Robert Jacobson, PhD
Dr. Robert Jacobson is a Supervisory Research Hydrologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.
Dr. Robert B. Jacobson received his Ph.D. from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, and he holds an undergraduate degree in Geology from Carleton College. He has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey since 1983 in geologic hazards, neotectonics, paleoseismology, geomorphology, surficial processes and riverine habitat dynamics. He is the Chief of the River Studies Branch, where he supervises a staff of ecologists, fish biologists, geomorphologists and hydrologists engaged in interdisciplinary research in fundamental river processes, applied to pressing river management decisions.
Professional Experience
2009 - Present - Supervisory Research Hydrologist, Branch Chief, Project Chief. Supervises a team of approximately 30 ecologists, fish biologists, geomorphologists, and hydrologists engaged in interdisciplinary research in river ecosystems. My research efforts are directed toward decision-relevant information needs for management and restoration of large rivers, with an emphasis on the M
1997 – 2009 - Research Hydrologist and Principal Investigator, River Corridor Habitat Dynamics. Supervised a team of hydrologists and geomorphologists and collaborated with fish biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, and geographers engaged in interdisciplinary river research. Focus was on gravel-bed streams of the Ozark Plateaus and the highly engineered Lower Missouri River.
1989 – 1997 - Research Hydrologist, Project Chief, USGS, Rolla, Missouri. Research in surficial processes, emphasis on sediment routing through watersheds, formation and maintenance of aquatic habitat
1983 – 1989 - Research Geologist, USGS, Reston, Virginia. Research in surficial processes, emphasis on neotectonics, paleoseismology, Quaternary climate change, landslide and flood hazards, Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Appalachian mountains.
Education and Certifications
PhD – The Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering.
B.A. – Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. Magna cum laude with Department honors, in Geology.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 14
Filter Total Items: 142
Constraints on the geological history of the karst system in Southern Missouri, U.S.A. provided by radiogenic, cosmogenic and physical/chemical characteristics of doline fill
The Ozark Plateaus region of southern Missouri is underlain by dominantly carbonate marine platform rocks of Paleozoic age. The region has been sub-aerially exposed since the late Paleozoic and is characterized by extensive karst. To better understand the geologic history of this regional karst system, we examined the stratigraphic record preserved in the fill of a large doline near the...
Authors
David J. Waery, Richard W. Harrison, Robert B. Jacobson, Milan P. Javich, Shannon A. Mahan, David Wronkiewicz
Watershed sustainability: Downstream effects of timber harvest in the Ozarks of Missouri
The downstream effects of timber harvest in the Ozarks of Missouri can be evaluated by analogy to other geographic areas and by historical analysis of responses to past land use activities. Based on research from other geographic regions, timber harvest in the Ozarks would be expected to have minor effects on annual water yield and dissolved-phase water quality. The potential exists for...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson
Ecology for a crowded planet
Within the next 50 to 100 years, the support and maintenance of an extended human family of 8 to 11 billion people will be difficult at best. The authors of this Policy Forum describe changes that are required if we hope to meet the needs and aspirations of humans while improving the health of our planet's ecosystems. Problems as diverse as disease transmission and global climate change...
Authors
Margaret V. Palmer, Emily. S Bernhardt, Elizabeth Chornesky, Scott M. Collins, Andrew P. Dobson, Clifford S. Duke, Barry Gold, Robert B. Jacobson, Sharon E. Kingsland, Rhonda H. Kranz, Michael J. Mappin, M. Luisa Martinez, Fiorenza Micheli, Jennifer L. Morse, Michael Pace, Mercedes Pascual, Stephen S. Palumbi, O. J. Reichman, Ashley Simons, Alan R. Townsend, Monica L. Turner
Assessment of shallow-water habitat availability in modified dike structures, Lower Missouri River, 2004
This study documented the effects of wing-dike notching on the availability of shallow water habitat in the Lower Missouri River. Five wing dikes were surveyed in late May 2004 after they were notched in early May as part of shallow-water habitat (SWH) rehabilitation activities undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Surveys included high-resolution hydroacoustic depth, velocity...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott, Harold E. Johnson
Physical aquatic habitat assessment data, Ozark plateaus, Missouri and Arkansas
This report presents data from two related studies on physical habitat in small streams in the Ozark Plateaus Physiographic Province of Missouri and Arkansas. Seventy stream reaches and their contributing drainage basins were assessed using a physical habitat protocol designed to optimize understanding of how stream reach characteristics relate to drainage-basin characteristics. Drainage...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Harold E. Johnson, Joanna M. Reuter, Maria Panfil Wright
Physical aquatic habitat assessment, Fort Randall segment of the Missouri River, Nebraska and South Dakota
This study addressed habitat availability and use by endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the Fort Randall segment of the Missouri River. Physical aquatic habitat - depth, velocity, and substrate - was mapped in 15 sites in Augsust and October of 2002. Habitat assessments were compared with fish locations using radio telemetry. Results indicate that pallid sturgeon...
