Hydrologist, Utah Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
Bio:
Christine Rumsey is a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Utah Water Science Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since joining the USGS in 2014, she has worked on and led Great Salt Lake studies related to water quality monitoring, deep brine layer tracking, nutrient cycling, and salinity dynamics. She is also currently investigating the water chemistry and salinity of numerous saline lakes throughout the Great Basin of the western U.S. as part of the USGS Saline Lakes Ecosystems IWAA project. She received her M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Utah State University and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wyoming.
Title: Hydrology and Ecology of Terminal Lakes in the Great Basin
Abstract: Authors: Christine Rumsey, Jessica Driscoll, Scott Hynek, Garth Herring, Josh Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Ramon Naranjo, Cassandra Smith, John W. Jones, Collin Eagles-Smith, Sue Kemp, Cory Overton, Zachary O’Neal, Sara Doyle, Casey Root, Jasmine Garcia
In response to historically low water levels at terminal lakes and associated wetlands across the Great Basin, the U.S. Congress passed the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act of 2022, directing the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to monitor and assess the hydrology and bird ecology of terminal lakes in the Great Basin. Since 2023, USGS has collected data across twenty terminal lakes in the region (including Great Salt Lake) to measure water quality, water quantity, waterbird movement, invertebrate abundance, remotely-sensed surface-water extent, topography, and bathymetry. These new data will be analyzed to better understand the network of terminal lake ecosystems and how they support shorebird species across the Great Basin. This session will provide an overview of our interdisciplinary science approach, as well as share preliminary analyses of salinity, water chemistry, and hydrology across Great Basin terminal lake habitats, providing regional context for Great Salt Lake and how it fits into the broader Great Basin terminal lake network.
