State of the National Research Program 2007

To: All Hands, WRD National Research Program
From: Matt Larsen, Chief Scientist for Hydrology
Subject: State of the National Research Program 2007
Date: December 18, 2007

The USGS is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution. In spite of this funding uncertainty, there are a number of promising budgetary signs for 2008 and beyond. Potential new funding for the USGS in the areas of water resources, climate change, and ocean science has support from the USGS Director and the Department of Interior. This new funding would support basic data collection and research activities. Additionally, an authorization bill recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, the SECURE Water Act, by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would provide substantial funding to USGS water programs. We don’t know the probability of funding for the Act, but it raises the profile of water issues in Congress and among stakeholders, many of whom are quite vocal. See http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s2156/show

Scientific productivity, leadership, and service
NRP national and international scientific leadership is strong; our science is diverse and robust. The NRP bibliography has expanded by several hundred entries in 2007, see http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/publications.html. This year NRP scientists published a number of significant papers, briefed the USGS Director and Dept. of Interior officials, and gave briefings and testimony in Congress on water-related issues of national and global importance.

The NRP had a lead role in the development and implementation of a USA National Phenology Network, with all USGS Disciplines contributing jointly to the salary of the Network coordinator, based in Tucson. See http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1725

While several NRP ST scientists have recently retired, two NRP scientists have been nominated for ST status this year and have received USGS approval (currently awaiting final approval by the Department of Interior). Rising NRP scientists are encouraged to read the ST guidance and standards so they can work towards this career goal. See http://water.usgs.gov/usgs/nrp/RGE/RGE.st.html

NRP scientists were active and important leaders of and contributors to the science presented at National WRD meetings in 2007, including the WRD Science Center Directors meeting in New Orleans in January, the Office of Surface Water meeting (St. Louis, April), and the Office of Water Quality meeting (Galveston, November).

The NRP is active on the Dept. of Interior Climate Change Task Force. The charge of this team is to examine how possible climate changes would affect disaster management, water resource management and habitat management and devise new management responses for changing landscapes. See http://www.doi.gov/news/07_News_Releases/070601.html

The NRP continues to administer the WRD RGE process, which includes almost 300 RGE scientists in the NRP and Water Science Centers. NRP Research Advisors play a vital role in this effort, helping to guide our science through leadership of peer-review panels, and more broadly, in their role in providing input and guidance to NRP management with respect to allocation of resources, hiring of scientists, and overall science directions.

NRP plans and guidance for 2008
Staffing: In FY2007 and early 2008, 23 scientists and support staff retired from the NRP including seven RGE scientists. We are in the process of developing vacancy announcements for permanent and TERM positions for scientists and hope to hire four to five individuals in 2008. We seek productive lead scientists with strong collaborative research capabilities and communication skills, who will help lead us into the future. NRP future science directions and staffing are guided by the NRP Staff Plan, and the Hydrologic Research and Development, (http://water.usgs.gov/usgs/nrp/hrdplan.html), WRD, (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1999/ofr99-249/ ), and Bureau science plans (http://www.usgs.gov/science_strategy/ ). See also the recent summary of USGS science goals, published in Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/318/5848/200 ).

Operational funds, End of year funds and ‘Add-on’ requests: Current NRP budget projections indicate that we should be able to distribute most of the operational funds allotments planned for each project.
In FY2007, using end-of-the-year, outside funds, and working capital funds, we spent $1.4 million in WRD year-end-funds beyond the annual OE allotment, to purchase new research equipment for NRP scientists, enhance/expand field and laboratory work, purchase a new field vehicle, support travel to scientic meetings, hire students for support work, and fund post doctoral fellows. NRP scientists are encouraged to submit their 2008 requests through their Branch Chiefs. These requests can include purchases, student contracts, post-docs, etc. Funding decisions are made based on USGS and NRP priorities, with discusion and input from Branch Chiefs and Research Advisors.

Reimbursable funding: The NRP Reimbursable Funds Committee, chaired by Earl Greene, with participants from each Branch, is nearing completion of their task to develop a set of guiding principles for reimbursable work. Their report is expected in 2008.
As has been the case for a number of years, we continue to ask that each NRP scientist bring in a portion of their own salary and support staff salary with outside funding. We urge you to look for opportunities to enter into reimbursable agreements in conjunction with WRD Water Science Centers or science centers in other USGS disciplines.

WRD-RGE process in 2008: The web-based, password-protected system for all-electronic processing of RSRs is being tested now and should be operational in January 2008. All RGE documents will be submitted in pdf format.

