Wesley Danskin is a Research Hydrologist at the California Water Science Center.
Research Interests:
- Real-world application of constrained optimization techniques
- Real-time water management
- Conflict resolution of water issues
- Integrated management of biologic/hydrologic resources
- Land deformation caused by ground-water recharge/extraction
Projects:
- San Bernardino Optimal Basin Management - http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/sanbern
- San Diego Hydrogeology - http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/sandiego
- Owens Valley - http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/owens
- Temecula - http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/temecula
- Enhancing Ground-water Management in Jordan - http://international.usgs.gov/projects/jd-groundwater.htm
Professional Experience
Optimal water management
Ground-water simulation, constrained optimization
Hydrogeologic analysis of regional systems
Integrated surface-water/ground-water interpretations
Conflict resolution, technical mediation of water issues
USGS offices: Alaska (1978-79), Menlo Park (1979-84), San Diego (1985-present)
Project Chief: all projects, listed below, involve optimal water-management, regional systems, surface-water/ground-water interaction, and conflict resolution.
Advising: Optimal management of regional ground-water systems: Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ethiopia
Teaching: Optimal ground-water management training courses (1994, 1997, 2005-09)
Education and Certifications
B.A. Carleton College (1978), Geology, magna cum laude
M.S. Stanford University (1986), Applied Hydrogeology
Registered Geologist, California, #5468
Certified Hydrogeologist, California, #236
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
Geological Society of America
International Association of Hydrologists
International Association of Hydrologic Sciences
Honors and Awards
USGS Excellence in Science award, 2008
USGS performance and special achievement awards: 1985, 1987-88, 1992-94, 1998, 2003-04, 2007
Citizen of the Year, 1994, Scripps Ranch community, San Diego, CA
USGS Best Report, 1992, California-Pacific area
USGS Public Service Award, 1992
Who's Who of Emerging Leaders, 1988-90
Phi Beta Kappa, 1978
Eagle Scout, 1969
Science and Products
San Diego Hydrogeology
Owens Valley Hydrogeology
Yucaipa Valley Hydrogeology
Temecula Hydrogeology
San Bernardino Optimal Basin Management
Identification of fresh submarine groundwater off the coast of San Diego, USA, using electromagnetic methods
The triple argon isotope composition of groundwater on ten-thousand-year timescales
Detection and measurement of land subsidence and uplift using interferometric synthetic aperture radar, San Diego, California, USA, 2016–2018
Deglacial water-table decline in Southern California recorded by noble gas isotopes
Geologic, hydrologic, and water-quality data from multiple-well monitoring sites in the Bunker Hill and Yucaipa Groundwater Subbasins, San Bernardino County, California, 1974–2016
Geologic structure of the Yucaipa area inferred from gravity data, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California
A geochemical approach to determine sources and movement of saline groundwater in a coastal aquifer
A basin-scale approach for assessing water resources in a semiarid environment: San Diego region, California and Mexico
Gaining the necessary geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical understanding for additional brackish groundwater development, coastal San Diego, California, USA
Hydrology, description of computer models, and evaluation of selected water-management alternatives in the San Bernardino area, California
Determining age and vertical contribution of ground water pumped from wells in a small coastal river basin: a case study in the Sweetwater River valley, San Diego county, California
Assessing the Risk of Loveland Dam Operations to the Arroyo Toad (Bufo californicus) in the Sweetwater River Channel, San Diego County, California
Science and Products
- Science
San Diego Hydrogeology
This is the first comprehensive geologic and hydrologic study for the San Diego area. This study will provide the integrated hydrogeologic knowledge necessary in this important and highly visible area of the United States and will serve as a role model for similar coastal settings throughout the world that have modest rainfall and small aquifers. Locally, results will help state and federal...Owens Valley Hydrogeology
The Owens Valley, a long, narrow valley along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in east-central California, is the main source of water for the city of Los Angeles. The city diverts most of the surface water in the valley into the Owens River-Los Angeles Aqueduct system, which transports the water more than 200 miles south to areas of distribution and use. Additionally, ground water is pumped or...Yucaipa Valley Hydrogeology
This study assesses the quality of water in the Yucaipa area, primarily in the Yucaipa plain. This hydrogeology study will aid local water purveyors in understanding and evaluating local resources and using those resources effectively in combination with water imported from northern California and from the adjacent San Bernardino area.Temecula Hydrogeology
This site provides hydrologic data collected or compiled by the USGS for the Temecula area; some additional data may be available from the USGS database National Water Information System (NWIS).San Bernardino Optimal Basin Management
The San Bernardino area of southern California has complex water-management issues. As an aid to local water managers, this report provides an integrated analysis of the surface-water and ground-water systems, documents ground-water flow and constrained optimization models, and provides seven examples using the models to better understand and manage water resources of the area. As an aid to... - Publications
Filter Total Items: 25
Identification of fresh submarine groundwater off the coast of San Diego, USA, using electromagnetic methods
