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Jesus D Gomez Velez

Dr. Jesus Gomez-Velez is a Senior R&D Staff in the Watershed Systems Modeling Group within the Environmental Science Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research goal is to improve our mechanistic understanding of how water, solutes, and energy move through natural and urban environments and the implications of these transport processes for humans and ecosystems. To this end, he combines numerical modeling, data mining and assimilation, machine learning, and field and laboratory observations.

Before joining ORNL in August 2022, Jesus was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University, where he led the Environmental Flow and Transport Laboratory. He holds joint faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University and Virginia Tech. 

Jesus received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Earth and Environmental Science from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the same institution, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the National University of Colombia at Medellin. He was a National Research Program postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Geological Survey.

WaDE: Watershed Dynamics And Evolution Science Focus Area

Member of the Modeling Crosscut Theme.

ExaSheds

Development of surrogate models for the ATS physics-based hydrologic model and implementation of energy transport models for ATS. 

  • IAS Vanguard Fellowship, University of Birmingham, UK (2019)
  • ASCE ExCEEd Fellowship (2019)
  • Founders Award, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (2013)
  • Horton Hydrology Research Grant, American Geophysical Union (2012)

Ph.D. in Earth & Environmental Science with Dissertation in Hydrology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM

M.S. in Applied Mathematics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM

M.S. in Hydrology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 

B.S. in Civil Engineering, National University of Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia

