A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
John C. Hammond, PhD
John Hammond works as a Research Hydrologist for the USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center.
John studies hydroclimatic variability and trends, seasonal snow dynamics, empirical streamflow relationships across scales, and incorporates satellite data into hydrologic models. Current projects include improving snow process representation in hydrologic models, characterizing hydrologic drought, developing drought early warning systems, and drivers of non-perennial flow, and DC StreamStats.
I obtained my PhD in Watershed Science at Colorado State University in 2018 where I studied hydrologic change across the intermittent-persistent snow transition of the western U.S. is response to snow loss. This work assessed the effects of snow persistence on streamflow generation and soil moisture through a combination of remote sensing, surface station data analysis, hydrologic modeling, and geospatial statistics.
Research interests include:
- Runoff forecasting in snow-dominated watersheds
- Input partitioning through the critical zone
- Hydroclimatic and cryospheric trend detection
- Low-cost sensors for snow and streamflow monitoring
- Intermittent snow and streamflow occurrence and prediction
Consulting experience:
- Remote sensing of snow occurrence timing and distribution
- Flood innundation mapping
- Hydrologic and meteorologic equipment installation and maintenance
Professional Experience
Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
March, 2019 to Present: Surface water hydrologist (Water Science Center, Water Mission Area)Colorado State University: Fort Collins, CO, US
December, 2018 to March, 2019: Research Affiliate - Department of Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityColorado State University: Fort Collins, CO, US
August, 2015 to December, 2018: Graduate Research Assistant - Snow hydrology, soil science, and water yieldU.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
November, 2014 to December, 2015: Surface Water Research Contractor
Education and Certifications
2018. PhD, Geosciences: Watershed Science, Colorado State University. Dissertation: Effects of snow persistence on soil moisture and streamflow generation in mountain regions of the western U.S.
2014. M.S., Water Resources Science, Oregon State University. Thesis: Trends in streamflow above and below dams across the Columbia River Basin from 1950 to 2012: assessing sub-basin sensitivity.
2012. B.S., Environmental Science & Policy, University of Maryland, College Park. Concentration: Global Environmental Change. Citation: College Park Scholars – Environmental Studies. Cum Laude.
Science and Products
Drought Prediction Science
Surface Water Capabilities @ MD-DE-DC
Metrics to Characterizing Periods of Anomalously Low Water Storage for Selected Reservoirs in the Conterminous U.S. from 1981 to 2020
Snow drought classification and streamflow timing and magnitude signatures for snow dominated USGS watersheds in the Conterminous United States from 1980 to 2020
Daily time series of surface water input from rainfall, rain on snow, and snowmelt for the Conterminous United States from 1990 to 2023, as well as annual series of input seasonality, precipitation seasonality, and average rainfall, rain on snow, and snow
Low-Flow Period Seasonality, Trends, and Climate Linkages Across the United States Data Release
Preliminary streamflow percentile predictions for ungaged areas of the Colorado River Basin, 1981-2020
Groundwater level trends for 110 U.S. Geological Survey observation wells in the Delaware River Basin
Data supporting a spatiotemporal trend analysis of specific conductivity, streamflow, and landscape attributes of selected sub-basins within the Delaware River watershed, 1980 to 2018
High Resolution Current and Future Climate SnowModel Simulations in the Upper Colorado River Basin
U.S. Streamflow Drought During the Last Century: annual drought and low flow metrics, annual climate, and trends for the periods 1921-2020, 1951-2020 and 1981-2020
Basin Characteristics and Streamflow Statistics for Selected Gages, Alaska, USA (ver. 2.0, September, 2022)
PeakFQ inputs and selected outputs for selected gages in or near Delaware
Magnitude and Frequency of Peak Flows and Low Flows on Nontidal Streams in Delaware: peak and low flow estimates and basin characteristics
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
Streamflow timing and magnitude during snow drought depend on snow drought type and regional hydroclimate
Declining reservoir reliability and increasing reservoir vulnerability: Long-term observations reveal longer and more severe periods of low reservoir storage for major United States reservoirs
Low-flow period seasonality, trends, and climate linkages across the United States
Evaluating distributed snow model resolution and meteorology parameterizations against streamflow observations: Finer Is not always better
Streamflow depletion caused by groundwater pumping: Fundamental research priorities for management-relevant science
Drought prediction and water availability: A report on the 2022 USGS-NIDIS National Listening Session Series
Identifying hydrologic signatures associated with streamflow depletion caused by groundwater pumping
Regional streamflow drought forecasting in the Colorado River Basin using Deep Neural Network models
Groundwater recharge in northern New England: Meteorological drivers and relations with low streamflow
High resolution SnowModel simulations reveal future elevation-dependent snow loss and earlier, flashier surface water input for the Upper Colorado River Basin
Causes, responses, and implications of anthropogenic versus natural flow intermittence in river networks
Spatial patterns and seasonal timing of increasing riverine specific conductance from 1998 to 2018 suggest legacy contamination in the Delaware River Basin
Science and Products
Drought Prediction Science
Surface Water Capabilities @ MD-DE-DC
Metrics to Characterizing Periods of Anomalously Low Water Storage for Selected Reservoirs in the Conterminous U.S. from 1981 to 2020
Snow drought classification and streamflow timing and magnitude signatures for snow dominated USGS watersheds in the Conterminous United States from 1980 to 2020
Daily time series of surface water input from rainfall, rain on snow, and snowmelt for the Conterminous United States from 1990 to 2023, as well as annual series of input seasonality, precipitation seasonality, and average rainfall, rain on snow, and snow
Low-Flow Period Seasonality, Trends, and Climate Linkages Across the United States Data Release
Preliminary streamflow percentile predictions for ungaged areas of the Colorado River Basin, 1981-2020
Groundwater level trends for 110 U.S. Geological Survey observation wells in the Delaware River Basin
Data supporting a spatiotemporal trend analysis of specific conductivity, streamflow, and landscape attributes of selected sub-basins within the Delaware River watershed, 1980 to 2018
High Resolution Current and Future Climate SnowModel Simulations in the Upper Colorado River Basin
U.S. Streamflow Drought During the Last Century: annual drought and low flow metrics, annual climate, and trends for the periods 1921-2020, 1951-2020 and 1981-2020
Basin Characteristics and Streamflow Statistics for Selected Gages, Alaska, USA (ver. 2.0, September, 2022)
PeakFQ inputs and selected outputs for selected gages in or near Delaware
Magnitude and Frequency of Peak Flows and Low Flows on Nontidal Streams in Delaware: peak and low flow estimates and basin characteristics
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.
A video detailing the roles and responsibilities of the USGS's Maryland-Delawre-D.C., Baltimore Surface Water team.