NATALIE KRAMER ANDERSON

FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGIST AND WHITEWATER KAYAKER

I explore rivers intellectually and physically. My broad goal is to study and document rivers so that society can sustainably manage global waterways.

My research interests are primarily focused on biophysical interactions and processes along rivers and shorelines. I am a field scientist who likes to develop creative ways to acquire and analyze data to solve problems.

My kayaking is focused on surfing big river waves and navigating technical steep creeks as well as mentoring and coaching up and coming boaters.

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PROJECTS

RARR: RAPID ASSESSMENT OF RIVERS AT RISK

I am part of a team of river scientists partnering with river running enthusiasts and end user organizations to collect data for remote river systems that face imminent change from hydropower development, diversion, contamination, or climate-related impacts.

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GUT: GEOMORPHIC UNIT TOOLKIT

I am one of the developers of this GIS tool that delineates instream geomorphic units from topography using a 3-tiered hierarchical classification. It allows users to consistently map fluvial units across large spatial and temporal scales.

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PROJECT MARANON

Was part of a multidisciplinary international team to raft the threatened Maranon River in Peru to collect pre-dam data on the health of the river resulting in a documentary film, Confluir.

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GREAT RIVER WOOD DYNAMICS IN NORTHERN CANADA

This is my dissertation work. It is centered around the theme of driftwood dynamics in big rivers, with field case studies on the Slave River and the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories and northern Alberta.

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SLAVE RIVER PADDLEFEST COORDINATOR

I am a co-coordinator for a three day paddling festival in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.

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BASIN SEDIMENT CONNECTIVITY IN THE ITALIAN ALPS

I conducted an analysis that graphically and numerically compared basin sediment connectivity following de-glaciation between sedimentary and crystalline bedrock using the basin scale sediment connectivity index (IC) metric.

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MANAGEMENT OF INSTREAM WOOD

Worked in several interdisciplinary teams and with river managers and consultants to produce guidelines for managing in stream wood and to improve modelling of wood jams. I Provided consultation and verbiage for publication.

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RIVER RESTORATION RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE COLORADO FRONT RANGE

Conducted GPR surveys and analysis of groundwater as part of an assessment on restoring river-floodplain connectivity for River Bluffs Opens Space in Larimer County and Provided a literature review on social aspects of river restoration projects within a rehabilitation report for the Cache la Poudre River for the City of Greeley, Colorado.

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IMAGING BEAVER-INDUCED HOLOCENE SEDIMENTATION USING GEOPHYSICS

This work was for my masters degree. I used ground penetrating radar (GPR) and near-surface seismic refraction to quantify the magnitude of beaver-induced Holocene sedimentation in Beaver Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

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Confluir is Released!

The Trees that Sail to Sea

GUT at AGU with the kids

CONTACT ME

A BIT ABOUT ME

Ever since I can remember I have been connected to rivers. I grew up river rafting with my family and to this day I have navigated down at least one river every year of my life. I grew up in Northern California, in a small town called Angels Camp, home of the jumping frog. I completed my bachelors degree in Geology at Humboldt State and have fond memories of field trips in the rain and on the beach hurriedly trying to measure sections before the tide came in. I followed my boyfriend, now husband Leif, to Colorado and completed my masters and doctorate at Colorado State in Fort Collins. My time there was defined by all the kayaking road trips we took on weekends and during breaks, culminating in becoming recognized international athletes in the sport. In 2017, I gave birth to my son, Davis and relocated to White Salmon, WA- where I am setting roots. We make our second home in northern Canada on the Slave River where we are involved helping to run the local kayak club and paddling festival. I now go on kayaking trips with my family and enjoy working in my yard.

You can check out our kayaking on instagram and faceboook (@leifandnatalie), our blog leifandnatalie.blogspot.com or our vimeo account (https://vimeo.com/famousleif)