WATERSHED HYDROLOGY
Lauren Giggy, Ph.D.
BIO
I recently defended my Ph.D. dissertation at the University of California, Santa Cruz focused on watershed hydrology and surface water quality, and am on the search for my next role based out of the central coast of California.
Prior to UCSC, I completed a B.S. in Geology at Fort Lewis College and held several internships with the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, and non-profit research institutes. My research interests encompass physical hydrology, hydrogeology, biogeochemistry, wildfire, and ecohydrology. My projects tend to have a strong fieldwork component, and I have extensive experience managing instrumentation in dynamic river environments. I beleive in the importance of stakeholder-engaged science, environmental justice, and producing science that supports the unique needs and interests of each community.
I am eager to chat about all things water - from micro-km and immediate-geologic time scales.
In my free time, I skateboard, surf, ride bikes, and dabble in film photography. I'm always happy to chat about those too!
MY RESEARCH
Broadly, my research sits at the intersection of hydrology, geology, and biogeochemistry. My research considers how geology and climate mediate water movement through landscapes and how various hydrologic pathways influence water availability, water quality, and water chemistry.
Lithologic controls on the hydrology of headwater streams in central coastal California
Plain language summary:
We find that the streams prone to rapid changes in streamflow (one minute it's dry, the next it's flooding) can exist right next to streams that maintain consistent steady streamflow. Streams with rapid changes in streamflow tend to export much higher volumes of nutrients, which can lead to harmfal algal blooms and other water quality issues. These streams co-exist right next door to each other due to variations in rock type and the degree of weathering. Despite these differences, certain aspects of the streamwater chemistry are suprisingly similar. Here we explore what mechanisms contribute to these similarities and differences with the goal of better understanding which physical attributes of a landscape are most helpful for predicting and managing streamflow across landscapes with high variability in rock types, soil, topography, and hydrology.
Related publications:
Giggy, L., & Zimmer, M. (2025). The role of lithology on concentration‐discharge relationships and carbon export in two adjacent headwater catchments. Water Resources Research, 61,e2024WR037086.
Surface water expression across ephemeral streams in central coastal California
Plain language summary:
Globally, a vast majority of stream lengths periodically dry down, many streams only flow after rainfall events or only during the rain or snow melt seasons. We call these types of streams intermittent and ephemeral streams. This work aims to understand what weather patterns and physical traits of a watershed create conditions that support streamflow. We observed shifts in the realtionships between flow persistence and physical landscape attributes over a drought period, likely driven by shifts in water storage and precipitation charecterisitcs. This work has important implications for water resources management, aquatic and riparian habitat, ecological interactions, and biogeochemical cycling in the present and in future climate scenarios.
Export of carbon, nitrogen, and water from fire-effected headwater streams
Plain language summary:
The 2020 wildfire season impacted our study site at Blue Oak Ranch Reserve along with nearly 400,000 surrounding acres. Leveraging in-place hydrologic sensors, we examined the impacts of the fire on water quality in our Oak woodland watersheds. Fires are known to alter soil and vegetation which can change the way water moves and is stored in landscapes. We observed distinct post-fire water quality in our two study catchments likely due to differences in bedrock type and hydrologic regimes. Additionally, we also observed ongoing water quality impacts in high intensity storm events over 400 days after the wildfire. These results highlight the role of hydrogeologic settings and weather patterns on post-fire water quality.
Geologic sources of salinity in the Dolores River watershed, SW Colorado
Plain language summary:
Southwestern Colorado has a very unique geologic history that causes modern issues with high salinity in several major rivers. This work aimed to build on previous research in the region to pin point different geologic sources of salt along a reach of the Dolores River, a tributary to the Colorado River. Results provide insight to whether changes in anthropogenic water use or climate change could further impact salinity in Dolores River.
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