Theodore B. Barnhart
Dr. Theodore B. Barnhart studies the connection between the mountain snowpack and streamflow.
Dr. Barnhart is interested in furthering the understanding of how changes in the mountain snowpack translate into changes in streamflow and how that process varies across landscapes, land cover types, and climate systems. He is also interested in understanding the water resources implications of the changing mountain snowpack and streamflow and the effects on downstream stakeholders. He uses numerical snowpack and hydrologic models for his research along with observational and remote sensing data sets.
Professional Experience
Research Physical Scientist, United States Geological Survey, Wyoming – Montana Water Science Center, Helena, MT: 2020-present.
Physical Scientist, United States Geological Survey, Wyoming – Montana Water Science Center, Helena, MT: 2017-2020.
Research Assistant, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO: 2013-2018.
Research Assistant, Department of Geology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID: 2011-2013.
Education and Certifications
PhD Geography, University of Colorado Boulder, 2018.
MS Geology, Idaho State University, 2013.
BA Geology-Environmental Studies with Honors, Whitman College, 2010, Cum Laude.
Affiliations and Memberships*
Present: American Geophysical Union
Science and Products
Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged basins in Alaska, USA
Building continental-scale hydrologic models in data-sparse regions requires an understanding of spatial variation in hydrologic processes. Extending these models to ungaged locations requires techniques to group ungaged locations with gaged ones to make process importance and model parameter transfer decisions to ungaged locations. This analysis (1) tested the utility of fundamental...
Authors
Theodore B. Barnhart, William Farmer, John Christopher Hammond, Graham A. Sexstone, Janet H. Curran, Joshua C. Koch, Jessica M. Driscoll
Beyond streamflow: Call for a national data repository of streamflow presence for streams and rivers in the United States
Observations of the presence or absence of surface water in streams are useful for characterizing streamflow permanence, which includes the frequency, duration, and spatial extent of surface flow in streams and rivers. Such data are particularly valuable for headwater streams, which comprise the vast majority of channel length in stream networks, are often non-perennial, and are...
Authors
Kristin Jaeger, Konrad Hafen, Jason B. Dunham, Ken M. Fritz, Stephanie K. Kampf, Theodore B. Barnhart, Kendra E. Kaiser, Roy Sando, Sherri L Johnson, Ryan R. McShane, Sarah Beth Dunn
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana, 2007–17
This study of water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the Williston Basin is intended to provide a preliminary model-based analysis of water use in major regions of production of continuous oil and gas resources in the United States. Direct, indirect, and ancillary water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the...
Authors
Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Joshua Valder, Seth S. Haines, Kathleen M. Rowland, Janet M. Carter, Gregory C. Delzer, Joanna Thamke
Runoff sensitivity to snow depletion curve representation within a continental scale hydrologic model
The spatial variability of snow water equivalent (SWE) can exert a strong influence on the timing and magnitude of snowmelt delivery to a watershed. Therefore, the representation of subgrid or subwatershed snow variability in hydrologic models is important for accurately simulating snowmelt dynamics and runoff response. The U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model infrastructure...
Authors
Graham A. Sexstone, Jessica M. Driscoll, Lauren Hay, John Christopher Hammond, Theodore B. Barnhart
Analytical framework to estimate water use associated with continuous oil and gas development
An analytical framework was designed to estimate water use associated with continuous oil and gas (COG) development in support of the U.S. Geological Survey Water Availability and Use Science Program. This framework was developed to better understand the relation between the production of COG resources for energy and the amount of water needed to sustain this type of energy development...
Authors
Joshua Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Spencer L. Wheeling, Janet M. Carter, Kathleen M. Rowland, Gregory C. Delzer, Joanna Thamke
Conceptual model to assess water use associated with the life cycle of unconventional oil and gas development
As the demand for energy increases in the United States, so does the demand for water used to produce many forms of that energy. Technological advances, limited access to conventional oil and gas accumulations, and the rise of oil and gas prices resulted in increased development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) accumulations. Unconventional oil and gas is developed using a method that...
Authors
Joshua Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Roy Sando, Janet M. Carter, Robert F. Lundgren
Non-USGS Publications**
Barnhart, T.B., Vukomanovic, J., Bourgeron, P., and Molotch, N.P. (2021). Future Land Cover and Climate May Drive Decreases inSnow Wind-Scour and Transpiration, Increasing Streamflow at a Colorado, USA Headwater Catchment. Hydrological Processes, e14416.
Barnhart, T. B., Tague, C. L., & Molotch, N. P. (2020). The counteracting effects of snowmelt rate and timing on runoff. Water Resources Research, 56, e2019WR026634.
