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Anke Mueller-Solger, PhD

Anke Mueller-Solger serves as the Director of the USGS California Water Science Center (CAWSC) in Sacramento, California.

In February 2023, Anke Mueller-Solger, PhD was selected as the CAWSC Center Director. Dr. Mueller-Solger has served as Associate Director for Projects at the USGS California Water Science Center since 2014. She has led a team of about 200 scientists who conduct cutting-edge research and monitoring on diverse water science topics, providing science products and data for partners throughout California and the nation. Dr. Mueller-Solger previously worked for the California Delta Stewardship Council as the first Lead Scientist for the Interagency Ecological Program for the San Francisco Estuary. Dr. Mueller-Solger also held scientific positions with the California Department of Water Resources and at UC Davis. She grew up in Germany and has lived in California since 1990. She has German degrees in Biology and a Ph.D. in Ecology from UC Davis. 

 

Professional Experience

  • Center Director, USGS California Water Science Center, 2023-present

  • Associate Director for Projects, USGS California Water Science Center, 2014-2023

  • Lead Scientist, Interagency Ecological Program for the San Francisco Estuary, 2008-2014

  • Staff Environmental Scientist, California Department of Water Resources, 2000-2008

  • Staff Research Associate and Postdoc, University of California, Davis, 1998-2005

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. in Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1998

  • Diplom (~ M.S.) in Biology, University of Göttingen, Germany, 1994

  • Vordiplom (~ B.S.) in Biology, University of Göttingen, Germany, 1998

Science and Products

link
Lake Oroville showing extremely low water under the Enterprise Bridge during 2021 drought.

Drought in California

The USGS closely monitors the occurence and effects of drought through data collection and research. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information about long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. These studies support successful planning and science-based decision-making by water managers who must address complex issues and...
By
California Water Science Center, Land Subsidence in California
link

Drought in California

The USGS closely monitors the occurence and effects of drought through data collection and research. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information about long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. These studies support successful planning and science-based decision-making by water managers who must address complex issues and...
Learn More
link
CAWSC hydrologist John Izbicki and T.J. Kim, Chief Engineer for the LA County Department of Public Works, discuss a recharge-pon

Science Programs and Partnerships

The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
By
California Water Science Center
link

Science Programs and Partnerships

The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
Learn More

A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies

Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized hydrologic and e
Authors
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Final report on the assessment of the U.S. Geological Survey’s bureauwide Research Grade Evaluation (RGE) process

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) formed the internal Research Grade Evaluation (RGE) Review Team in May 2017. The Team undertook a 2-year comprehensive review of RGE practices and policies at the USGS that included (1) the first-ever quantitative assessment of the USGS workforce evaluated under the RGE process, (2) a benchmarking meet­ing in March 2018 of the USGS and 11 other Federal science age
Authors
By
Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Changing nitrogen inputs to the northern San Francisco Estuary: Potential ecosystem responses and opportunities for investigation

Anthropogenic activities have resulted in elevated ambient nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in many regions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Bay (northern San Francisco Estuary, (nSFE). The Sacramento Regional wastewater treatment plant (SRWTP WWTP) currently acts as the largest N point source to the system, discharging 13,000-15,000 kg/d of ammonium-N (NH4) near the nS
Authors
David Senn, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Amy Richey, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Larry R. Brown, Louise Conrad, Christopher A. Francis, Wim Kimmerer, Raphael Kudela, Timothy G. Otten, Alexander E. Parker, April Robinson, Anke Mueller-Solger, Dylan Stern, Janet Thompson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Prioritizing river basins for intensive monitoring and assessment by the US Geological Survey

The US Geological Survey (USGS) is currently (2020) integrating its water science programs to better address the nation’s greatest water resource challenges now and into the future. This integration will rely, in part, on data from 10 or more intensively monitored river basins from across the USA. A team of USGS scientists was convened to develop a systematic, quantitative approach to prioritize c
Authors
Peter C. Van Metre, Sharon L. Qi, Jeffrey R. Deacon, Cheryl A. Dieter, Jessica M. Driscoll, Michael N. Fienen, Terry A. Kenney, Patrick M. Lambert, David P. Lesmes, Christopher Allen Mason, Anke Mueller-Solger, MaryLynn Musgrove, Jaime A. Painter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Lori A. Sprague, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, David M. Wolock
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wildland Fire Science

Food webs of the Delta, Suisun Bay and Suisun Marsh: an update on current understanding and possibilities for management

This paper reviews and highlights recent research findings on foodweb processes since an earlier review by Kimmerer et al. (2008). We conduct this review within a conceptual framework of the Delta-Suisun food web, which includes both temporal and spatial components. The temporal component is based on knowledge that the landscape has changed markedly from historical conditions. The spatial componen
Authors
Larry R. Brown, Wim J. Kimmerer, Louise Conrad, Sarah Lesmeister, Anke Mueller-Solger
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Primary production in the Delta: Then and now