  • Associate Editor, Advances in Water Resources
  • Member of the AGU Groundwater Committee. American Geophysical Union (AGU) (2021–present)
  • Member of the Board of Directors for the Consortium for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI) (2017-2022)
  • Liaison Education and Outreach Committee for the Consortium for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI) (2022)
  • Liaison Hydroinformatics Committee for the Consortium for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI) (2017-2021)
  • Organizing Committee for the 2021 CUAHSI Biennial Science Colloquium: Converging Ideas and Expanding Approaches in the Hydrologic Sciences. July 26 – July 29, 2021.
  • International Advisor. European Union project HypoTRAIN, a large multi-institution effort that focuses on generating new mechanistic insights into the functioning of hyporheic zones. (2015–2019)
  • Scientific Advisory Board. HydroEco 2017 – Ecohydrology on the edge: ecology-hydrology-human interactions in a changing world. University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. June 18-23, 2017. (2017)
  1. Son K., Y. Fang, J. D. Gomez-Velez, K. Byun, & X. Chen (2022). Spatial microbial respiration variations in the hyporheic zones within the Columbia River Basin. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 127, e2021JG006654. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JG006654.
  2. Son K., Y. Fang, J. D. Gomez-Velez, K. Byun, & X. Chen. Combined effects of stream hydrology and land use on basin-scale hyporheic zone denitrification in the Columbia River Basin. Water Resources Research, 58, e2021WR031131. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR03113.
  3. Wang C., J. D. Gomez-Velez, and J. L. Wilson (2022). Dynamic Coevolution of Baseflow and Multiscale Groundwater Flow Systems during Prolonged Drought. Journal of Hydrology, 609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.127657.
  4. Krause S., B. Abbott, V. Baranov, S. Bernal, P. Blaen, T. Datry, J. Drummond, J. Fleckenstein, J. D. Gomez-Velez, D. M. Hannah, J. Knapp, M. Kurz, J. Lewandowski, E. Marty, C. Mendoza-Lera, A. Milner, A. Packman, G. Pinay, A. S. Ward, J. P. Zarnetzke (2022). Organizational principles of hyporheic exchange flow and biogeochemical cycling across scales. Water Resources Research, 58(3), e2021WR029771. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR029771.
  5. Grant S. B., M. A. Rippy, T. A. Birkland, T. Schenk, K. Rowles, P. Aminpour, S. Kaushal, P. Vikesland, E. Berglund, J. D. Gomez-Velez, E. R. Hotchkiss, S. Entrekin, G. Perez, H. X. Zhang, K. Armstrong, S. Bhide, L. Krauss, C. Maas, A. Maile-Moskowitz, K. Mendoza, C. Shipman, Y. Zhang, Y. Zhong (2022). Common Pool Resource Theory as a Scalable Framework for Catalyzing Stakeholder-Driven Solutions to the Freshwater Salinization Syndrome. Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c01555
  6. Arora B., M. A. Briggs, J. Zarnetske, J. Stegen, J. D. Gomez-Velez, D. Dwivedi, C. Steefel (2021). Hot Spots and Hot Moments in the Critical Zone: Identification of and Incorporation into Reactive Transport Models. In: Biogeochemistry of the Critical Zone. Eds. Wymore, AS, Yang, WH, Silver WL, McDowell WH, and Chorover J. Springer-Nature. London. In Press.
  7. Perez G., J. D. Gomez-Velez, X. Chen, and T. Scheibe, Y. Chen, & J. Bao (2021).  Identification of Characteristic Spatial Scales to Improve the Performance of Analytical Spectral Solutions to the Groundwater Flow Equation. Water Resources Research, 57(12), e2021WR031044. doi: 10.1029/2021WR031044.
  8. Perez G., J. D. Gomez-Velez, R. Mantilla, D. B. Wright, Z. Li (2021). The Effect of Storm Direction on Flood Frequency Analysis. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2020GL091918. doi: 10.1029/2020GL091918.
  9. Wu L., J. D. Gomez-Velez, S. Krause, A. Wörman, T. Singh, G. Nützmann, J. Lewandowski (2021). How does daily groundwater table drawdown affect the diel rhythm of hyporheic exchange? Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences (HESS), 25, 1905–1921, 2021, doi: 10.5194/hess-25-1905-2021
  10. Hou. Z, Ren H., Murray C., Song X., Fang Y., Arntzen E., Chen X., Stegen J., Huang M., Gomez-Velez J. D., Duan Z., Perkins W., Richmond M., Scheibe T., A Novel Construct for Scaling Groundwater-River Interactions Based on Machine-Guided Hydromorphic Classification, Environmental Research Letters,16, 104016, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac24ce
  11. Wu L., J. D. Gomez-Velez, S. Krause, T. Singh, A. Wörman, J. Lewandowski, Impact of Flow Alteration and Temperature Variability on Hyporheic Exchange. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2019WR026225
  12. Wales N., J. D. Gomez-Velez, B. Newman, C. Wilson, B. Dafflon, F. Soom, and S. Wullschleger. Understanding the Relative Importance of Vertical and Horizontal Flow in Ice-wedge Polygon Landscapes Using Tracers. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS), doi: 10.5194/hess- 2019-25.
  13. Singh T., J. D. Gomez‐Velez, L. Wu, Anders Wörman, D. M. Hannah and Stefan Krause (2020). Effects of Successive Peak Flow Events on Hyporheic Exchange and Residence Times. Water Resources Research, 56(8), doi: 10.1029/2020wr027113.
  14. Grant S. B., J. D. Gomez‐Velez, M. Ghisalberti, I. Guymer, F. Boano, K. Roche and J. Harvey (2020). A One‐Dimensional Model for Turbulent Mixing in the Benthic Biolayer of Stream and Coastal Sediments. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2019wr026822.
  15. Fang Y., X. Chen, J. D. Gomez-Velez, X. Zhang, Z. Duan, G. E. Hammond, et al. (2020). A multirate mass transfer model to represent the interaction of multicomponent biogeochemical processes between surface water and hyporheic zones (SWAT-MRMT-R 1.0). Geoscientific Model Development, 13(8), 3553-3569.
  16. Song X., X. Chen, J. M. Zachara, J. D. Gomez‐Velez, P. Shuai, H. Ren and G. E. Hammond (2020). River Dynamics Control Transit Time Distributions and Biogeochemical Reactions in a Dam‐Regulated River Corridor. Water Resources Research, 56(9), 10.1029/2019wr026470.