News
Research Advisors: We thank Chris Fuller, who is completing his Research Advisor (RA) service to WRD, and welcome Colleen Rostad as ARA. As noted above, this is a critically important leadership responsibility that NRP scientists undertake, not just for the NRP, but for WRD overall. See the complete list of RAs and ARAs at http://water.usgs.gov/usgs/nrp/

Annual Research Committee Meeting: We plan to hold the RCM at the BRD Science Center in Leetown, West Virginia on May 20-22, 2008, and are working closely with our fellow scientists and managers in the USGS Biological Resources Discipline to foster increased collaboration. Pierre Glynn is leading this effort.

National Academy of Science review of WRD: A team lead by George Hallberg is nearing completion of their review of the USGS Water Resources Discipline. This review, requested by the Office of Management and Budget, includes attention to the status and future health of the NRP. Their report is expected in late 2008. Details of their charge, including a list of the team membership, are available at: http://water.usgs.gov/usgs/nrc_review/

Annual Project Reviews:
We will change the past practice by which projects have been reviewed without project personnel present. Starting in 2008, the NRP management and RA team will review all projects once each 3 years by holding reviews at the Branch office and including the project chief and support staff in the meeting. This will require more review time but will facilitate direct communication, discussion, and initial feedback among all participants. Details on the transition to this new approach will be forthcoming.

Bureau Re-alignment:
Because the NRP reports to USGS headquarters through my office, it is not directly affected by the Bureau re-alignment that is now in progress. However, I have encouraged our three NRP Branch Chiefs to participate and collaborate as much as possible with the Regional Executives in their respective Regions via periodic Science Center Chief meetings and other venues.

Awards and recognition
We continue our vibrant presence in the National and international scientific community. Examples of our excellence are seen by the frequency with which NRP scientists receive accolades, such as those listed below for the past year. Congratulations to those named, as well as to the many support staff who may not be listed as publication authors, but are nonetheless vital to the success of the NRP!

Ralph Cheng Distinguished Service Award -- Ralph (USGS Scientist Emeritus) was recognized with a DSA on May 9 2007, at the 64th Department of the Interior Honor Awards Convocation in Washington, D.C. The DSA was established in 1948 and is the highest Departmental award that can be granted to a career employee. Ralph was recognized for his exceptional achievements in the realm of surface-water hydrology, including measurement, modeling, and technology transfer.

PNAS paper by Jim Cloern et al. a Science "Editor's Choice" -- A recent paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA (PNAS) by Jim Cloern and Jan Thompson and colleagues was highlighted as an Editor's Choice Paper in Science. The highlight reads in part "Cloern et al. document an unusual and instructive example [of an abrupt shift] in one ecosystem, brought about by changes in another, neighboring system." See http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol318/issue5856/twil.dtl#318/5856/1525d for the full highlight.

Mike Dettinger and Dan Cayan Receive NOAA "BEST PAPER" AWARD -- Mike and Dan are among the coauthors of a GRL paper that recently received the "NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Outstanding Scientific Paper Award." The paper was judged by an OAR-wide team of reviewers on its "originality, importance, usefulness and quality of writing." The awards are for research sponsored by OAR and led or contributed to by OAR Federal employees or Cooperative Institute scientists. The award-winning paper is: Ralph, F.M., Neiman, P.J., Wick, G., Gutman, S., Dettinger, M., Cayan, D., and White, A.B., 2006, Flooding on California’s Russian River -- Role of atmospheric rivers: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 33, L13801, doi:10.1029/2006GL026689.

Mike Dettinger and Dan Cayan honored by California DWR -- Mike and Dan were among the recipients of the California Department of Water Resources' (DWR) first-ever "Climate Science Service Awards". Mike and Dan were among five scientists recognized by DWR Director Lester Snow on October 3 2007 for their ongoing assistance on planning for climate variability and change. The other awardees were Gregg Garfin and Connie Woodhouse of the University of Arizona and Brad Udall of the University of Colorado.

Hedeff Essaid cited for "Excellence In Refereeing" by the American Geophysical Union -- Hedeff was among the recipients of the AGU 2006 Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing. She was recognized for her service to Water Resources Research. Other USGS scientists recognized were Gerald Bawden (California WSC, GRL), Jim O'Connor (Oregon WSC, WRR), and Renee Takesue (CMG-Santa Cruz, G-Cubed; Renee was formerly an NRP postdoc with Jan Thompson).