Authors
Caroline M. Elliott, Robert B. Jacobson, Aaron J. DeLonay
Physical habitat dynamics in four side-channel chutes, lower Missouri River
Construction of the side-channel chutes has become a popular means to rehabilitate habitate of the Lower Missouri River. We studied various aspects of hydrology, hydraulics, and geomorphology of four side-channel chutes to document a range of existing conditions in the Lower Missouri River. The Cranberry Bend side-channel chute has existed for at least 40 years and is an example of a...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Harold E. Johnson, Mark S. Laustrup, Gary J. D'Urso, Joanna M. Reuter
Geomorphic effects in levee-break complexes and implications for flood-damage assessment: Chapter 3.5
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson
Physical stream habitat dynamics in Lower Bear Creek, northern Arkansas
We evaluated the roles of geomorphic and hydrologic dynamics in determining physical stream habitat in Bear Creek, a stream with a 239 km2 drainage basin in the Ozark Plateaus (Ozarks) in northern Arkansas. During a relatively wet 12-month monitoring period, the geomorphology of Bear Creek was altered by a series of floods, including at least four floods with peak discharges exceeding a...
Authors
Joanna M. Reuter, Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott
Ecological dynamics of wetlands at Lisbon Bottom, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Missouri
The study documented the interaction between hydrology and the biological dynamics within a single spring season at Lisbon Bottom in 1999. The study goal was to provide information necessary for resource managers to develop management strategies for this and other units of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Researchers studied the hydrology, limnology, and biological...
Authors
Duane Chapman, Ellen A. Ehrhardt, James Fairchild, Robert B. Jacobson, Barry C. Poulton, Linda C. Sappington, Brian P. Kelly, William R. Mabee
Visualization of Flow Alternatives, Lower Missouri River
Background The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) 'Missouri River Master Water Control Manual' (Master Manual) review has resulted in consideration of many flow alternatives for managing the water in the river (COE, 2001; 1998a). The purpose of this report is to present flow-management alternative model results in a way that can be easily visualized and understood. This report was...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Jeanne Heuser
Habitat assessment, Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri
This report documents methods and results of aquatic habitat assessment in the Missouri River near Hermann, Missouri. The assessment is intended to improve understanding of spatial and temporal variability of aquatic habitat, including habitats thought to be critical for the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Physical aquatic habitat – depth, velocity, and substrate – was...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Mark S. Laustrup, Joanna M. Reuter
Non-USGS Publications**
Jacobson, R. B., 1986, Genesis and distribution of colluvium, Buffalo Creek Area, Marion County, West Virginia: Transportation Research Record, Transportation Research Board, v. 1089, p. 63-67.
Jacobson, R. B., and Coleman, D.J., 1986, Stratigraphy and recent evolution of Maryland Piedmont flood plains: American Journal of Science, v. 286, p. 617-637
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 14
Filter Total Items: 142
Constraints on the geological history of the karst system in Southern Missouri, U.S.A. provided by radiogenic, cosmogenic and physical/chemical characteristics of doline fill
The Ozark Plateaus region of southern Missouri is underlain by dominantly carbonate marine platform rocks of Paleozoic age. The region has been sub-aerially exposed since the late Paleozoic and is characterized by extensive karst. To better understand the geologic history of this regional karst system, we examined the stratigraphic record preserved in the fill of a large doline near the...
Authors
David J. Waery, Richard W. Harrison, Robert B. Jacobson, Milan P. Javich, Shannon A. Mahan, David Wronkiewicz
Watershed sustainability: Downstream effects of timber harvest in the Ozarks of Missouri
The downstream effects of timber harvest in the Ozarks of Missouri can be evaluated by analogy to other geographic areas and by historical analysis of responses to past land use activities. Based on research from other geographic regions, timber harvest in the Ozarks would be expected to have minor effects on annual water yield and dissolved-phase water quality. The potential exists for...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson
Ecology for a crowded planet
Within the next 50 to 100 years, the support and maintenance of an extended human family of 8 to 11 billion people will be difficult at best. The authors of this Policy Forum describe changes that are required if we hope to meet the needs and aspirations of humans while improving the health of our planet's ecosystems. Problems as diverse as disease transmission and global climate change...
