William H. Asquith
William has about 34 years at the USGS encompassing a wide range of algorithms and statistical and extreme value frequency studies of meteorology, surface water hydrology, and other water resources topics such as data acquisition, hydraulics, hydrologic regionalization, and research mentoring on statistical methods and algorithms.
Recent (2016–2026) research includes copula methods and algorithms; exceptionally low annual exceedance probability (AEP) flood events; regulated flood-frequency approaches; N-day volumetric flood frequency bias correction for all of US and Territories; statistics of USGS discharge measurements; technical advising on probable maximum precipitation in Texas and New Mexico-Colorado; flood- and rainfall-hazards for the Qashqadaryo Region, Uzbekistan, including defining an equal-area grid for Central Asian studies; small watershed hydrometeorological station operation; missing-record estimation; real-time uncertainty forecasting for hydrometeorological stations, and groundwater level informatics and machine-learning applications for prediction of monthly water-level grids for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer underlying the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain and Chicot aquifer, southwestern Louisiana; long-term trend analyses of daily salinity predictions for 91 monitoring locations in bays and estuaries of the gulf coast with statistical methods including Cubist, Randomforest, and Support Vector Machines; Texas lake-evaporation validation by probabilistic methods (linear moments); and reduction in USGS staffing efforts in groundwater monitoring with minimization of loss of information content from the Louisiana network.
Recent cooperators include Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (2016−18) and Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change for the Republic of Uzbekistan (2021−26) via USGS Office of International Programs, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Water Development Board, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and USGS Office of Quality Assurance.
Thrice featured four-city speaker in 2016, 2017, and 2018 in Bolivia for Universidad Catolica Boliviana and U.S. State Department, and USGS Surfacewater Mission co-lead to Uzbekistan (June 2022, April 2024, September 2024).
Education and Certifications
Institution: Texas Tech University (TTU), College of Engineering, Lubbock, 2008–2011
Degree: Ph.D. (Civil Engineering, May 2011)Institution: University of Texas at Austin, Jackson School of Geosciences, Geoscience, 1998–2003
Degree: Ph.D. (Geosciences, May 2003)Institution: University of Texas at Austin, College of Engineering, 1988–1994
Degrees: B.S. (Civil Engineering, Dec. 1992); M.S. (Civil Engineering, May 1994)
Affiliations and Memberships*
Professional Geoscientist no. 1494, State of Texas 2003–present
Science and Products
Peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas Peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas
Floods in south-central Texas, June 1997 Floods in south-central Texas, June 1997
Method to estimate effects of flow-induced vegetation changes on channel conveyances of streams in central Arizona Method to estimate effects of flow-induced vegetation changes on channel conveyances of streams in central Arizona
Analysis of minimum 7-day discharges and estimation of minimum 7-day, 2-year discharges for streamflow-gaging stations in the Brazos River basin, Texas Analysis of minimum 7-day discharges and estimation of minimum 7-day, 2-year discharges for streamflow-gaging stations in the Brazos River basin, Texas
Regional equations for estimation of peak-streamflow frequency for natural basins in Texas Regional equations for estimation of peak-streamflow frequency for natural basins in Texas
Techniques to estimate generalized skew coefficients of annual peak streamflow for natural basins in Texas Techniques to estimate generalized skew coefficients of annual peak streamflow for natural basins in Texas
Peak-flow frequency and extreme flood potential for streams in the vicinity of the Highland Lakes, central Texas Peak-flow frequency and extreme flood potential for streams in the vicinity of the Highland Lakes, central Texas
Multiple-regression equations to estimate peak-flow frequency for streams in Hays County, Texas Multiple-regression equations to estimate peak-flow frequency for streams in Hays County, Texas
Documented and potential extreme peak discharges and relation between potential extreme peak discharges and probable maximum flood peak discharges in Texas Documented and potential extreme peak discharges and relation between potential extreme peak discharges and probable maximum flood peak discharges in Texas
Flood frequency in Texas; calculation of peak-streamflow frequency at gaging stations Flood frequency in Texas; calculation of peak-streamflow frequency at gaging stations
Science and Products
Peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas Peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas
Floods in south-central Texas, June 1997 Floods in south-central Texas, June 1997
Method to estimate effects of flow-induced vegetation changes on channel conveyances of streams in central Arizona Method to estimate effects of flow-induced vegetation changes on channel conveyances of streams in central Arizona
Analysis of minimum 7-day discharges and estimation of minimum 7-day, 2-year discharges for streamflow-gaging stations in the Brazos River basin, Texas Analysis of minimum 7-day discharges and estimation of minimum 7-day, 2-year discharges for streamflow-gaging stations in the Brazos River basin, Texas
Regional equations for estimation of peak-streamflow frequency for natural basins in Texas Regional equations for estimation of peak-streamflow frequency for natural basins in Texas
Techniques to estimate generalized skew coefficients of annual peak streamflow for natural basins in Texas Techniques to estimate generalized skew coefficients of annual peak streamflow for natural basins in Texas
Peak-flow frequency and extreme flood potential for streams in the vicinity of the Highland Lakes, central Texas Peak-flow frequency and extreme flood potential for streams in the vicinity of the Highland Lakes, central Texas
Multiple-regression equations to estimate peak-flow frequency for streams in Hays County, Texas Multiple-regression equations to estimate peak-flow frequency for streams in Hays County, Texas
Documented and potential extreme peak discharges and relation between potential extreme peak discharges and probable maximum flood peak discharges in Texas Documented and potential extreme peak discharges and relation between potential extreme peak discharges and probable maximum flood peak discharges in Texas
Flood frequency in Texas; calculation of peak-streamflow frequency at gaging stations Flood frequency in Texas; calculation of peak-streamflow frequency at gaging stations
*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