Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

William H Farmer, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

Science and Products

Shepaug River Peter's Dam gage pool

CAP Future of Aquatic Flows Cohort (2022-24)

The 2022-2024 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort will explore how climate change is altering aquatic flows in streams and rivers across the country and how climate can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management.
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
CAP Future of Aquatic Flows Cohort (2022-24)

CAP Future of Aquatic Flows Cohort (2022-24)

The 2022-2024 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort will explore how climate change is altering aquatic flows in streams and rivers across the country and how climate can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management.
Learn More
Streamflow depletion. Image shows stream on left and right, with a blank space in the middle and a question mark.

Visualizing the Invisible: Causes, Consequences, Changes, and Management of Streamflow Depletion Across the U.S.

Streamflow is declining in many parts of the United States (US) due to factors including groundwater pumping, land use change, and climate change. Streamflow depletion, a reduction in groundwater discharge to a stream due to human activities such as pumping and/or land use change, tends to evolve slowly and can be entirely invisible for many years to decades. This is because streamflow...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Visualizing the Invisible: Causes, Consequences, Changes, and Management of Streamflow Depletion Across the U.S.

Visualizing the Invisible: Causes, Consequences, Changes, and Management of Streamflow Depletion Across the U.S.

Streamflow is declining in many parts of the United States (US) due to factors including groundwater pumping, land use change, and climate change. Streamflow depletion, a reduction in groundwater discharge to a stream due to human activities such as pumping and/or land use change, tends to evolve slowly and can be entirely invisible for many years to decades. This is because streamflow depletion
Learn More
Screen capture of the ModelMuse main window with a caption indicating how to activate MODFLOW-CFP.

Trend Reproduction

As part of the National Water Budget Project, our objective is to quantify how well observed trends are simulated.
By
New England Water Science Center
Trend Reproduction

Trend Reproduction

As part of the National Water Budget Project, our objective is to quantify how well observed trends are simulated.
Learn More
USGS science for a changing world logo

Water availability for ungauged rivers: an integrative, multi-model approach to estimate water availability at ungauged rivers across the United States

There has been increasing attention placed on the need for water availability information at ungauged locations, particularly related to balancing human and ecological needs for water. Critical to assessing water availability is the necessity for daily streamflow time series; however, most of the rivers in the United States are ungauged. This proposal leverages over $1M currently...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Water availability for ungauged rivers: an integrative, multi-model approach to estimate water availability at ungauged rivers across the United States

Water availability for ungauged rivers: an integrative, multi-model approach to estimate water availability at ungauged rivers across the United States

There has been increasing attention placed on the need for water availability information at ungauged locations, particularly related to balancing human and ecological needs for water. Critical to assessing water availability is the necessity for daily streamflow time series; however, most of the rivers in the United States are ungauged. This proposal leverages over $1M currently allocated to the
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 15

WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics

Software package to support regression-based regionalization of streamflow frequency statistics that follow a log-Pearson type III distribution.
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Basin Characteristics and Streamflow Statistics for Selected Gages, Alaska, USA (ver. 2.0, September, 2022) Basin Characteristics and Streamflow Statistics for Selected Gages, Alaska, USA (ver. 2.0, September, 2022)

This data release documents the data used for the associated publication "Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged watersheds in Alaska, USA" (Barnhart and others, 2022) The data sets within this release are stored in 14 files: (1) Streamflow observations and sites used. (2) Statistically estimated streamflow values computed for each site. (3) Streamflow statistics...
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Statistical daily streamflow estimates at GAGES-II non-reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017 Statistical daily streamflow estimates at GAGES-II non-reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017

This data release contains daily time series estimates of natural streamflow at 5,439 GAGES-II non-reference streamgages in 19 study regions across the conterminous United States from October 1, 1980 through September 30, 2017, using five statistical techniques: nearest-neighbor drainage area ratio (NNDAR), map-correlation drainage area ratio (MCDAR), nearest-neighbor nonlinear spatial...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Cross-validation results for five statistical methods of daily streamflow estimation at 1,385 reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017 Cross-validation results for five statistical methods of daily streamflow estimation at 1,385 reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017

