Cliff Hupp
Cliff Hupp is a Scientist Emeritus at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center.
Dr. Cliff R. Hupp is the Lead Scientist of the Vegetation and Hydrogeomorphology Project of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Research Program in Reston, Virginia, where he has been since 1978. Presently, he is the Research Advisor for the Geomorphology and Sediment Transport Group. He has investigated fluvial geomorphology and riparian vegetation ecology in relation to landforms and hydrologic processes for 35 years. Additional research includes studies on forested wetland biogeochemistry, channel evolution, floodplain processes and forms, sedimentation dynamics, and carbon sequestration in riparian ecosystems in the U.S. and Europe.
C.R. Hupp's background is in both plant ecology and fluvial geomorphology, and importantly the transition area(s) between these two fields. Specific areas include: vegetation patterns (species distribution) in the face of hydrogeomorphic form and process, dynamic equilibrium in fluvial (and occasionally hillslope) systems, sediment deposition and erosion in riparian areas (in channel and on floodplains), wetland hydrogeomorphic interactions with plant ecology, channel/riparian zone evolution, eco-hydrogeomorphic impacts from human alteration, organic material (carbon) dynamics in biogeochemical based studies, dendrogeomorphology, large wood dynamics in lowland rivers, vegetation-derived channel/floodplain roughness, and once upon a time-- flood frequency/magnitude analyses. He has published widely in refereed papers of journals, books, and symposia proceedings. Cliff was a student of the late John T. Hack at the George Washington University, where he received his doctorate in 1984 in plant ecology and geomorphology. He received his M.S. degree from George Mason University in plant ecology (1979). Dr. Hupp is the 1993 recipient of the Ecological Society of America, W.C. Cooper Award for outstanding research in physiographic ecology. He received the U.S. Department of Interior Superior Service Award in 2006 and the Senior Research Award of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in 2010. He served as section editor for the ESA journals “Ecology” and “Ecological Monographs” from 1999 until 2009 and is co-editor of the Ecogeomorphology Volume of the Treatise in Geomorphology. This project’s research in the cross-disciplinary field of geomorphic forms and processes and vegetation ecology, particularly (but not limited to) in alluvial areas is recognized within the Division, the USGS, and worldwide as a leader in this field. A paper on riparian vegetation and fluvial geomorphology (Hupp and Osterkamp, 1996) is the third most frequently cited paper published in the journal Geomorphology. Since 1992 this project has greatly increased the number of wetlands studied for sedimentation rates, and has been instrumental in providing guidance to other researchers both inside and outside the USGS who have also dramatically increased this number. This has lead to a worldwide greater appreciatio
Science and Products
Science Summary—Sediment and Nutrient Trapping in the Flood Plain of Difficult Run, Virginia, and Implications for the Restoration of Chesapeake Bay
Hydrogeomorphic data along transitioning Coastal Plain rivers (Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers): implications for a rising sea level
Predictions of floodplain and streambank geomorphic change and flux of sediment and nutrients, and streambed characteristics, for stream reaches in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds
Physico-chemical characteristics and sediment and nutrient fluxes of floodplains, streambanks, and streambeds in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds
Data supporting the study to evaluate the effectiveness of floodplain reconnection on water quality functions along Pocomoke River, Maryland.
Floodplain sedimentation, bank erosion, and biogeochemical cycling of sediment and nutrients in Smith Creek (Virginia) 2012-2015
Hydrogeomorphic changes along mid-Atlantic coastal plain rivers transitioning from non-tidal to tidal: Implications for a rising sea level
Streambank and floodplain geomorphic change and contribution to watershed material budgets
Watershed and estuarine controls both influence plant community and tree growth changes in tidal freshwater forested wetlands along two U.S. mid-Atlantic rivers
Memorial to Waite Osterkamp 1939-2020
Sediment dynamics and implications for management: State of the science from long‐term research in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
The effects of restored hydrologic connectivity on floodplain trapping vs. release of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment along the Pocomoke River, Maryland USA
Sediment trapping and carbon sequestration in floodplains of the lower Atchafalaya Basin, LA: Allochthonous vs. autochthonous carbon sources
A method to quantify and value floodplain sediment and nutrient retention ecosystem services
Floodplains provide critical ecosystem services to local and downstream communities by retaining floodwaters, sediments, and nutrients. The dynamic nature of floodplains is such that these areas can both accumulate sediment and nutrients through deposition, and export material downstream through erosion. Therefore, estimating floodplain sediment and nutrient retention should consider the net flux
The role of the upper tidal estuary in wetland blue carbon storage and flux
Floodplain trapping and cycling compared to streambank erosion of sediment and nutrients in an agricultural watershed
Flood effects provide evidence of an alternate stable state from dam management on the Upper Missouri River
Assessment of transfer patterns and origins of in-channel wood in large rivers using repeated field surveys and wood characterisation (the Isère River upstream of Pontcharra, France)
Science and Products
Science Summary—Sediment and Nutrient Trapping in the Flood Plain of Difficult Run, Virginia, and Implications for the Restoration of Chesapeake Bay
Hydrogeomorphic data along transitioning Coastal Plain rivers (Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers): implications for a rising sea level
Predictions of floodplain and streambank geomorphic change and flux of sediment and nutrients, and streambed characteristics, for stream reaches in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds
Physico-chemical characteristics and sediment and nutrient fluxes of floodplains, streambanks, and streambeds in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds
Data supporting the study to evaluate the effectiveness of floodplain reconnection on water quality functions along Pocomoke River, Maryland.
Floodplain sedimentation, bank erosion, and biogeochemical cycling of sediment and nutrients in Smith Creek (Virginia) 2012-2015
Hydrogeomorphic changes along mid-Atlantic coastal plain rivers transitioning from non-tidal to tidal: Implications for a rising sea level
Streambank and floodplain geomorphic change and contribution to watershed material budgets
Watershed and estuarine controls both influence plant community and tree growth changes in tidal freshwater forested wetlands along two U.S. mid-Atlantic rivers
Memorial to Waite Osterkamp 1939-2020
Sediment dynamics and implications for management: State of the science from long‐term research in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
The effects of restored hydrologic connectivity on floodplain trapping vs. release of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment along the Pocomoke River, Maryland USA
Sediment trapping and carbon sequestration in floodplains of the lower Atchafalaya Basin, LA: Allochthonous vs. autochthonous carbon sources
A method to quantify and value floodplain sediment and nutrient retention ecosystem services
Floodplains provide critical ecosystem services to local and downstream communities by retaining floodwaters, sediments, and nutrients. The dynamic nature of floodplains is such that these areas can both accumulate sediment and nutrients through deposition, and export material downstream through erosion. Therefore, estimating floodplain sediment and nutrient retention should consider the net flux