To evaluate the role of restoration in the recovery of the Delta ecosystem, we need to have clear targets and performance measures that directly assess ecosystem function. Primary production is a crucial ecosystem process, which directly limits the quality and quantity of food available for secondary consumers such as invertebrates and fish. The Delta has a low rate of primary production, but it i
Authors
James E. Cloern, April Robinson, Amy Richey, Letitia Grenier, Robin Grossinger, Katharyn E. Boyer, Jon Burau, Elizabeth A. Canuel, John F. DeGeorge, Judith Z. Drexler, Chris Enright, Emily R. Howe, Ronald Kneib, Anke Mueller-Solger, Robert J. Naiman, James L. Pinckney, Samuel M. Safran, David H. Schoellhamer, Charles A. Simenstad
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Primary production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A science strategy to quantify change and identify future potential

No abstract available.
Authors
April Robinson, Amy Richey, James E. Cloern, Katharyn E. Boyer, Jon Burau, Elizabeth A. Canuel, John F. DeGeorge, Judith Z. Drexler, E. R. Howe, Ronald Kneib, Anke Mueller-Solger, James L. Pinckney, Robert J. Naiman, David H. Schoellhamer, Charles A. Simenstad
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Synthesis of studies in the fall low-salinity zone of the San Francisco Estuary, September-December 2011

In fall 2011, a large-scale investigation (fall low-salinity habitat investigation) was implemented by the Bureau of Reclamation in cooperation with the Interagency Ecological Program to explore hypotheses about the ecological role of low-salinity habitat in the San Francisco Estuary—specifically, hypotheses about the importance of fall low-salinity habitat to the biology of delta smelt Hypomesus
Authors
Larry R. Brown, Randall Baxter, Gonzalo Castillo, Louise Conrad, Steven Culberson, Gregg Erickson, Frederick Feyrer, Stephanie Fong, Karen Gehrts, Lenny Grimaldo, Bruce Herbold, Joseph Kirsch, Anke Mueller-Solger, Steven B. Slater, Ted Sommer, Kelly Souza, Erwin Van Nieuwenhuyse
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Non-USGS Publications**

Sommer, T., A. Mueller-Solger, 12 others. 2007. The collapse of pelagic fishes in the upper San Francisco Estuary. Fisheries 32(6): 270-276.
Park, S., Brett, M. T., Mueller-Solger, A., and C. R. Goldman. 2004. Climatic forcing and primary productivity in a subalpine lake: Interannual variability as a natural experiment. Limnology and Oceanography 49: 614-619.
Sommer, T.R., Mueller Solger, A., 3 others. 2004. Effects of flow variation on channel and floodplain biota and habitats of the Sacramento River, California, USA. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 14: 247–261.
Schemel, L.E., Sommer, T.R., Mueller-Solger, A., and W.C. Harrell. 2004. Hydrologic variability, water chemistry, and phytoplankton biomass in a large floodplain of the Sacramento River, CA, USA. Hydrobiologia 513: 129-139.
Jassby, A.D., Cloern, J. E., and A. Mueller-Solger. 2003. Phytoplankton and the food web in Delta waterways. California Agriculture 57: 104-109.
Mueller-Solger, A. B., A. D. Jassby, and D. C. Müller-Navarra. 2002. Nutritional quality of food resources for zooplankton (Daphnia) in a tidal freshwater system (Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, USA). Limnology and Oceanography 47:1468-1476.
Sobczak, W. V., J. E. Cloern, A. D. Jassby, and A. B. Mueller-Solger. 2002. Bioavailability of organic matter in a highly disturbed estuary: The role of detrital and algal resources. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99: 8101-8105. (Received ASLO Lindeman Award).
Shellito, C., K. Shea, G. Weissmann, A. Mueller-Solger, and W.E. Davis. 2001. Suggestions for successful mentoring of undergraduate researchers. Journal of College Science Teaching 30: 460-464.
Brett, M.T., F.S. Lubnow, M. Villar-Argaiz, C.R. Goldman and A. Mueller-Solger. 1998 Nutrient control of bacterioplankton and phytoplankton dynamics. Aquatic Ecology 33: 135-145.
Mueller-Solger, A., M.T. Brett, C. Luecke, J. Elser and C.R. Goldman. 1997. The effects of planktivorous fish (golden shiners) on the ciliate community of a mesotrophic lake. J. Plankton Res. 19(12):1815-1828.
Brett, M.T., K. Wiackowski, F.S. Lubnow, A. Mueller-Solger, J.J. Elser and C.R. Goldman. 1994. Species-dependent effects of zooplankton on planktonic ecosystem processes in Castle Lake, California. Ecology 75: 2243-2254.
Brett, M.T., A. Mueller-Solger, 5 others. 1993. Impact of a major soil fumigant spill on the planktonic ecosystem of Shasta Lake, California. Can. J. Fish. Aq. Sciences 52: 1247-1256.
Herbold, B., Moyle, P. B, Mueller–Solger, A., and T. Sommer, 2021. In Honor of Dr. Larry R. Brown. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2021v19iss2art1
Cloern, J. E., Kay, J. Kimmerer, W., Mount, J., Moyle, P. and A. Mueller–Solger, 2017. Water Wasted to the Sea? San Francisco Estuary and Watershed, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2017v15iss2art1

