Jessica Z LeRoy, Ph.D.
Dr. Jessica Z LeRoy is interested in applying concepts and techniques from geomorphology and hydrodynamics to help solve real-world problems such as erosion hazards and aquatic invasive species in rivers and lakes.
Jessica's graduate research focused on chute cutoff events on meandering rivers and also included studies on the hydraulic geometry of channels in low gravity environments (e.g., submarine channels and Martian channel features) and the sedimentology of very fine-grained meandering rivers. Jessica joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a Pathways Student Trainee in September 2015 and became a full time Hydrologist in May 2016. Since joining the USGS, she has participated in applied research aimed at mitigating the spread of invasive carps (bighead, silver, and grass carp), as well as projects focusing on scour at bridge piers, beach replenishment, and reservoir sedimentation. She has expertise in using hydroacoustic methods to measure water velocities and bathymetry. She is also currently working on the River Corridors high-value data theme of the National Hydrologic Geospatial Fabric project and is the lead of the CDI Geomorphology Focus Group.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Physical Geography, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dissertation: "From meander bend to oxbow lake: Morphodynamics and sedimentology of chute cutoffs", 2016
M.S. in Physical Geography, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Thesis: "Extreme sediment pulses generated by bend cutoffs along a large meandering river", 2011
B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Earth Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2009
Science and Products
Water Level, Temperature, and Bathymetry of the Grand Calumet River, Indiana-Illinois, 2017
Velocity measurements around the sill bubble curtain in Peoria Lock on the Illinois River, Illinois, September 17-18, 2019
Bathymetric and water quality data on the Sandusky River between Tiffin and Fremont, Ohio, November 4-7, 2019
Velocity, Discharge, and Dye Concentrations During a Dye Tracer Study on the Lower Sandusky River, Ohio, July 11-13, 2017
Bathymetric and supporting data for Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, 2018
Water velocity profiling at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully-loaded commercial tows in August 2017
USGS bathymetric and hydrodynamic survey of Lake Michigan nearshore near Ogden Dunes/Burns Harbor, Indiana
Velocity profiling at the US Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully loaded commercial tows
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
Water Level, Temperature, and Bathymetry of the Grand Calumet River, Indiana-Illinois, 2017
Velocity measurements around the sill bubble curtain in Peoria Lock on the Illinois River, Illinois, September 17-18, 2019
Bathymetric and water quality data on the Sandusky River between Tiffin and Fremont, Ohio, November 4-7, 2019
Velocity, Discharge, and Dye Concentrations During a Dye Tracer Study on the Lower Sandusky River, Ohio, July 11-13, 2017
Bathymetric and supporting data for Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, 2018
Water velocity profiling at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully-loaded commercial tows in August 2017
USGS bathymetric and hydrodynamic survey of Lake Michigan nearshore near Ogden Dunes/Burns Harbor, Indiana
Velocity profiling at the US Army Corps of Engineers Electric Dispersal Barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during passage of fully loaded commercial tows
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.