This data release contains daily time series estimates of natural streamflow for 1,385 streamgages in 19 study regions in the conterminous U.S. from October 1, 1980, through September 30, 2017. These estimates are provided for gages from mostly undisturbed watersheds as defined by Falcone (2011), using five statistical techniques: nearest-neighbor drainage area ratio (NNDAR), map...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Statistical daily streamflow estimates at HUC12 outlets in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017 Statistical daily streamflow estimates at HUC12 outlets in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017

This data release contains daily time series estimates of natural streamflow at the outlets of more than 80,000 12-digit hydrologic units in 19 study regions across the conterminous U.S. from October 1, 1980 through September 30, 2017, using three statistical techniques: Nearest-Neighbor Drainage Area Ratio (NNDAR), Map-Correlation Drainage Area Ratio (MCDAR), and Ordinary Kriging of the...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Model Input and Output for Hydrologic Simulations of the Southeastern United States for Historical and Future Conditions Model Input and Output for Hydrologic Simulations of the Southeastern United States for Historical and Future Conditions

This data release contains inputs for and outputs from hydrologic simulations of the southeastern U.S. using the Monthly Water Balance Model, the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), and statistically-based methods. These simulations were developed to provide estimates of water availability and statistics of streamflow for historical and potential future conditions for an area of
By
South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)
Filter Total Items: 32

Relationship-centered engagement bridges the divide between science and management, and enhances climate adaptation Relationship-centered engagement bridges the divide between science and management, and enhances climate adaptation

The rapid pace of climate change demands changes in management practices. Despite abundant climate adaptation research, the implementation of climate adaptation can lag in the management space. In the present article, we argue that relationship-centered engagement—establishing and maintaining relationships among researchers and natural resource managers—is critical for bridging the...
Authors
Marissa Weiss, Addie Rose Holland, Anthony W. D’Amato, Linda A. Deegan, William H. Farmer, Christopher Hoving, Ambarish Karmalkar, Alexander W. Latzka, Madeline Magee, Peter B. McIntyre, Toni Lyn Morelli, Michael Notaro, Nancy Olmstead, Richard Palmer, Nancy Pau, Rosalind B. Renfrew, Christine A. Ribic, John Sheppard, Michelle D. Staudinger, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Bethany A. Bradley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins

The magnitude and timing of extreme events such as debris and floodflows (collectively referred to as floodflows) in post-wildfire basins are difficult to measure and are even more difficult to predict. To address this challenge, a sensor ensemble consisting of noncontact, ground-based (near-field), Doppler velocity (velocity) and pulsed (stage or gage height) radars, rain gages, and a...
Authors
John W, Fulton, Nicholas Graff Hall, Laura A. Hempel, J.J. Gourley, Mark F. Henneberg, Michael S. Kohn, William H. Farmer, William H. Asquith, Daniel Wasielewski, Andrew S. Stecklein, Amanullah Mommandi, Aziz Khan
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Colorado Water Science Center

Parameter estimation at the conterminous United States scale and streamflow routing enhancements for the National Hydrologic Model infrastructure application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (NHM-PRMS) Parameter estimation at the conterminous United States scale and streamflow routing enhancements for the National Hydrologic Model infrastructure application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (NHM-PRMS)

This report documents a three-part continental-scale calibration procedure and a new streamflow routing algorithm using the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure along with an application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). The traditional approach to hydrologic model calibration and evaluation, which relies on comparing observed and...
Authors
Lauren E. Hay, Jacob H. LaFontaine, Ashley E. Van Beusekom, Parker A. Norton, William H. Farmer, R. Steve Regan, Steven L. Markstrom, Jesse E. Dickinson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Stochastic watershed model ensembles for long-range planning: Verification and validation Stochastic watershed model ensembles for long-range planning: Verification and validation

