David J Holtschlag, PStat
Starting in 1976, I have had a successful and enjoyable career as a hydrologist with the USGS. During more than 40 years, I participated in numerous field and research studies to characterize water resources in Michigan and parts of the Great Lakes. I am grateful and indebted to my colleagues for their professionalism, inspiration, and helpfulness.
David actively serves as an USGS Scientist Emeritus.
Professional Studies/Experience
Served as the Surface-Water Specialist for the USGS Michigan Water Science Center. Developed both 1- and 2-dimensional hydrodynamic models of surface-water bodies on the Great Lakes Waterway, Ohio River, and numerous rivers in Michigan. An unsteady 1-dimensional model of St. Clair River was developed to quantify changes in conveyance properties along individual reaches of the river using water-level gaging station data distributed throughout St. Clair River. A 2-dimensional model of St. Clair-Detroit River was developed to identify source areas to public-water intakes. A two-dimension model of the Ohio River was used to characterize flow and the dispersion of point discharge constituents based on a study using dye injections. Carried out flood frequency analysis and flood hydraulic analysis using standard models. Developed an Bayesian network model of multivariate water-quality constituents on the White River in Indiana to estimate an unmeasured subset of constituents based on an arbitrarily selected subset of measured constituents. Developed mixed effects statistical models to characterize the effects of irrigation, land use, precipitation, and temperature on selected basins in southwestern Michigan.
Mentorship/Outreach
Assisted early career hydrologists in the application of advanced statistical models including the mixed effects models and spatial models of hydrologic phenomena.
Current Interest
Development of state-space models to sequentially update parameter estimates of spline functions describing stage-discharge relations based on individual discrete-flow measurements. Apply Kalman filtering and smoothing to provide real-time and finalized estimates of the magnitudes and uncertainties of unit flow data based on unit stage data.
Education and Certifications
University of Missouri-Columbia, B.S.. in Forestry, 1974
University of Minnesota, M'S. Forest Hydrology, 1976
Michigan State University, M'S. System Science, 1990
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Statistical Association, Accredited Professional Statistician
Science and Products
Detection of conveyance changes in St. Clair River using historical water-level and flow data with inverse one-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling
A regression model for computing index flows describing the median flow for the summer month of lowest flow in Michigan
Environmental factors and flow paths related to Escherichia coli concentrations at two beaches on Lake St. Clair, Michigan, 2002–2005
Design of a national streamflow information program
Augmenting two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with measured velocity data to identify flow paths as a function of depth on Upper St. Clair River in the Great Lakes basin
Hydrodynamic simulation and particle-tracking techniques for identification of source areas to public-water intakes on the St. Clair-Detroit River waterway in the Great Lakes Basin
An acoustic doppler current profiler survey of flow velocities in St. Clair River, a connecting channel of the Great Lakes
An acoustic doppler current profiler survey of flow velocities in Detroit River, a connecting channel of the Great Lakes
A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the St. Clair-Detroit River waterway in the Great Lakes basin
Visualization of drifting buoy deployments on upper Detroit River within the Great Lakes Waterway from August 28-30, 2001
Flow distribution in selected branches of St. Clair and Detroit rivers
Visualization of a drifting buoy deployment on Lake St. Clair within the Great Lakes Waterway from August 12-15, 2002
Science and Products
Detection of conveyance changes in St. Clair River using historical water-level and flow data with inverse one-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling
A regression model for computing index flows describing the median flow for the summer month of lowest flow in Michigan
Environmental factors and flow paths related to Escherichia coli concentrations at two beaches on Lake St. Clair, Michigan, 2002–2005
Design of a national streamflow information program
Augmenting two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with measured velocity data to identify flow paths as a function of depth on Upper St. Clair River in the Great Lakes basin
Hydrodynamic simulation and particle-tracking techniques for identification of source areas to public-water intakes on the St. Clair-Detroit River waterway in the Great Lakes Basin
An acoustic doppler current profiler survey of flow velocities in St. Clair River, a connecting channel of the Great Lakes
An acoustic doppler current profiler survey of flow velocities in Detroit River, a connecting channel of the Great Lakes
A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the St. Clair-Detroit River waterway in the Great Lakes basin
Visualization of drifting buoy deployments on upper Detroit River within the Great Lakes Waterway from August 28-30, 2001
Flow distribution in selected branches of St. Clair and Detroit rivers
Visualization of a drifting buoy deployment on Lake St. Clair within the Great Lakes Waterway from August 12-15, 2002
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government