Barnhart, T.B., N.P. Molotch, B. Livneh, A.A. Harpold, J.F. Knowles, D. Schneider (2016), Snowmelt Rate Dictates Streamflow: Geophysical Research Letters, 43(15), 8006-8016.
Harpold, A.A., J.A. Marshall, S.W. Lyon, T.B. Barnhart, B. Fisher, M. Donovan, K.M. Brubaker, C.J. Crosby, N.F. Glenn, C.L. Glennie, P.B. Kirchner, N. Lam, K.D. Mankoff, J.L. McCreight, N.P. Molotch, K.N. Musselman, J. Pelletier, T. Russo, H. Sangireddy, Y. Sjöberg, T. Swetnam, and N. West (2015), Laser Vision: Lidar as a Transformative Tool to Advance Critical Zone Science: Hydrology and Earth System Science, 19, 2881-2897.
Barnhart, T.B., and B.T. Crosby (2013), Comparing Two Methods of Surface Change Detection on an Evolving Thermokarst Using High-Temporal-Frequency Terrestrial Laser Scanning, Selawik River, Alaska: Remote Sensing, 5, 2813-2837.
**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.
Basin Characteristic Layers for the Upper Colorado & Gunnison Rivers Pilot Project for StreamStats 2020
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) calculated multiple basin characteristics as part of preparing the Upper Colorado & Gunnison Rivers Pilot StreamStats application. These datasets are raster representations of various environmental, geological, and land use attributes within the Upper Colorado & Gunnison Rivers study area (also known as the Next-Generation Water Observing System, or...
National Hydrologic Model Alaska Domain parameter database, version 1
This data release contains input data for hydrologic simulations of the Alaska Domain application of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Precipitation Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) as implemented in the National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure (Regan and others, 2018). The NHM Alaska Domain parameter database consists of 114 parameter files in ASCII format (CSV), two files needed to...
Geospatial Fabric for the National Hydrologic Model Alaska Domain, version 1
This metadata record documents a geospatial dataset for the U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) used to drive the National Hydrologic Model (NHM). The Alaska Geospatial Fabric v1 is the spatial representation of the hydrologic response units (HRUs) used for the PRMS NHM Alaska domain. These HRUs were generated using the twelve-digit Hydrologic Unit Code...
Data to Estimate Water Use Associated with Continuous Oil and Gas Development, Williston Basin, United States, 1980-2017 (ver. 3.0, October 2022)
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides data to estimate water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin during 1980-2017. Data included: Data records from the national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry, FracFocus, including the state, county, latitude and longitude of each well, and the year and volume of water used for hydraulic...
Water Use Data for Hydraulic Fracturing Treatments in and near the Williston Basin, United States, 2000-2015
Water used for hydraulic fracturing treatments in and near the Williston Basin during 2000-2015, was estimated using data reported in IHS Markit (TM) (2016). Hydraulic fracturing treatment data from IHS Markit (TM) (2016) may include volumes in a variety of measurement units, and they may include multiple treatments per well. All listed treatments within the study area were converted to...
Science and Products
Evaluating hydrologic region assignment techniques for ungaged basins in Alaska, USA
Building continental-scale hydrologic models in data-sparse regions requires an understanding of spatial variation in hydrologic processes. Extending these models to ungaged locations requires techniques to group ungaged locations with gaged ones to make process importance and model parameter transfer decisions to ungaged locations. This analysis (1) tested the utility of fundamental...
Authors
Theodore B. Barnhart, William Farmer, John Christopher Hammond, Graham A. Sexstone, Janet H. Curran, Joshua C. Koch, Jessica M. Driscoll
Beyond streamflow: Call for a national data repository of streamflow presence for streams and rivers in the United States
Observations of the presence or absence of surface water in streams are useful for characterizing streamflow permanence, which includes the frequency, duration, and spatial extent of surface flow in streams and rivers. Such data are particularly valuable for headwater streams, which comprise the vast majority of channel length in stream networks, are often non-perennial, and are...
Authors
Kristin Jaeger, Konrad Hafen, Jason B. Dunham, Ken M. Fritz, Stephanie K. Kampf, Theodore B. Barnhart, Kendra E. Kaiser, Roy Sando, Sherri L Johnson, Ryan R. McShane, Sarah Beth Dunn
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana, 2007–17
This study of water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the Williston Basin is intended to provide a preliminary model-based analysis of water use in major regions of production of continuous oil and gas resources in the United States. Direct, indirect, and ancillary water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the...
Authors
Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Joshua Valder, Seth S. Haines, Kathleen M. Rowland, Janet M. Carter, Gregory C. Delzer, Joanna Thamke
Runoff sensitivity to snow depletion curve representation within a continental scale hydrologic model
The spatial variability of snow water equivalent (SWE) can exert a strong influence on the timing and magnitude of snowmelt delivery to a watershed. Therefore, the representation of subgrid or subwatershed snow variability in hydrologic models is important for accurately simulating snowmelt dynamics and runoff response. The U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model infrastructure...
