Brent T Aulenbach
Brent started with the USGS in 1992 and is a Research Hydrologist for the South Atlantic Water Science Center, Norcross, Ga. He is the principal investigator on a research study looking at the effects of seasonally water-limited conditions on the water cycle in the Southeastern U.S. He also responsible for interpretive work for several urban water-quality studies in the metro-Atlanta region.
Current Responsibilities:
Brent is the principal investigator of the research study “Actual evapotranspiration, flash droughts, water deficits, reduced vegetative growth, and wildfires — the effects of seasonally water-limited conditions in a changing climate” (2019–2023), funded by the Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effects of climate and climatic change on seasonally water-limited catchments in the Southeastern U.S. Water-limited catchments are sensitive to droughts, that result in reduced groundwater recharge, evapotranspiration, and water deficits that can have adverse effects on trees, such as carbon starvation and hydraulic failure, and can result in wildfires. The study includes field estimates of groundwater recharge and actual evapotranspiration at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed (PMRW), in Stockbridge, Ga., and compares water cycle component estimates to other monitored watersheds in the Southeastern U.S.
Brent also works on several urban water-quality studies of streams in the metro-Atlanta region, funded through the USGS cooperative projects with local partners. The main purpose of these studies is to assess the status and trends in water-quality and relate these to land use.
Areas of Interest:
Brent’s interests in small watershed research studies include investigating hydrological and biogeochemical processes that control the movement and solute composition of water along hydrologic pathways that generate streamflow and quantifying and predicting the effects of climate and climatic change on these processes. Much of this research has been performed at the PMRW, which was part of the Water, Energy and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) Program (1991–2016) study of five diverse catchments.
Brent also has expertise in estimating streamwater constituent loads. He has developed methodology and techniques for improving streamwater load estimates and for identifying trends in concentrations and loads, and has optimized sampling designs. He was responsible for method design, estimation, and reporting of streamwater constituent fluxes and trends for the USGS’s National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), which monitors the water quality of U.S.’s large rivers, from 1998 to 2013.
Professional Experience
1992 - present: Research Hydrologist, USGS, Norcross, Georgia
Education and Certifications
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, Geology, B.S. (1988)
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, Hydrogeology, M.S. (1992)
Science and Products
Actual evapotranspiration, flash droughts, water deficits, reduced vegetative growth, and wildfires: the effects of seasonally water-limited conditions in a changing climate
Small Watershed Studies at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia
Transport of dissolved organic matter by river networks from mountains to the sea: a re-examination of the role of flow across temporal and spatial scales
Daily Mean Runoff and Precipitation at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, GA., water years 1986–2019
Watershed characteristics and streamwater constituent load data, models, and estimates for 15 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, 2000-2021
Precipitation, air temperature, streamflow, and water table depths from selected wells at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, 2001 - 2003
Streamwater constituent load data, models, and estimates for 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia, 2012-2016
Data and estimates for wet deposition and streamwater solute fluxes at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, Ga., water years 1986-2016
Data for estimating monthly water budgets at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, Ga., water years 19862015
Stream water-quality summary statistics and outliers, streamwater load models and estimates, and peak flow modeling parameters for 13 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia
Hydrology, water-quality, and watershed characteristics in 15 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, water years 2002–20
Evaluating the spatial and temporal variability of groundwater uptake by riparian vegetation in a humid southeastern US catchment
Hydrology and water quality in 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia, 2012–16
The evolving perceptual model of streamflow generation at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed
Monitoring and real-time modeling of Escherichia coli bacteria for the Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia, 2000–2019
Effects of climate-related variability in storage on streamwater solute concentrations and fluxes in a small forested watershed in the Southeastern United States
Quantifying climate-related interactions in shallow and deep storage and evapotranspiration in a forested, seasonally water-limited watershed in the Southeastern United States
Effects of impervious area and BMP implementation and design on storm runoff and water quality in eight small watersheds
Hydrology and water quality in 13 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, 2001–15
Spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved organic matter quantity and quality in the Mississippi River Basin, 1997–2013
Approaches to stream solute load estimation for solutes with varying dynamics from five diverse small watershed
The river as a chemostat: fresh perspectives on dissolved organic matter flowing down the river continuum
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Actual evapotranspiration, flash droughts, water deficits, reduced vegetative growth, and wildfires: the effects of seasonally water-limited conditions in a changing climate
Small Watershed Studies at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia
Transport of dissolved organic matter by river networks from mountains to the sea: a re-examination of the role of flow across temporal and spatial scales
Daily Mean Runoff and Precipitation at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, GA., water years 1986–2019
Watershed characteristics and streamwater constituent load data, models, and estimates for 15 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, 2000-2021
Precipitation, air temperature, streamflow, and water table depths from selected wells at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, 2001 - 2003
Streamwater constituent load data, models, and estimates for 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia, 2012-2016
Data and estimates for wet deposition and streamwater solute fluxes at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, Ga., water years 1986-2016
Data for estimating monthly water budgets at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, Ga., water years 19862015
Stream water-quality summary statistics and outliers, streamwater load models and estimates, and peak flow modeling parameters for 13 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia
Hydrology, water-quality, and watershed characteristics in 15 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, water years 2002–20
Evaluating the spatial and temporal variability of groundwater uptake by riparian vegetation in a humid southeastern US catchment
Hydrology and water quality in 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia, 2012–16
The evolving perceptual model of streamflow generation at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed
Monitoring and real-time modeling of Escherichia coli bacteria for the Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia, 2000–2019
Effects of climate-related variability in storage on streamwater solute concentrations and fluxes in a small forested watershed in the Southeastern United States
Quantifying climate-related interactions in shallow and deep storage and evapotranspiration in a forested, seasonally water-limited watershed in the Southeastern United States
Effects of impervious area and BMP implementation and design on storm runoff and water quality in eight small watersheds
Hydrology and water quality in 13 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, 2001–15
Spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved organic matter quantity and quality in the Mississippi River Basin, 1997–2013
Approaches to stream solute load estimation for solutes with varying dynamics from five diverse small watershed
The river as a chemostat: fresh perspectives on dissolved organic matter flowing down the river continuum
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.