Paul Hsieh received a STAR award for strong leadership and service to the USGS through his work in the Washington and Idaho Water Science Centers. Paul made an extraordinary effort to help the USGS achieve successful completion of the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer model.

Hupp and Osterkamp paper highly cited -- An article co-authored by Cliff Hupp and Waite Osterkamp was recently recognized as one of the most highly cited papers in the 25-year history of the peer-reviewed journal Geomorphology (at #3). Their paper on "Riparian vegetation and fluvial geomorphic processes” was published in 1996 (Geomorphology v. 14, no. 4).

Bioremediation Journal recognizes Liz Jones paper -- A paper by Liz, “Characterization of Microbial Consortium Capable of Rapid and Simultaneous Dechlorination of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloraethane and Chlorinated Ethane and Ethene Intermediates”, was the 7th most-downloaded paper published in Bioremediation Journal in 2006.

Jim Kuwabara ES&T paper an SSRL "Science Highlight" -- The ES&T paper on mercury-speciation in piscivorous fish by Jim and colleagues was selected as a Science Highlight for SSRL (Stanford Synchrotron Research Lab within SLAC) titled "The Chemical Form of Mercury in the Fish We Eat". The URL for the highlight is http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/research/highlights_archive/ch3hg_trophictrans.html

Lisa Lucas receives Pritchard Award from Estuarine Research Federation -- Lisa is the recipient of the Estuarine Research Federation¹s (ERF) Donald W. Pritchard Award for 2007. This Award is for the best paper in the physical sciences published in Estuaries and Coasts during the two calendar years (2005 and 2006) preceding ERF's biennial conference. The Award committee cited Lisa's excellent research, effective communication of the results, and the paper's significance to our understanding of physical processes in estuaries. The award-winning paper is: Lucas, L. V., Sereno, D.M., Burau, J.R., Schraga, T.S., Lopez, C.B., Stacey, M.T., Parchevsky, K.V., and Parchevsky, V.P., 2006, Intra-daily variability of water quality in a shallow tidal lagoon: Mechanisms and implications: Estuaries and Coasts, v. 29, p. 711-730.

Bob Meade receives Wetzel Award -- The American Institute of Hydrology (AIH) R.G. Wetzel Award Committee awarded the 2007 Wetzel Award to Robert H. Meade (USGS Scientist Emeritus) for his contributions to the science of sediment transport in large rivers, and for his lengthy career of dedicated professional service.

Jim Smith receives Hans Albert Einstein Award -- The 2007 Hans Albert Einstein Award was presented to James Dungan Smith at the American Society of Civil Engineering Annual Business Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on November 3 2007. The award recognizes Jim's outstanding achievement in the rigorous application of the principles of fluid mechanics to sediment transport problems on the continental shelf and in the near-shore zone, estuaries, and rivers.

SCIENCE NEWS highlights new publication on natural sources of perchlorate -- ES&T Science News,
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/june/science/nl_perchlorate.html, summarized a newly released online article showing that natural perchlorate is widespread in the U.S. southwest. USGS co-authors of this groundbreaking study include Dave Stonestrom, Michelle Walvoord, and Greta Orris (Mineral Resources). Perchlorate is a potent oxidizer that disrupts thyroid function by inhibiting uptake of iodine. The study shows that there are environments favorable for natural formation of perchlorate -- including the arid environments of the desert southwest.

Jan Thompson receives USGS Diversity Award -- Jan received the first USGS/Western Region Diversity Award in the Supervisory Category for her "contribution to the values of diversity include the active pursuit of diversity through a leadership style that fosters discussion and exploration of other's view points and opinions, consistently hiring and using Workforce Diversity Programs, and supporting staff with on-going mentoring and encouragement" -- Anne Kinsinger.

Art White named Geochemistry Fellow -- Art has been elected a Geochemistry Fellow by the Geochemical Society and the European Association for geochemistry. The two societies bestow this title on outstanding scientists who have made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry. The number of Fellows elected each year is limited to less than 1% of the membership of the combined societies and is typically significantly fewer.

Tom Winter honored by NGWA – Tom (USGS Scientist Emeritus) received a Life Member Award from the National Ground Water Association. Tom was cited for "innovative research on the hydrology of lakes and wetlands that has fundamentally altered the way in which the national and international scientific communities view these aquatic systems".
___________________________________
Matthew C. Larsen
Chief Scientist for Hydrology
U.S. Geological Survey, 436 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
tel: 703-648-5044, fax: 703-648-5002
http://water.usgs.gov/nrp