Authors
Graham A. Sexstone, Jessica M. Driscoll, Lauren Hay, John Christopher Hammond, Theodore B. Barnhart
Analytical framework to estimate water use associated with continuous oil and gas development
An analytical framework was designed to estimate water use associated with continuous oil and gas (COG) development in support of the U.S. Geological Survey Water Availability and Use Science Program. This framework was developed to better understand the relation between the production of COG resources for energy and the amount of water needed to sustain this type of energy development...
Authors
Joshua Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Spencer L. Wheeling, Janet M. Carter, Kathleen M. Rowland, Gregory C. Delzer, Joanna Thamke
Conceptual model to assess water use associated with the life cycle of unconventional oil and gas development
As the demand for energy increases in the United States, so does the demand for water used to produce many forms of that energy. Technological advances, limited access to conventional oil and gas accumulations, and the rise of oil and gas prices resulted in increased development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) accumulations. Unconventional oil and gas is developed using a method that...
Authors
Joshua Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Roy Sando, Janet M. Carter, Robert F. Lundgren
Non-USGS Publications**
Barnhart, T.B., Vukomanovic, J., Bourgeron, P., and Molotch, N.P. (2021). Future Land Cover and Climate May Drive Decreases inSnow Wind-Scour and Transpiration, Increasing Streamflow at a Colorado, USA Headwater Catchment. Hydrological Processes, e14416.
Barnhart, T. B., Tague, C. L., & Molotch, N. P. (2020). The counteracting effects of snowmelt rate and timing on runoff. Water Resources Research, 56, e2019WR026634.
Barnhart, T.B., N.P. Molotch, B. Livneh, A.A. Harpold, J.F. Knowles, D. Schneider (2016), Snowmelt Rate Dictates Streamflow: Geophysical Research Letters, 43(15), 8006-8016.
Harpold, A.A., J.A. Marshall, S.W. Lyon, T.B. Barnhart, B. Fisher, M. Donovan, K.M. Brubaker, C.J. Crosby, N.F. Glenn, C.L. Glennie, P.B. Kirchner, N. Lam, K.D. Mankoff, J.L. McCreight, N.P. Molotch, K.N. Musselman, J. Pelletier, T. Russo, H. Sangireddy, Y. Sjöberg, T. Swetnam, and N. West (2015), Laser Vision: Lidar as a Transformative Tool to Advance Critical Zone Science: Hydrology and Earth System Science, 19, 2881-2897.
Barnhart, T.B., and B.T. Crosby (2013), Comparing Two Methods of Surface Change Detection on an Evolving Thermokarst Using High-Temporal-Frequency Terrestrial Laser Scanning, Selawik River, Alaska: Remote Sensing, 5, 2813-2837.
**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.
Basin Characteristic Layers for the Upper Colorado & Gunnison Rivers Pilot Project for StreamStats 2020
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) calculated multiple basin characteristics as part of preparing the Upper Colorado & Gunnison Rivers Pilot StreamStats application. These datasets are raster representations of various environmental, geological, and land use attributes within the Upper Colorado & Gunnison Rivers study area (also known as the Next-Generation Water Observing System, or...
National Hydrologic Model Alaska Domain parameter database, version 1
This data release contains input data for hydrologic simulations of the Alaska Domain application of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Precipitation Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) as implemented in the National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure (Regan and others, 2018). The NHM Alaska Domain parameter database consists of 114 parameter files in ASCII format (CSV), two files needed to...
Geospatial Fabric for the National Hydrologic Model Alaska Domain, version 1
This metadata record documents a geospatial dataset for the U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) used to drive the National Hydrologic Model (NHM). The Alaska Geospatial Fabric v1 is the spatial representation of the hydrologic response units (HRUs) used for the PRMS NHM Alaska domain. These HRUs were generated using the twelve-digit Hydrologic Unit Code...
Data to Estimate Water Use Associated with Continuous Oil and Gas Development, Williston Basin, United States, 1980-2017 (ver. 3.0, October 2022)
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides data to estimate water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin during 1980-2017. Data included: Data records from the national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry, FracFocus, including the state, county, latitude and longitude of each well, and the year and volume of water used for hydraulic...
Water Use Data for Hydraulic Fracturing Treatments in and near the Williston Basin, United States, 2000-2015
Water used for hydraulic fracturing treatments in and near the Williston Basin during 2000-2015, was estimated using data reported in IHS Markit (TM) (2016). Hydraulic fracturing treatment data from IHS Markit (TM) (2016) may include volumes in a variety of measurement units, and they may include multiple treatments per well. All listed treatments within the study area were converted to...
*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