Climate change has a pronounced effect on water resources in many semiarid climates, causing populated areas such as San Diego County (USA), to become more vulnerable to water shortages in the coming decades. To prepare for decreased water supply, San Diego County is adopting policies to decrease water use and to develop additional local sources of water. One new local source of freshwater is prodAuthorsRoslynn B. King, Wesley R. Danskin, Steven Constable, Jillian M. MaloneyThe triple argon isotope composition of groundwater on ten-thousand-year timescales
Understanding the age and movement of groundwater is important for predicting the vulnerability of wells to contamination, constraining flow models that inform sustainable groundwater management, and interpreting geochemical signals that reflect past climate. Due to both the ubiquity of groundwater with order ten-thousand-year residence times and its importance for climate reconstruction of the laAuthorsAlan Seltzer, John A. Krantz, Jessica Ng, Wesley R. Danskin, David Bekaert, Peter H. Barry, David L. Kimbrough, Justin T. Kulongoski, Jeffrey P. SeveringhausDetection and measurement of land subsidence and uplift using interferometric synthetic aperture radar, San Diego, California, USA, 2016–2018
Land subsidence associated with groundwater-level declines is stipulated as an “undesirable effect” in California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and has been identified as a potential issue in San Diego, California, USA. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Sweetwater Authority, and the City of San Diego, undertook a cooperative study to better understand the hydromechAuthorsJustin T. Brandt, Michelle Sneed, Wesley R. DanskinDeglacial water-table decline in Southern California recorded by noble gas isotopes
Constraining the magnitude of past hydrological change may improve understanding and predictions of future shifts in water availability. Here we demonstrate that water-table depth, a sensitive indicator of hydroclimate, can be quantitatively reconstructed using Kr and Xe isotopes in groundwater. We present the first-ever measurements of these dissolved noble gas isotopes in groundwater at high preAuthorsAlan M. Seltzer, Jessica Ng, Wesley R. Danskin, Justin T. Kulongoski, Riley Gannon, Martin Stute, Jeffery P. SeveringhausGeologic, hydrologic, and water-quality data from multiple-well monitoring sites in the Bunker Hill and Yucaipa Groundwater Subbasins, San Bernardino County, California, 1974–2016
In 1974, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, initiated a study to assess the regional groundwater resources in the Bunker Hill Subbasin of the Upper Santa Ana Valley Groundwater Basin in San Bernardino County, California. The study area expanded east into the Yucaipa Subbasin in 1996. This report compiles the geologic (boreholeAuthorsGregory O. Mendez, Robert Anders, Kelly R. McPherson, Wesley R. DanskinGeologic structure of the Yucaipa area inferred from gravity data, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California
In the spring of 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, began working on a gravity survey in the Yucaipa area to explore the three-dimensional shape of the sedimentary fill (alluvial deposits) and the surface of the underlying crystalline basement rocks. As water use has increased in pace with rapid urbanization, water managers havAuthorsGregory O. Mendez, Victoria E. Langenheim, Andrew Morita, Wesley R. DanskinA geochemical approach to determine sources and movement of saline groundwater in a coastal aquifer
Geochemical evaluation of the sources and movement of saline groundwater in coastal aquifers can aid in the initial mapping of the subsurface when geological information is unavailable. Chloride concentrations of groundwater in a coastal aquifer near San Diego, California, range from about 57 to 39,400 mg/L. On the basis of relative proportions of major-ions, the chemical composition is classifiedAuthorsRobert Anders, Gregory O. Mendez, Kiyoto Futa, Wesley R. DanskinA basin-scale approach for assessing water resources in a semiarid environment: San Diego region, California and Mexico
Many basins throughout the world have sparse hydrologic and geologic data, but have increasing demands for water and a commensurate need for integrated understanding of surface and groundwater resources. This paper demonstrates a methodology for using a distributed parameter water-balance model, gaged surface-water flow, and a reconnaissance-level groundwater flow model to develop a first-order waAuthorsL. E. Flint, A. L. Flint, Bernard J. Stolp, W.R. DanskinGaining the necessary geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical understanding for additional brackish groundwater development, coastal San Diego, California, USA
Local water agencies and the United States Geological Survey are using a combination of techniques to better understand the scant freshwater resources and the much more abundant brackish resources in coastal San Diego, California, USA. Techniques include installation of multiple-depth monitoring well sites; geologic and paleontological analysis of drill cuttings; geophysical logging to identifAuthorsWesley R. DanskinHydrology, description of computer models, and evaluation of selected water-management alternatives in the San Bernardino area, California
The San Bernardino area of southern California has complex water-management issues. As an aid to local water managers, this report provides an integrated analysis of the surface-water and ground-water systems, documents ground-water flow and constrained optimization models, and provides seven examples using the models to better understand and manage water resources of the area. As an aid to investAuthorsWesley R. Danskin, Kelly R. McPherson, Linda R. WoolfendenDetermining age and vertical contribution of ground water pumped from wells in a small coastal river basin: a case study in the Sweetwater River valley, San Diego county, California
No abstract available.AuthorsWesley R. Danskin, Clinton D. ChurchAssessing the Risk of Loveland Dam Operations to the Arroyo Toad (Bufo californicus) in the Sweetwater River Channel, San Diego County, California
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsM. C. Madden-Smith, A.J. Atkinson, Robert N. Fisher, W.R. Danskin, Gregory O. Mendez
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government