John Pitlick

John Pitlick

Associate Professor

Geography Department,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0260

Email

pitlick@spot

Research Interests

My research interests are in hydrology and geomorphology, with an emphasis on fluvial processes in rivers. In past research I have examined causes of accelerated erosion and sediment yield in mountain watersheds; relations between floods, rainfall and physiographic factors; mechanics of sediment transport in gravel-bed rivers; and effects of dams and flow diversions on fish habitats. Most of my research is field-based, and I have had the good fortune to work in some of the most dynamic and interesting environments in the U.S., including the California Coast Ranges, the Cascades, the Colorado Front Range, and the Colorado Plateau.

Current Projects

Channel Monitoring to Evaluate Geomorphic Changes on the Colorado River
sponsor: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Geomorphology and Sediment Transport Studies of the upper Colorado River

sponsor: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Flow and Sediment Transport in Mountain Rivers

sponsor: U.S. Forest Service

Impact of Flows and Geomorphology on Food-Web Dynamics of the Colorado River

sponsor: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Selected Publications

Van Steeter, M.M. and J. Pitlick, 1997, Geomorphology and Endangered Fish Habitats of the Upper Colorado River 1.
Historic Changes in Streamflow, Sediment Load and Channel Morphology, Water Resources Research (in press).

Pitlick, J. and M.M. Van Steeter, 1997, Geomorphology and Endangered Fish Habitats of the Upper Colorado River 2:

Linking Sediment Transport to Habitat Maintenance, Water Resources Research (in press).

Pitlick, J., 1997, A regional perspective of the hydrology of the 1993 Mississippi River basin floods, Annals of the

Association of American Geographers, v. 87, p. 135-151.

Pitlick, J., 1995, Sediment routing in tributaries of the Redwood Creek basin, U.S. Geological Survey Professional

Paper 1454-K, 10 pp.

Pitlick, J., 1994, Relation between peak flows, precipitation, and physiography for five mountainous regions in the

western USA, Journal of Hydrology, v. 158, p. 219-240.

Pitlick, J., 1993, Response and recovery of a subalpine stream following a catastrophic flood, Geological Society of

America Bulletin, v. 105, p. 657-670.

Courses Taught