  17. Grant S. B., A. Monofy, F. Boano, J. D. Gomez‐Velez, I. Guymer, J. Harvey and M. Ghisalberti (2020). Unifying Advective and Diffusive Descriptions of Bedform Pumping in the Benthic Biolayer of Streams. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2020wr027967.
  18. Konrad C.P., N. M. Schmadel, J. D. Harvey, G. E. Schwarz, J. D. Gomez-Velez, E. W. Boyer, and D. Scott. Accounting for Temporal Variability of Streamflow in Estimates of Travel Time. Frontiers in Water, 2, doi: 10.3389/frwa.2020.00029.
  19. Schmadel N. M., J. Harvey, R. Alexander, E. Boyer, G. Schwarz, J. D. Gomez-Velez, D. Scott, and C. Konrad. Nitrogen concentration saturation in headwaters increases regional and coastal delivery. In Press Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab751b
  20. Kruegler J., J. D. Gomez-Velez, L. K. Lautz, T. A. Endreny, Dynamic Evapotranspiration Alters Hyporheic Flow and Residence Times in the Intrameander Zone. Water. 10.3390/w12020424
  21. Scott, D. T., J. D. Gomez-Velez, C. N. Jones, Judson W. Harvey (2019), Floodplain inundation across the conterminous United States. Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-019- 13184-4.
  22. Schmadel N. M., J. W. Harvey, G. E. Schwarz, R. B. Alexander, J. D. Gomez-Velez, D. Scott, S. W. Ator (2019), Small Ponds in Headwater Catchments Are a Dominant Influence on Regional Nutrient and Sediment Budgets. Geophysical Research Letters, doi: 10.1029/2019GL083937.
  23. Lewandowski J, S.Arnon, E. Banks, O. Batelaan, A. Betterle, T. Broecker, C. Coll, J. D. Drummond, J. Gaona Garcia, J. Galloway, J. D. Gomez-Velez, et al. (2019), Is the hyporheic zone relevant beyond the scientific community? Water, 11, 1-33, doi: 10.3390/w11112230.
  24. Wang, C., J. D. Gomez-Velez, and J. L. Wilson (2018), The importance of capturing topographic features for modeling groundwater flow and transport in mountainous watersheds, Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2018wr023863.
  25. Singh, T., L. Wu, J. D. Gomez-Velez, D. M. Hannah, and S. Krause (2018), Dynamic Hyporheic Zones: Exploring the Role of Peak-Flow Events on Bedform-induced Hyporheic Exchange. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2018wr022993.
  26. Wu L., T. Singh, J. D. Gomez-Velez, J. Lewedowski, G. Nuetzmann, S. Krause (2018), Impacts of Floods on Hyporheic Exchange Processes under Gaining and Losing Groundwater Conditions. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2018WR023185.
  27. Schmadel N. M., J. W. Harvey, R. B. Alexander, G. E. Schwarz, R. B. Moore, K. Eng, J. D. Gomez-Velez, E. W. Boyer, and D Scott (2018), Thresholds of lake and reservoir connectivity in river networks control nitrogen removal. Nature Communications, 9:2779, doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05156-x.
  28. Grant, S. B., J. D. Gomez-Velez, and M. Ghisalberti (2018). Modeling the Effects of Turbulence on Hyporheic Exchange and Local-to-Global Nutrient Processing in Streams. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2018WR023078.
  29. Harvey, J.W., J. D. Gomez-Velez, N. Schmadel, D. Scott, E. Boyer, R. Alexander, K. Eng, H. Golden, A. Kettner, C. Konrad, R. Moore, J. Pizzuto, G. Schwarz, C. Soulsby, and J. Choi (2018), How hydrologic connectivity regulates water quality in river corridors. JAWRA Aquatic – System Connectivity Featured Collection, doi: 10.1111/1752-1688.12691.
  30. Marruedo Arricibita, A. I., J. Lewandowski, S. Krause, J. D. Gomez-Velez, and D. M. Hannah (2017), Mesocosm experiments identifying hotspots of groundwater upwelling in a water column by fiber optic distributed temperature sensing, Hydrological Processes. doi: 10.1002/hyp.11403.
  31. Gomez-Velez J. D., J. L. Wilson, M. B. Cardenas, and J. W. Harvey (2017), Flow and residence times of dynamic river bank storage and sinuosity-driven hyporheic exchange, Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1002/2017WR021362.
  32. Gomez-Velez J. D., J. W. Harvey, M. B. Cardenas, and B. Kiel (2015), Denitrification in the Mississippi River network controlled by flow through river bedforms, Nature Geoscience, doi: 10.1038/NGEO 2567.
  33. Sherson, L. R., D. J. Van Horn, J. D. Gomez-Velez, L. J. Crossey, and C. N. Dahm (2015), Nutrient dynamics in an alpine headwater stream: use of continuous water quality sensors to examine responses to wildfire and precipitation events, Hydrological Processes, doi: 10.1002/hyp.10426.
  34. Gomez-Velez J. D. and J. W. Harvey (2014), A hydrogeomorphic river network model predicts where and why hyporheic exchange is important in large basins, Geophysical Research Letters, 41, doi:10.1002/2014GL061099.
  35. Gomez-Velez J. D., S. Krause, and J. L. Wilson (2014), Effect of low-permeability layers on spatial patterns of hyporheic exchange and groundwater upwelling, Water Resources Research, 50, doi:10.1002/2013WR015054.
  36. Frisbee, M. D., J. L. Wilson, J. D. Gomez-Velez, F. M. Phillips, and A. R. Campbell (2013), Are we missing the tail (and the tale) of residence time distributions in watersheds?, Geophysical Research Letters, 40, doi:10.1002/grl.50895.
  37. Gomez J. D. and J. L. Wilson (2013), Age distributions and dynamically changing hydrologic systems: exploring topography-driven regional groundwater flow, Water Resources Research, 49, doi:10.1002/ wrcr.20127.
  38. Gomez J. D., J. L. Wilson, and M. B. Cardenas (2012), Residence time distributions in sinuosity- driven hyporheic zones and their biogeochemical effects, Water Resources Research, 48, W09533, doi:10.1029/ 2012WR012180.
  39. Kleissl, J., O. K. Hartogensis, J. D. Gomez (2010), Test of scintillometer saturation correction methods using field experimental data, Boundary Layer Meteorology, 137, 493-507, doi:10.1007/s10546-010- 9540-x.
  40. Kleissl, J., J. D. Gomez, S. -H. Hong, K. Fleming, J. M. H. Hendrickx, and T. Rahn (2008), Large aperture scintillometer intercomparison study, Boundary Layer Meteorology, 128, 133-50, doi:10.1007/s 10546-008-9274-1.
  41. Gomez J. D. and G. Poveda (2008), Estimation of the multifractal spectrum for hourly rainfall time series in the tropical Andes of Colombia (In Spanish), Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 32 (125): 483-502, 2008. ISSN 0370-3908.