Jonathan Kennen
Jonathan has worked throughout his career to advance ecological and ecohydrological science as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA), National Water Census (NWC), Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) and Integrated Water Prediction (IWP) Program.
Dr. Kennen currently conducts and coordinates a highly diverse range of research to address the informational needs of the USGS, its partners, state agencies and NGOs. His research is centered on three primary areas: 1) evaluating the effects of hydrologic modification on stream assemblages, 2) assessing the effects of anthropogenic activities on aquatic ecosystem structure and function and 3) modeling flow alteration-ecology response relations. He is a co-developer of the USGS Hydroecological Integrity Assessment (HIT) Process which implements a set of tools for setting environmental-flow standards and comparing past and proposed streamflow alterations. Other ongoing research efforts include assessing the effects of water-supply development on aquatic assemblages, modeling the responses of stream macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages to land use changes, evaluating methods to support TMDL processes using hydrologic modification as a surrogate for aquatic life impairment, assessing ecological trends, and evaluating the effects of climate change on hydrological and ecological response. Dr. Kennen also represents the U.S. Geological Survey on multi-agency technical advisory committees addressing complex ecological, hydrological, water-quality, management, and natural resource issues and currently serves on the New Jersey Science Advisory Board (Ecological Processes Committee) and the Advisory Council for the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute.
Professional Experience
2010-present, Member of New Jersey Science Advisory Board (Ecological Processes Committee).
2007, Co-developer of the USGS Hydroecological Integrity Assessment (HIT) Process which implements a set of tools for setting environmental-flow standards, and comparing past and proposed streamflow alterations.
2003-present, Member of New Jersey IBI Technical Advisory Committee.
2002-present, Member of Advisory Council of the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute.
1996-present, Member of the Interagency Macroinvertebrate Biomonitoring Workgroup.
Referee for various journals including: Society for Freshwater Science, Ecohydrology, Freshwater Biology, Ecological Modelling, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, and American Water Resources Association.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Fisheries Biology, SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
M.S. Aquatic Entomology, SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
B.S. Biology, Longwood College, Farmville, VA
A.A. Liberal Arts, Suffolk Community College Selden, New York Professional Membership
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Freshwater Science
Sigma Xi
American Fisheries Society
American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists Professional Service
Science and Products
Aquatic ecosystems as indicators of status and trends in water quality
Method to support Total Maximum Daily Load development using hydrologic alteration as a surrogate to address aquatic life impairment in New Jersey streams
Progress toward establishing a national assessment of water availability and use
Predicting biological condition in southern California streams
Temporal changes in aquatic-invertebrate and fish assemblages in streams of the north-central and northeastern U.S.
Comparison of stream invertebrate response models for bioassessment metric
Temporal trends in algae, benthic invertebrate, and fish assemblages in streams and rivers draining basins of varying land use in the south-central United States, 1993-2007
Evaluating effects of potential changes in streamflow regime on fish and aquatic-invertebrate assemblages in the New Jersey Pinelands
The ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA): A new framework for developing regional environmental flow standards
Comparison of watershed disturbance predictive models for stream benthic macroinvertebrates for three distinct ecoregions in western US
Application of the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process for Missouri Streams
Use of an integrated flow model to estimate ecologically relevant hydrologic characteristics at stream biomonitoring sites
Science and Products
Aquatic ecosystems as indicators of status and trends in water quality
Method to support Total Maximum Daily Load development using hydrologic alteration as a surrogate to address aquatic life impairment in New Jersey streams
Progress toward establishing a national assessment of water availability and use
Predicting biological condition in southern California streams
Temporal changes in aquatic-invertebrate and fish assemblages in streams of the north-central and northeastern U.S.
Comparison of stream invertebrate response models for bioassessment metric
Temporal trends in algae, benthic invertebrate, and fish assemblages in streams and rivers draining basins of varying land use in the south-central United States, 1993-2007
Evaluating effects of potential changes in streamflow regime on fish and aquatic-invertebrate assemblages in the New Jersey Pinelands
The ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA): A new framework for developing regional environmental flow standards
Comparison of watershed disturbance predictive models for stream benthic macroinvertebrates for three distinct ecoregions in western US
Application of the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process for Missouri Streams
Use of an integrated flow model to estimate ecologically relevant hydrologic characteristics at stream biomonitoring sites
*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