Deterministic watershed models (DWMs) are used in nearly all hydrologic planning, design, and management activities, yet they cannot generate streamflow ensembles needed for hydrologic risk management (HRM). The stochastic component of DWMs is often ignored in practice, leading to a systematic bias in extreme events. Since traditional stochastic streamflow models used in HRM struggle to...
Authors
Ghazal Shabestanipour, Zachary P Brodeur, William H. Farmer, Scott Steinschneider, Richard M Vogel, Jonathan Lamontagne
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Predictions and drivers of sub-reach-scale annual streamflow permanence for the upper Missouri River basin: 1989-2018 Predictions and drivers of sub-reach-scale annual streamflow permanence for the upper Missouri River basin: 1989-2018

The presence of year-round surface water in streams (i.e., streamflow permanence) is an important factor for identifying aquatic habitat availability, determining the regulatory status of streams, managing land use change, allocating water resources, and designing scientific studies. However, accurate, high resolution, and dynamic prediction of streamflow permanence that accounts for...
Authors
Roy Sando, Kristin L. Jaeger, William H. Farmer, Theodore B. Barnhart, Ryan R. McShane, Toby L. Welborn, Kendra E. Kaiser, Konrad Hafen, Kyle W. Blasch, Benjamin C. York, Alden Shallcross
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Dakota Water Science Center

Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged basins in Alaska, USA Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged basins in Alaska, USA

Building continental-scale hydrologic models in data-sparse regions requires an understanding of spatial variation in hydrologic processes. Extending these models to ungaged locations requires techniques to group ungaged locations with gaged ones to make process importance and model parameter transfer decisions to ungaged locations. This analysis (1) tested the utility of fundamental...
Authors
Theodore B. Barnhart, William H. Farmer, John C. Hammond, Graham A. Sexstone, Janet H. Curran, Joshua C. Koch, Jessica M. Driscoll
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics

Software package to support regression-based regionalization of streamflow frequency statistics that follow a log-Pearson type III distribution.
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Science and Products

Shepaug River Peter's Dam gage pool

CAP Future of Aquatic Flows Cohort (2022-24)

The 2022-2024 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort will explore how climate change is altering aquatic flows in streams and rivers across the country and how climate can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management.
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
CAP Future of Aquatic Flows Cohort (2022-24)

CAP Future of Aquatic Flows Cohort (2022-24)

The 2022-2024 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort will explore how climate change is altering aquatic flows in streams and rivers across the country and how climate can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management.
Learn More
Streamflow depletion. Image shows stream on left and right, with a blank space in the middle and a question mark.

Visualizing the Invisible: Causes, Consequences, Changes, and Management of Streamflow Depletion Across the U.S.

Streamflow is declining in many parts of the United States (US) due to factors including groundwater pumping, land use change, and climate change. Streamflow depletion, a reduction in groundwater discharge to a stream due to human activities such as pumping and/or land use change, tends to evolve slowly and can be entirely invisible for many years to decades. This is because streamflow...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Visualizing the Invisible: Causes, Consequences, Changes, and Management of Streamflow Depletion Across the U.S.

Visualizing the Invisible: Causes, Consequences, Changes, and Management of Streamflow Depletion Across the U.S.

Streamflow is declining in many parts of the United States (US) due to factors including groundwater pumping, land use change, and climate change. Streamflow depletion, a reduction in groundwater discharge to a stream due to human activities such as pumping and/or land use change, tends to evolve slowly and can be entirely invisible for many years to decades. This is because streamflow depletion
Learn More
Screen capture of the ModelMuse main window with a caption indicating how to activate MODFLOW-CFP.