**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

link
Lake Oroville showing extremely low water under the Enterprise Bridge during 2021 drought.

Drought in California

The USGS closely monitors the occurence and effects of drought through data collection and research. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information about long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. These studies support successful planning and science-based decision-making by water managers who must address complex issues and...
By
California Water Science Center, Land Subsidence in California
link

Drought in California

The USGS closely monitors the occurence and effects of drought through data collection and research. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information about long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. These studies support successful planning and science-based decision-making by water managers who must address complex issues and...
Learn More
link
CAWSC hydrologist John Izbicki and T.J. Kim, Chief Engineer for the LA County Department of Public Works, discuss a recharge-pon

Science Programs and Partnerships

The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
By
California Water Science Center
link

Science Programs and Partnerships

The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
Learn More

A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies

Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized hydrologic and e
Authors
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Final report on the assessment of the U.S. Geological Survey’s bureauwide Research Grade Evaluation (RGE) process

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) formed the internal Research Grade Evaluation (RGE) Review Team in May 2017. The Team undertook a 2-year comprehensive review of RGE practices and policies at the USGS that included (1) the first-ever quantitative assessment of the USGS workforce evaluated under the RGE process, (2) a benchmarking meet­ing in March 2018 of the USGS and 11 other Federal science age
Authors
By
Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Changing nitrogen inputs to the northern San Francisco Estuary: Potential ecosystem responses and opportunities for investigation

Anthropogenic activities have resulted in elevated ambient nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in many regions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Bay (northern San Francisco Estuary, (nSFE). The Sacramento Regional wastewater treatment plant (SRWTP WWTP) currently acts as the largest N point source to the system, discharging 13,000-15,000 kg/d of ammonium-N (NH4) near the nS
Authors
David Senn, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Amy Richey, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Larry R. Brown, Louise Conrad, Christopher A. Francis, Wim Kimmerer, Raphael Kudela, Timothy G. Otten, Alexander E. Parker, April Robinson, Anke Mueller-Solger, Dylan Stern, Janet Thompson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Prioritizing river basins for intensive monitoring and assessment by the US Geological Survey

The US Geological Survey (USGS) is currently (2020) integrating its water science programs to better address the nation’s greatest water resource challenges now and into the future. This integration will rely, in part, on data from 10 or more intensively monitored river basins from across the USA. A team of USGS scientists was convened to develop a systematic, quantitative approach to prioritize c
Authors
Peter C. Van Metre, Sharon L. Qi, Jeffrey R. Deacon, Cheryl A. Dieter, Jessica M. Driscoll, Michael N. Fienen, Terry A. Kenney, Patrick M. Lambert, David P. Lesmes, Christopher Allen Mason, Anke Mueller-Solger, MaryLynn Musgrove, Jaime A. Painter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Lori A. Sprague, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, David M. Wolock
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wildland Fire Science

Food webs of the Delta, Suisun Bay and Suisun Marsh: an update on current understanding and possibilities for management

This paper reviews and highlights recent research findings on foodweb processes since an earlier review by Kimmerer et al. (2008). We conduct this review within a conceptual framework of the Delta-Suisun food web, which includes both temporal and spatial components. The temporal component is based on knowledge that the landscape has changed markedly from historical conditions. The spatial componen
Authors
Larry R. Brown, Wim J. Kimmerer, Louise Conrad, Sarah Lesmeister, Anke Mueller-Solger
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Primary production in the Delta: Then and now

To evaluate the role of restoration in the recovery of the Delta ecosystem, we need to have clear targets and performance measures that directly assess ecosystem function. Primary production is a crucial ecosystem process, which directly limits the quality and quantity of food available for secondary consumers such as invertebrates and fish. The Delta has a low rate of primary production, but it i
Authors
James E. Cloern, April Robinson, Amy Richey, Letitia Grenier, Robin Grossinger, Katharyn E. Boyer, Jon Burau, Elizabeth A. Canuel, John F. DeGeorge, Judith Z. Drexler, Chris Enright, Emily R. Howe, Ronald Kneib, Anke Mueller-Solger, Robert J. Naiman, James L. Pinckney, Samuel M. Safran, David H. Schoellhamer, Charles A. Simenstad
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Primary production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A science strategy to quantify change and identify future potential

