Richard Webb
Rick Webb is a research hydrologist with the Earth System Processes Division in the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Mission Area.
Biography
Rick grew up on the shores of the Atlantic and later the Great Lakes. Beaches, jellyfish, hurricanes, and alewive dieoffs all left indelible memories that helped shape Rick's career studying waters both salty and fresh. As an undergraduate physical scientist working for NOAA, Rick deployed current meters in Lake Erie. After graduating with a BS in marine geology in 1982, Rick landed on the island of Puerto Rico for a two week vacation. The two week vacation turned into an eighteen year tenure with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Geological Survey during which he studied anthropogenic impacts on coastal waters and upland watersheds. In 1999, Rick and his family moved to Denver, Colorado to better understand fundamental processes driving water and solutes through watersheds from the continental divide to tropical rain forests. Current projects include Reaction-Transport Modeling in Groundwater and Watershed Systems and the Shingobee Headwaters Aquatic Ecosystems Project (SHAEP).
Career Plans and Objectives
As a steward of the environment, I work with colleagues to understand the processes that 1) shape the surface of the earth and 2) change the composition of the water. This information can then be used to evaluate and manage our limited resources. Most challenging is the need to compile and synthesize a wide array of data from multiple sources. This may involve state-of-the-art signal processing or using a sextant to better locate a study site. My background and interests are centered on the premise of understanding the global picture while attempting to solve local problems in our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
Professional Experience
1999-present: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Mission Area
1990-1999: Hydrologist. U.S. Geological Survey, Caribbean Water Science Center
1988-1990: Marine Geologist. U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology
1982-1985: Marine Geologist. Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources
Education and Certifications
Master of Science in Physical Oceanography (received, May 1987) Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies University of Michigan (Regent's Fellowship awarded both years)
Bachelor of Science in Oceanography - Geological Option (received, May 1982) Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences College of Engineering University of Michigan
Science and Products
Potential effects of runoff, fluvial sediment, and nutrient discharges on the coral reefs of Puerto Rico
Coral reefs, the foundation and primary structure of many highly productive and diverse tropical marine ecosystems, have been degraded by human activity in much of the earth's tropical oceans. To contribute to improved understanding of this problem, the potential relation between river sediment and nutrient discharges and degradation of coral reefs surrounding Puerto Rico was studied using streamf
Using a coupled groundwater/surface-water model to predict climate-change impacts to lakes in the Trout Lake Watershed, northern Wisconsin
Pesticide fate and transport throughout unsaturated zones in five agricultural settings, USA
Simulated fate and transport of metolachlor in the unsaturated zone, Maryland, USA
Variations in pesticide leaching related to land use, pesticide properties, and unsaturated zone thickness
Land-use effects on erosion, sediment yields, and reservoir sedimentation: A case study in the Lago Loiza Basin, Puerto Rico
Water and solute mass balance of five small, relatively undisturbed watersheds in the U.S.
Water, sediment, and nutrient discharge characteristics of Puerto Rico rivers and their potential influence on coral reefs
Ground water occurrence and contributions to streamflow in an alpine catchment, Colorado Front Range
Application of XTOP_PRMS model in Green Lakes Valley, Colorado front range: Runoff simulation and flowpath identification
Assessment of the habitats, biota, sediments, and water quality near the discharge of primary-treated effluent from the Mayaguez Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, Bahia de Anasco, Puerto Rico
Sedimentation survey of Lago La Plata, Puerto Rico, October 1998
Science and Products
Potential effects of runoff, fluvial sediment, and nutrient discharges on the coral reefs of Puerto Rico
Coral reefs, the foundation and primary structure of many highly productive and diverse tropical marine ecosystems, have been degraded by human activity in much of the earth's tropical oceans. To contribute to improved understanding of this problem, the potential relation between river sediment and nutrient discharges and degradation of coral reefs surrounding Puerto Rico was studied using streamf