Trend Reproduction

As part of the National Water Budget Project, our objective is to quantify how well observed trends are simulated.
By
New England Water Science Center
Trend Reproduction

Trend Reproduction

As part of the National Water Budget Project, our objective is to quantify how well observed trends are simulated.
Learn More
USGS science for a changing world logo

Water availability for ungauged rivers: an integrative, multi-model approach to estimate water availability at ungauged rivers across the United States

There has been increasing attention placed on the need for water availability information at ungauged locations, particularly related to balancing human and ecological needs for water. Critical to assessing water availability is the necessity for daily streamflow time series; however, most of the rivers in the United States are ungauged. This proposal leverages over $1M currently...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Water availability for ungauged rivers: an integrative, multi-model approach to estimate water availability at ungauged rivers across the United States

Water availability for ungauged rivers: an integrative, multi-model approach to estimate water availability at ungauged rivers across the United States

There has been increasing attention placed on the need for water availability information at ungauged locations, particularly related to balancing human and ecological needs for water. Critical to assessing water availability is the necessity for daily streamflow time series; however, most of the rivers in the United States are ungauged. This proposal leverages over $1M currently allocated to the
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 15

WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics

Software package to support regression-based regionalization of streamflow frequency statistics that follow a log-Pearson type III distribution.
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Basin Characteristics and Streamflow Statistics for Selected Gages, Alaska, USA (ver. 2.0, September, 2022) Basin Characteristics and Streamflow Statistics for Selected Gages, Alaska, USA (ver. 2.0, September, 2022)

This data release documents the data used for the associated publication "Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged watersheds in Alaska, USA" (Barnhart and others, 2022) The data sets within this release are stored in 14 files: (1) Streamflow observations and sites used. (2) Statistically estimated streamflow values computed for each site. (3) Streamflow statistics...
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Statistical daily streamflow estimates at GAGES-II non-reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017 Statistical daily streamflow estimates at GAGES-II non-reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017

This data release contains daily time series estimates of natural streamflow at 5,439 GAGES-II non-reference streamgages in 19 study regions across the conterminous United States from October 1, 1980 through September 30, 2017, using five statistical techniques: nearest-neighbor drainage area ratio (NNDAR), map-correlation drainage area ratio (MCDAR), nearest-neighbor nonlinear spatial...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Cross-validation results for five statistical methods of daily streamflow estimation at 1,385 reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017 Cross-validation results for five statistical methods of daily streamflow estimation at 1,385 reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017

This data release contains daily time series estimates of natural streamflow for 1,385 streamgages in 19 study regions in the conterminous U.S. from October 1, 1980, through September 30, 2017. These estimates are provided for gages from mostly undisturbed watersheds as defined by Falcone (2011), using five statistical techniques: nearest-neighbor drainage area ratio (NNDAR), map...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Statistical daily streamflow estimates at HUC12 outlets in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017 Statistical daily streamflow estimates at HUC12 outlets in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017

This data release contains daily time series estimates of natural streamflow at the outlets of more than 80,000 12-digit hydrologic units in 19 study regions across the conterminous U.S. from October 1, 1980 through September 30, 2017, using three statistical techniques: Nearest-Neighbor Drainage Area Ratio (NNDAR), Map-Correlation Drainage Area Ratio (MCDAR), and Ordinary Kriging of the...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Model Input and Output for Hydrologic Simulations of the Southeastern United States for Historical and Future Conditions Model Input and Output for Hydrologic Simulations of the Southeastern United States for Historical and Future Conditions

This data release contains inputs for and outputs from hydrologic simulations of the southeastern U.S. using the Monthly Water Balance Model, the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), and statistically-based methods. These simulations were developed to provide estimates of water availability and statistics of streamflow for historical and potential future conditions for an area of
By
South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)
Filter Total Items: 32

Relationship-centered engagement bridges the divide between science and management, and enhances climate adaptation Relationship-centered engagement bridges the divide between science and management, and enhances climate adaptation

The rapid pace of climate change demands changes in management practices. Despite abundant climate adaptation research, the implementation of climate adaptation can lag in the management space. In the present article, we argue that relationship-centered engagement—establishing and maintaining relationships among researchers and natural resource managers—is critical for bridging the...
Authors
Marissa Weiss, Addie Rose Holland, Anthony W. D’Amato, Linda A. Deegan, William H. Farmer, Christopher Hoving, Ambarish Karmalkar, Alexander W. Latzka, Madeline Magee, Peter B. McIntyre, Toni Lyn Morelli, Michael Notaro, Nancy Olmstead, Richard Palmer, Nancy Pau, Rosalind B. Renfrew, Christine A. Ribic, John Sheppard, Michelle D. Staudinger, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Bethany A. Bradley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins

The magnitude and timing of extreme events such as debris and floodflows (collectively referred to as floodflows) in post-wildfire basins are difficult to measure and are even more difficult to predict. To address this challenge, a sensor ensemble consisting of noncontact, ground-based (near-field), Doppler velocity (velocity) and pulsed (stage or gage height) radars, rain gages, and a...
Authors
John W, Fulton, Nicholas Graff Hall, Laura A. Hempel, J.J. Gourley, Mark F. Henneberg, Michael S. Kohn, William H. Farmer, William H. Asquith, Daniel Wasielewski, Andrew S. Stecklein, Amanullah Mommandi, Aziz Khan
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Colorado Water Science Center

Parameter estimation at the conterminous United States scale and streamflow routing enhancements for the National Hydrologic Model infrastructure application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (NHM-PRMS) Parameter estimation at the conterminous United States scale and streamflow routing enhancements for the National Hydrologic Model infrastructure application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (NHM-PRMS)

This report documents a three-part continental-scale calibration procedure and a new streamflow routing algorithm using the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure along with an application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). The traditional approach to hydrologic model calibration and evaluation, which relies on comparing observed and...
Authors
Lauren E. Hay, Jacob H. LaFontaine, Ashley E. Van Beusekom, Parker A. Norton, William H. Farmer, R. Steve Regan, Steven L. Markstrom, Jesse E. Dickinson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Stochastic watershed model ensembles for long-range planning: Verification and validation Stochastic watershed model ensembles for long-range planning: Verification and validation

Deterministic watershed models (DWMs) are used in nearly all hydrologic planning, design, and management activities, yet they cannot generate streamflow ensembles needed for hydrologic risk management (HRM). The stochastic component of DWMs is often ignored in practice, leading to a systematic bias in extreme events. Since traditional stochastic streamflow models used in HRM struggle to...
Authors
Ghazal Shabestanipour, Zachary P Brodeur, William H. Farmer, Scott Steinschneider, Richard M Vogel, Jonathan Lamontagne
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Predictions and drivers of sub-reach-scale annual streamflow permanence for the upper Missouri River basin: 1989-2018 Predictions and drivers of sub-reach-scale annual streamflow permanence for the upper Missouri River basin: 1989-2018

The presence of year-round surface water in streams (i.e., streamflow permanence) is an important factor for identifying aquatic habitat availability, determining the regulatory status of streams, managing land use change, allocating water resources, and designing scientific studies. However, accurate, high resolution, and dynamic prediction of streamflow permanence that accounts for...
Authors
Roy Sando, Kristin L. Jaeger, William H. Farmer, Theodore B. Barnhart, Ryan R. McShane, Toby L. Welborn, Kendra E. Kaiser, Konrad Hafen, Kyle W. Blasch, Benjamin C. York, Alden Shallcross
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Dakota Water Science Center

Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged basins in Alaska, USA Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged basins in Alaska, USA

Building continental-scale hydrologic models in data-sparse regions requires an understanding of spatial variation in hydrologic processes. Extending these models to ungaged locations requires techniques to group ungaged locations with gaged ones to make process importance and model parameter transfer decisions to ungaged locations. This analysis (1) tested the utility of fundamental...
Authors
Theodore B. Barnhart, William H. Farmer, John C. Hammond, Graham A. Sexstone, Janet H. Curran, Joshua C. Koch, Jessica M. Driscoll
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics WREG: Weighted Least Squares Regression for Streamflow Frequency Statistics

Software package to support regression-based regionalization of streamflow frequency statistics that follow a log-Pearson type III distribution.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
Was this page helpful?