No abstract available.
Authors
April Robinson, Amy Richey, James E. Cloern, Katharyn E. Boyer, Jon Burau, Elizabeth A. Canuel, John F. DeGeorge, Judith Z. Drexler, E. R. Howe, Ronald Kneib, Anke Mueller-Solger, James L. Pinckney, Robert J. Naiman, David H. Schoellhamer, Charles A. Simenstad
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Synthesis of studies in the fall low-salinity zone of the San Francisco Estuary, September-December 2011

In fall 2011, a large-scale investigation (fall low-salinity habitat investigation) was implemented by the Bureau of Reclamation in cooperation with the Interagency Ecological Program to explore hypotheses about the ecological role of low-salinity habitat in the San Francisco Estuary—specifically, hypotheses about the importance of fall low-salinity habitat to the biology of delta smelt Hypomesus
Authors
Larry R. Brown, Randall Baxter, Gonzalo Castillo, Louise Conrad, Steven Culberson, Gregg Erickson, Frederick Feyrer, Stephanie Fong, Karen Gehrts, Lenny Grimaldo, Bruce Herbold, Joseph Kirsch, Anke Mueller-Solger, Steven B. Slater, Ted Sommer, Kelly Souza, Erwin Van Nieuwenhuyse
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Non-USGS Publications**

Sommer, T., A. Mueller-Solger, 12 others. 2007. The collapse of pelagic fishes in the upper San Francisco Estuary. Fisheries 32(6): 270-276.
Park, S., Brett, M. T., Mueller-Solger, A., and C. R. Goldman. 2004. Climatic forcing and primary productivity in a subalpine lake: Interannual variability as a natural experiment. Limnology and Oceanography 49: 614-619.
Sommer, T.R., Mueller Solger, A., 3 others. 2004. Effects of flow variation on channel and floodplain biota and habitats of the Sacramento River, California, USA. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 14: 247–261.
Schemel, L.E., Sommer, T.R., Mueller-Solger, A., and W.C. Harrell. 2004. Hydrologic variability, water chemistry, and phytoplankton biomass in a large floodplain of the Sacramento River, CA, USA. Hydrobiologia 513: 129-139.
Jassby, A.D., Cloern, J. E., and A. Mueller-Solger. 2003. Phytoplankton and the food web in Delta waterways. California Agriculture 57: 104-109.
Mueller-Solger, A. B., A. D. Jassby, and D. C. Müller-Navarra. 2002. Nutritional quality of food resources for zooplankton (Daphnia) in a tidal freshwater system (Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, USA). Limnology and Oceanography 47:1468-1476.
Sobczak, W. V., J. E. Cloern, A. D. Jassby, and A. B. Mueller-Solger. 2002. Bioavailability of organic matter in a highly disturbed estuary: The role of detrital and algal resources. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99: 8101-8105. (Received ASLO Lindeman Award).
Shellito, C., K. Shea, G. Weissmann, A. Mueller-Solger, and W.E. Davis. 2001. Suggestions for successful mentoring of undergraduate researchers. Journal of College Science Teaching 30: 460-464.
Brett, M.T., F.S. Lubnow, M. Villar-Argaiz, C.R. Goldman and A. Mueller-Solger. 1998 Nutrient control of bacterioplankton and phytoplankton dynamics. Aquatic Ecology 33: 135-145.
Mueller-Solger, A., M.T. Brett, C. Luecke, J. Elser and C.R. Goldman. 1997. The effects of planktivorous fish (golden shiners) on the ciliate community of a mesotrophic lake. J. Plankton Res. 19(12):1815-1828.
Brett, M.T., K. Wiackowski, F.S. Lubnow, A. Mueller-Solger, J.J. Elser and C.R. Goldman. 1994. Species-dependent effects of zooplankton on planktonic ecosystem processes in Castle Lake, California. Ecology 75: 2243-2254.
Brett, M.T., A. Mueller-Solger, 5 others. 1993. Impact of a major soil fumigant spill on the planktonic ecosystem of Shasta Lake, California. Can. J. Fish. Aq. Sciences 52: 1247-1256.
Herbold, B., Moyle, P. B, Mueller–Solger, A., and T. Sommer, 2021. In Honor of Dr. Larry R. Brown. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2021v19iss2art1
Cloern, J. E., Kay, J. Kimmerer, W., Mount, J., Moyle, P. and A. Mueller–Solger, 2017. Water Wasted to the Sea? San Francisco Estuary and Watershed, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2017v15iss2art1

**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.