I am a Research Physical Scientist in the Freshwater Ecology Branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Ecological Systems Division in Corvallis, Oregon.

My research focuses on understanding physical and biological processes in river systems using field work, numerical modeling, and remote sensing techniques. In particular, I work to understand the patterns and status of physical habitat in aquatic systems nationwide using data from the EPA’s National Aquatic Resource Surveys. 

In addition to this nationwide research program, I have ongoing projects that seek to understand the impacts of large dams on the geomorphology, ecology, and land cover of the Colorado River corridor through the Canyonlands and Grand Canyon regions of the Southwestern U.S. I’m particularly interested in whether, and over what timescales, areas formerly inundated by reservoirs will undergo geomorphic and ecological recovery as water levels in those reservoirs decline in response to a changing climate and long-term drought. In addition to these field-based projects, I’ve conducted laboratory and numerical modeling studies of river response to altered hydrology and sediment supply.

Prior to joining the EPA, I was a faculty member in the Department of Geosciences at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. I additionally held a faculty appointment as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. 

For more information:

Download a copy of my CV

Get in touch at kasprak.alan@epa.gov.