usgs_staff_profile:
meta: status_code: 200 timestamp: '2023-09-30T17:21:35.066783' url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/richard-webb profile: abstracts: [] affiliations: [] education: - 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 email: rmwebb@usgs.gov expertise_terms: - contamination and pollution - dredging - human impacts - land use and land cover - land use change - marine water quality - mine drainage - nonpoint-source pollution - pesticide and herbicide contamination - surface water quality - water quality - marine ecosystems - marine geology - reef ecosystems - sea-level change - hydrology - runoff - water cycle - computational methods - core analysis - geographic information systems - image analysis - mathematical simulation - remote sensing honors: [] intro_statements: - Rick Webb is a research hydrologist with the Earth System Processes Division in the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Mission Area. name: Richard Webb name_qualifier: null orcid: 0000-0001-9531-2207 organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources organization_name: Water Resources Mission Area personal_statement: BiographyRick 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 ObjectivesAs 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' title: Research Hydrologist