Andrew T Leaf
Andrew Leaf is a Hydrologist at the Upper Midwest Water Science Center.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- groundwater flow modeling
- simulation of groundwater-surface water interactions
- model calibration / parameter estimation
- application of GIS and the python programming language to hydrologic modeling and data analysis
- distributed temperature sensing
CURRENT PROJECTS
- Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) Regional Water Availability Study
- FloPy
- Central Sands Lake Study
- Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System Regional Groundwater Availability Study
- rOpen - Open landscape nitrate retention mapping
- Groundwater-surface water interactions in the Bad River Watershed, Wisconsin.
- Field investigation of Haskell Lake water balance and subsurface lithology, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, WI.
- Other project and science support, teaching, and outreach as requested
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Reviewer for Groundwater, Water Resources Research, Geophysical Research Letters, Environmental Modeling and Software and various USGS publications.
2016 to present - Member, State of Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council Research and Monitoring Subcommittee
2015 to present - American Water Resources Association Wisconsin Section Board (President Elect)
TEACHING
GW1774-Introduction to Python for Hydrologic Modeling - USGS course given to government and academic professionals, Feb 26-Mar 2, 2018, Lakewood, CO, Co-instructors: M.N. Fienen, J. D. Hughes, and C.D Langevin; April 4-8, 2016 Madison, WI. Co-instructors: M.N. Fienen and J. D. Hughes
General Python course given to DOI scientists at the California Volcano Observatory, Menlo Park, CA, July 25-28, 2017. Co-instructor: M.N. Fienen
Geospatial Python course given to DOI scientists at the Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center in La Crosse, WI, Nov. 15-17, 2017. Co-instructor: M.N. Fienen
Understanding and Evaluating Groundwater Flow Models course given to EPA and tribal environmental staff, March 8-9, 2015, Fond du Lac, MN and April 6-8, Chicago, IL. Co-instructors: D.T. Feinstein and R.J. Hunt.
CODE/SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Contributor to FloPy, SFRmaker and other open-source software projects for improving the quality, reproducibility and efficiency of hydrologic models (https://github.com/aleaf)
Professional Experience
2012 - present Hydrologist, USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center
2010 - 2012 Hydrogeologist, SoundEarth Strategies, Inc., Seattle, WA
2007 - 2010 Research/Teaching Assistant, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dept. of Geoscience
Education and Certifications
M.S., Hydrogeology - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010
M.S., Water Resources Management - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010
B.A., Geology and History - Gustavus Adolphus College, 2005
Abstracts and Presentations
Leaf, A.; Breaker, B.; Adams, R.; Dietsch, B., 2018. Improving Numerical Simulation of Streams and Shallow Groundwater in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Water Resources Conference, Jackson, MS, April 3-4.
Leaf, A.T., 2018. A Field Investigation of a Small Drainage Lake and Contamination Plume in Northern Wisconsin, AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Appleton, WI, March 8-9.
Leaf, Andrew T., Hunt, R.J., Christiansen, D.E., and Haj, A.E., 2017, Promise and peril of calibrating a high resolution gridded regional watershed model, MODFLOW and More conference, Golden, CO, May 21-24, 2017.
Leaf, Andrew T., Fienen, M.N, White, J.T. and Hunt, R.J., 2017, Data worth analysis for optimizing data collection for groundwater models, Minnesota Groundwater Association Spring Conference, Minneapolis, MN, April 26.
Leaf, A.T., 2017, A Distributed Temperature Sensing Investigation to Inform Lakebed Pore-Water Sampling. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Elkhart Lake, WI, March 9-10.
Leaf, A.T., 2015, A program for rapidly building groundwater flow models. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Oconomowoc, WI, March 5-6.
Leaf, A.T., Gotkowitz, M.B. and Dunning, C.P., A groundwater flow model for Columbia County, Wisconsin. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Brookfield, WI, March 7-8, 2014.
Leaf, A.T., Hunt, R.J. and Fienen, M.N., Teaching concepts of non-uniqueness and uncertainty in groundwater. GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO. October 27-30, 2013.
Leaf, A.T., Fienen, M.N. and Hunt, R.J., Prediction uncertainty analysis to inform additional data collection. MODFLOW and More conference, Golden, CO, June 3-5, 2013.
Leaf, A.T., M.N. Fienen, and R.J. Hunt, Simulation of groundwater flow and groundwater/surface water interactions in the Bad River Watershed, Wisconsin, AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Brookfield, WI, March 7-8, 2013.
Leaf, A.T., Hart, D.J. and Bahr, J.M., Single-well thermal tracer tests using distributed temperature sensing, GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, October 31-November 3, 2010.
Leaf, A.T. and J.M. Bahr, Water quality changes during aquifer storage recovery in the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer, Oak Creek, WI, GSA Annual Meeting, Houston, TX, October 5-9, 2008. (Co-winner, Best Student Paper)
Science and Products
SFRmaker and Linesink-Maker: Rapid construction of streamflow routing networks from hydrography data
Hydrology of Haskell Lake and investigation of a groundwater contamination plume, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Wisconsin
A distributed temperature sensing investigation of groundwater discharge to Haskell Lake, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Wisconsin, July 27–August 1, 2016
Simulation of the regional groundwater-flow system in the St. Louis River basin, Minnesota
Characterization of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin: Washburn/Great Divide Unit
Characterization of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin: Nicolet Unit
Characterization of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin: Medford Unit
Using models to identify the best data: An example from northern Wisconsin
Groundwater flow model for the Little Plover River basin in Wisconsin’s Central Sands
Simulation of climate change effects on streamflow, groundwater, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP in the Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin
Groundwater/surface-water interactions in the Bad River Watershed, Wisconsin
PESTools – A Python toolkit for processing PEST-related information
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
SFRmaker and Linesink-Maker: Rapid construction of streamflow routing networks from hydrography data
Hydrology of Haskell Lake and investigation of a groundwater contamination plume, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Wisconsin
A distributed temperature sensing investigation of groundwater discharge to Haskell Lake, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Wisconsin, July 27–August 1, 2016
Simulation of the regional groundwater-flow system in the St. Louis River basin, Minnesota
Characterization of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin: Washburn/Great Divide Unit
Characterization of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin: Nicolet Unit
Characterization of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin: Medford Unit
Using models to identify the best data: An example from northern Wisconsin
Groundwater flow model for the Little Plover River basin in Wisconsin’s Central Sands
Simulation of climate change effects on streamflow, groundwater, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP in the Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin
Groundwater/surface-water interactions in the Bad River Watershed, Wisconsin
PESTools – A Python toolkit for processing PEST-related information
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.