supports an important recreational rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fishery. In Grand Canyon, nonnative rainbow trout prey on and compete for habitat and food with native fish, such as the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha). Experimental flow fluctuations from the dam duriAuthorsJosh Korman, Theodore S. MelisLarge-scale flow experiments for managing river systems
Experimental manipulations of streamflow have been used globally in recent decades to mitigate the impacts of dam operations on river systems. Rivers are challenging subjects for experimentation, because they are open systems that cannot be isolated from their social context. We identify principles to address the challenges of conducting effective large-scale flow experiments. Flow experiments havAuthorsChristopher P. Konrad, Julian D. Olden, David A. Lytle, Theodore S. Melis, John C. Schmidt, Erin N. Bray, Mary Freeman, Keith B. Gido, Nina P. Hemphill, Mark J. Kennard, Laura E. McMullen, Meryl C. Mims, Mark Pyron, Christopher T. Robinson, John G. WilliamsProceedings of the Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symposium, November 18-20, 2008, Scottsdale, Arizona
Since the 1980s, four major science and restoration programs have been developed for the Colorado River Basin to address primarily the conservation of native fish and other wildlife pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA): (1) Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin (commonly called the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery ProgramAuthorsTheodore S. Melis, John F. Hamill, Glenn E. Bennett, Lewis G. Coggins,, Paul E. Grams, Theodore A. Kennedy, Dennis M. Kubly, Barbara E. Ralston20,000 grain-size observations from the bed of the Colorado River, and implications for sediment transport through Grand Canyon
In the late 1990s, we developed digital imaging hardware and software for in-situ mapping of sand-sized bed sediment of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. This new technology enables collection and processing of hundreds of grain-size samples in a day. Bed grain size was mapped using this equipment on 8 surveys of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, for a total of more than 20,000 observations spAuthorsDavid M. Rubin, David J. Topping, Henry Chezar, Joseph E. Hazel, John C. Schmidt, Michael J. Breedlove, Theodore S. Melis, Paul E. GramsEffects of High-Flow Experiments from Glen Canyon Dam on Abundance, Growth, and Survival Rates of Early Life Stages of Rainbow Trout in the Lees Ferry Reach of the Colorado River
High-flow experiments (HFEs) from Glen Canyon Dam are primarily intended to conserve fine sediment and improve habitat conditions for native fish in the Colorado River as it flows through Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. These experimental flows also have the potential to affect the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in the Lees Ferry tailwater reach immediately below the dam, whicAuthorsJosh Korman, Matthew Kaplinski, Theodore S. Melis2008 High-Flow Experiment at Glen Canyon Dam Benefits Colorado River Resources in Grand Canyon National Park
On March 5, 2008, the Department of the Interior began a 60-hour high-flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, to determine if water releases designed to mimic natural seasonal flooding could be used to improve downstream resources in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and their cooperators undertook a wide range of phyAuthorsTheodore S. Melis, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, David M. Rubin, Scott A. Wright, Amy E. Draut, Joseph E. Hazel, Barbara E. Ralston, Theodore A. Kennedy, Emma Rosi-Marshall, Josh Korman, Kara D. Hilwig, Lara M. SchmitAn approach for modeling sediment budgets in supply-limited rivers
Reliable predictions of sediment transport and river morphology in response to variations in natural and human-induced drivers are necessary for river engineering and management. Because engineering and management applications may span a wide range of space and time scales, a broad spectrum of modeling approaches has been developed, ranging from suspended-sediment "rating curves" to complex three-AuthorsScott A. Wright, David J. Topping, David M. Rubin, Theodore S. MelisGeomorphic response of sandbars to the March 2008 high-flow experiment on the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam
The completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 drastically altered the downstream flow regime and resulted in more than a 90 percent reduction of sand supply to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Sandbars that were maintained by annual floods and a large sediment supply are now fewer in number and smaller in area and volume. Efforts to maintain sandbars in the current era of dam managemeAuthorsPaul E. Grams, Joseph E. Hazel, John C. Schmidt, Matt Kaplinski, Scott A. Wright, David J. Topping, Theodore S. MelisFuture challenges for science and resource management of the Colorado River
No abstract available.AuthorsJohn F. HamillUSGS Workshop on Scientific Aspects of a Long-Term Experimental Plan for Glen Canyon Dam, April 10-11, 2007, Flagstaff, Arizona
Executive Summary Glen Canyon Dam is located in the lower reaches of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on the Colorado River, approximately 15 miles upriver from Grand Canyon National Park (fig. 1). In 1992, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Grand Canyon Protection Act (GCPA; title XVIII, sec. 1801?1809, of Public Law 102-575), which seeks ?to protect, mitigate adverse imAuthorsIs there enough sand? Evaluating the fate of Grand Canyon sandbars
Large dams have the potential to dramatically alter the flow regime, geomorphology, and aquatic ecosystem of downstream river reaches. Development of flow release regimes in order to meet multiple objectives is a challenge facing dam operators, resource managers, and scientists. Herein, we review previous work and present new analyses related to the effects of Glen Canyon Dam on the downstream reaAuthorsS.A. Wright, J. C. Schmidt, Theodore S. Melis, D.J. Topping, D. M. Rubin - Science
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