Pamela Lombard
Pamela Lombard is a Supervisory Hydrologist in the New England Water Science Center.
She currently works on surface water hydrology issues such as streamflow statistics, hydraulic modeling, flood documentation and mapping, water availability/wateruse, and drought, and leads the hydraulic modeling team at the center.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
December 2023 Flood in Maine
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is conducting a study to characterize the magnitude and extent of the December 18-21, 2023 Flood in various portions of the State of Maine.
July 2023 Flood in Vermont
From July 9 through July 12, 2023, 3 to 9 inches of rain fell within 48 hours across the state of Vermont, causing catastrophic flooding and millions of dollars in damage. The high amount of rain caused several rivers to peak at record levels, in some cases exceeding records set during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.
Stream Flood Vulnerability Assessment at Acadia National Park
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with Acadia National Park, is assessing the vulnerability of the park’s streams, culverts, and bridges to flood damage and erosion using design flows for selected high streamflow recurrence intervals to inform management decisions on infrastructure upgrades.
Water Resources Inventory and Assessment at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is compiling and evaluating all known water resources, and documented infrastructure associated with these resources, within the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and contributing associated watersheds.
Evaluation of Lakes and Impoundments Drought Index for the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan
Lake and impoundment levels are used for calculating a drought severity index.
Developing Synthetic Historical Record at Groundwater Wells Using Record Extension Techniques
The Groundwater Index in the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan provides a general overview of groundwater levels relative to long-term groundwater levels in Massachusetts. The methods used to compute the Groundwater Index were revised for the 2019 version of the Drought Management Plan. The 2019 plan aligns the drought categories and specifies the drought status from select percentile ranges...
New England Lidar-Derived Hydrography Project
High-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data from USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) has unlocked the potential to derive new and innovative hydrography datasets such as the USGS next generation 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP) that can be used for many hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling applications. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mapping partners require elevation and...
Characterizing Future Flood Flows for Flood Insurance Studies
Current methods of flood-frequency analyses for flood insurance studies assume that the statistical distribution of data from past observations will continue unchanged in the future. This is known as the assumption of stationarity. This assumption allows scientists to estimate flood magnitude and frequency based on past records and the expectation that those estimates will represent current and...
Characterizing Future Climate and Hydrology in Massachusetts using Stochastic Modeling Methods
Communities across Massachusetts may face potential consequences of climate change, ranging from more extreme rainfall to more pronounced and frequent droughts. Climate change could alter the state’s hydrology in potentially complex and unanticipated ways. Typical approaches for projecting hydrologic risk under climate change can misrepresent and underestimate the variability of climate and...
The Impact of Climate Change on Culturally Significant Wetland Plants and Their Habitat in the Meduxnekeag River Watershed in Maine
Wetland plants are important to Wabanaki people in Maine and are central to Houlton Band of Maliseet Indian (HBMI) identity. HBMI peoples have harvested culturally important plants within the Meduxnekeag watershed for generations. Basket making and medicinal plant harvesting are forms of cultural preservation that are also important to Tribal economies. Projections for climate change in...
Flood Documentation and Inundation Mapping of the January and March 2018 Nor’easters in Coastal Massachusetts
2018 Nor’easters in Coastal Massachusetts
Applied Hydrology Program
The mission of the Applied Hydrology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center (WSC) is to support water resource managers, stakeholders, and policy makers with the hydrologic data, interpretation, and tools they need to manage and make critical decisions about water resources throughout New England. This program is divided into two broad sections: the Hydrology...
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
December 2023 Flood in Maine
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is conducting a study to characterize the magnitude and extent of the December 18-21, 2023 Flood in various portions of the State of Maine.
July 2023 Flood in Vermont
From July 9 through July 12, 2023, 3 to 9 inches of rain fell within 48 hours across the state of Vermont, causing catastrophic flooding and millions of dollars in damage. The high amount of rain caused several rivers to peak at record levels, in some cases exceeding records set during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.
Stream Flood Vulnerability Assessment at Acadia National Park
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with Acadia National Park, is assessing the vulnerability of the park’s streams, culverts, and bridges to flood damage and erosion using design flows for selected high streamflow recurrence intervals to inform management decisions on infrastructure upgrades.
Water Resources Inventory and Assessment at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is compiling and evaluating all known water resources, and documented infrastructure associated with these resources, within the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and contributing associated watersheds.
Evaluation of Lakes and Impoundments Drought Index for the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan
Lake and impoundment levels are used for calculating a drought severity index.
Developing Synthetic Historical Record at Groundwater Wells Using Record Extension Techniques
The Groundwater Index in the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan provides a general overview of groundwater levels relative to long-term groundwater levels in Massachusetts. The methods used to compute the Groundwater Index were revised for the 2019 version of the Drought Management Plan. The 2019 plan aligns the drought categories and specifies the drought status from select percentile ranges...
New England Lidar-Derived Hydrography Project
High-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data from USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) has unlocked the potential to derive new and innovative hydrography datasets such as the USGS next generation 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP) that can be used for many hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling applications. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mapping partners require elevation and...
Characterizing Future Flood Flows for Flood Insurance Studies
Current methods of flood-frequency analyses for flood insurance studies assume that the statistical distribution of data from past observations will continue unchanged in the future. This is known as the assumption of stationarity. This assumption allows scientists to estimate flood magnitude and frequency based on past records and the expectation that those estimates will represent current and...
Characterizing Future Climate and Hydrology in Massachusetts using Stochastic Modeling Methods
Communities across Massachusetts may face potential consequences of climate change, ranging from more extreme rainfall to more pronounced and frequent droughts. Climate change could alter the state’s hydrology in potentially complex and unanticipated ways. Typical approaches for projecting hydrologic risk under climate change can misrepresent and underestimate the variability of climate and...
The Impact of Climate Change on Culturally Significant Wetland Plants and Their Habitat in the Meduxnekeag River Watershed in Maine
Wetland plants are important to Wabanaki people in Maine and are central to Houlton Band of Maliseet Indian (HBMI) identity. HBMI peoples have harvested culturally important plants within the Meduxnekeag watershed for generations. Basket making and medicinal plant harvesting are forms of cultural preservation that are also important to Tribal economies. Projections for climate change in...
Flood Documentation and Inundation Mapping of the January and March 2018 Nor’easters in Coastal Massachusetts
2018 Nor’easters in Coastal Massachusetts
Applied Hydrology Program
The mission of the Applied Hydrology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center (WSC) is to support water resource managers, stakeholders, and policy makers with the hydrologic data, interpretation, and tools they need to manage and make critical decisions about water resources throughout New England. This program is divided into two broad sections: the Hydrology...