Authors
Margaret V. Palmer, Emily. S Bernhardt, Elizabeth Chornesky, Scott M. Collins, Andrew P. Dobson, Clifford S. Duke, Barry Gold, Robert B. Jacobson, Sharon E. Kingsland, Rhonda H. Kranz, Michael J. Mappin, M. Luisa Martinez, Fiorenza Micheli, Jennifer L. Morse, Michael Pace, Mercedes Pascual, Stephen S. Palumbi, O. J. Reichman, Ashley Simons, Alan R. Townsend, Monica L. Turner
Assessment of shallow-water habitat availability in modified dike structures, Lower Missouri River, 2004
This study documented the effects of wing-dike notching on the availability of shallow water habitat in the Lower Missouri River. Five wing dikes were surveyed in late May 2004 after they were notched in early May as part of shallow-water habitat (SWH) rehabilitation activities undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Surveys included high-resolution hydroacoustic depth, velocity...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott, Harold E. Johnson
Physical aquatic habitat assessment data, Ozark plateaus, Missouri and Arkansas
This report presents data from two related studies on physical habitat in small streams in the Ozark Plateaus Physiographic Province of Missouri and Arkansas. Seventy stream reaches and their contributing drainage basins were assessed using a physical habitat protocol designed to optimize understanding of how stream reach characteristics relate to drainage-basin characteristics. Drainage...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Harold E. Johnson, Joanna M. Reuter, Maria Panfil Wright
Physical aquatic habitat assessment, Fort Randall segment of the Missouri River, Nebraska and South Dakota
This study addressed habitat availability and use by endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the Fort Randall segment of the Missouri River. Physical aquatic habitat - depth, velocity, and substrate - was mapped in 15 sites in Augsust and October of 2002. Habitat assessments were compared with fish locations using radio telemetry. Results indicate that pallid sturgeon...
Authors
Caroline M. Elliott, Robert B. Jacobson, Aaron J. DeLonay
Physical habitat dynamics in four side-channel chutes, lower Missouri River
Construction of the side-channel chutes has become a popular means to rehabilitate habitate of the Lower Missouri River. We studied various aspects of hydrology, hydraulics, and geomorphology of four side-channel chutes to document a range of existing conditions in the Lower Missouri River. The Cranberry Bend side-channel chute has existed for at least 40 years and is an example of a...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Harold E. Johnson, Mark S. Laustrup, Gary J. D'Urso, Joanna M. Reuter
Geomorphic effects in levee-break complexes and implications for flood-damage assessment: Chapter 3.5
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson
Physical stream habitat dynamics in Lower Bear Creek, northern Arkansas
We evaluated the roles of geomorphic and hydrologic dynamics in determining physical stream habitat in Bear Creek, a stream with a 239 km2 drainage basin in the Ozark Plateaus (Ozarks) in northern Arkansas. During a relatively wet 12-month monitoring period, the geomorphology of Bear Creek was altered by a series of floods, including at least four floods with peak discharges exceeding a...
Authors
Joanna M. Reuter, Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott
Ecological dynamics of wetlands at Lisbon Bottom, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Missouri
The study documented the interaction between hydrology and the biological dynamics within a single spring season at Lisbon Bottom in 1999. The study goal was to provide information necessary for resource managers to develop management strategies for this and other units of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Researchers studied the hydrology, limnology, and biological...
Authors
Duane Chapman, Ellen A. Ehrhardt, James Fairchild, Robert B. Jacobson, Barry C. Poulton, Linda C. Sappington, Brian P. Kelly, William R. Mabee
Visualization of Flow Alternatives, Lower Missouri River
Background The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) 'Missouri River Master Water Control Manual' (Master Manual) review has resulted in consideration of many flow alternatives for managing the water in the river (COE, 2001; 1998a). The purpose of this report is to present flow-management alternative model results in a way that can be easily visualized and understood. This report was...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Jeanne Heuser
Habitat assessment, Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri
This report documents methods and results of aquatic habitat assessment in the Missouri River near Hermann, Missouri. The assessment is intended to improve understanding of spatial and temporal variability of aquatic habitat, including habitats thought to be critical for the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Physical aquatic habitat – depth, velocity, and substrate – was...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Mark S. Laustrup, Joanna M. Reuter
Non-USGS Publications**
Jacobson, R. B., 1986, Genesis and distribution of colluvium, Buffalo Creek Area, Marion County, West Virginia: Transportation Research Record, Transportation Research Board, v. 1089, p. 63-67.
Jacobson, R. B., and Coleman, D.J., 1986, Stratigraphy and recent evolution of Maryland Piedmont flood plains: American Journal of Science, v. 286, p. 617-637
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.