Andrew J. Miller

Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1983

Professor
211-I Sondheim Hall
443-904-4484
miller@umbc.edu

Research Interests

I am interested in the hydrology, hydraulics and geomorphology of extreme floods with a particular focus on urban floods and more recently on the potential impact of climate trends on rainfall intensity and flood frequency. Additional research interests include fate and transport of sediment in the landscape, including sediment released by dam removal as well as historical legacy sediment stored in valley bottoms; the effectiveness of stream restoration and other approaches to mitigation of the consequences of urban development and urban runoff; and the application of Structure from Motion,  2-d hydraulic modeling, and now Particle Image Velocimetry to simulate or reconstruct flood flows.  I am interested more generally in watershed-scale response to environmental stress and to restoration efforts. I am currently Vice-Chair and in September 2019 I will begin a 2-year term as Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee.

Current Research Activities
    • Urban Water Innovation Network (NSF-SRN), Project B-2B: Hydrology and Hydraulics of Urban Floodplains (with Brian Bledsoe, University of Georgia, James Smith,  Princeton University, and Tom Meixner, University of Arizona).
    • Patapsco River Restoration Project – Tracking sediment migration and channel geomorphic evolution in response to Sept. 2018 removal of Bloede Dam (with Matt Baker, UMBC; Matt Collins and Mary Andrews; NOAA, Serena McClain and Jessie Thomas-Blate;, American Rivers; Stephen Van Ryswick, Maryland Geological Survey).
    • Application of UAV imagery and Structure from Motion to track geomorphic changes and assess resilience of channels following stream restoration (with PhD student Gina Lee).
    • Assessing the effectiveness of headwater stream restoration on watershed sediment flux and nitrate loads (two Chesapeake Bay Trust projects with Claire Welty, UMBC and Jon Duncan, Penn State)
    • Effectiveness of stormwater management practices in protecting stream channel stability (Chesapeake Bay Trust, with Tess Thompson and David Sample, Virginia Tech)
    • Reconstruction of hydrographs for ungaged streams in the May 27, 2018 Ellicott City flood: application of Structure from Motion and Particle Image Velocimetry (with Matthew Cashman, USGS)
    • Analysis of HydroNEXRAD radar rainfall records to look for climate change signals (with Jim Smith and Mary Lynn Baeck, Princeton University).
Recent Reports
Some Recent Publications
    • Kemper, J.T., A.J. Miller, and C. Welty, 2019. Spatial and temporal patterns of suspended sediment transport in nested urban watersheds. Geomorphology 336: 95-106.
    • Van Appledorn, M., M.E. Baker, and A.J. Miller, 2019. River-valley morphology, basin size, and flow-event magnitude interact to produce wide variation in flooding dynamics. Ecosphere 10(1):e02546. 10.1002/ecs2.2546.
    • Barnes, M. L., Welty, C., & Miller, A. J., 2018. Impacts of development pattern on urban groundwater flow regime. Water Resources Research, 54. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017WR022146
    • Collins, M.J., N.P. Snyder, G. Boardman, W.S.L. Banks, M. Andrews, M. Conlon, A. Gellis, S. McClain, A.J. Miller, P. Wilcock, 2017. Channel response to sediment release: insights from a paired analysis of dam removal. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4108.
    • Bhaskar, A., C. Jantz, C. Welty, S. Drzyga, A.J. Miller, 2016. Coupling of the water cycle with patterns of urban growth in the Baltimore Metropolitan Region, United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 1-15. DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12479.
    • Donovan, M., A.J. Miller, M. Baker, 2016. Reassessing the role of milldams in Piedmont floodplain formation and remobilization. Geomorphology 268: 133-145.
    • Cui, Z., C. Welty, A.J. Gold, P.M. Groffman, S. Kaushal and A.J. Miller, 2016. Use of a three-dimensional reactive transport model for evaluation of bioreactor placement in channel restoration. Journal of Environmental Quality 45(3), 839-846.
    • Barnes, M.L., C. Welty, and A.J. Miller, 2016, Global topographic slope enforcement to ensure connectivity and drainage in an urban terrain. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering.                    DOI: 10.1061/14 (ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001306
    • Cole, J.N., A.J. Miller, E. Stapleton, and C. Welty, 2016. Quantifying spatial patterns of channel geometry and stream incision in an urban drainage network. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001459.
    • Donovan, M., A.J. Miller, M.E. Baker and A. Gellis, 2015, Sediment contributions from floodplains and legacy sediments to Maryland Piedmont floodplains. Geomorphology 235: 88-105.
    • Smith, B. K., J. A. Smith, M. L. Baeck, and A. J. Miller, 2015. Exploring storage and runoff generation processes for urban flooding through a physically based watershed model. Water Resources Research 51, doi:10.1002/2014WR016085.
    • Bhaskar, A.S., C. Welty, R.M. Maxwell, and A.J. Miller, 2015, Untangling the effects of urban development on subsurface storage in Baltimore. Water Resources Research, DOI: 10.1002/2014WR016039.
Current Graduate Students
    • Peter Chirico (PhD candidate, ABD)
    • Gina Lee (PhD student)
Courses Taught

Physical Geography, Principles of Geology, Geomorphology, Water Quality, Natural Environment of Chesapeake Bay, Water Resources, Hydrology, Fluvial Geomorphology, Introduction to Geography and Environmental Systems, Water in the Urban Environment, Research Design for the Urban Environment, Dams and Their Impacts

Public Service

EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, 2013-present (Vice-Chair, 2017-2019; Chair, 2019-2021).

Baltimore County Commission on Environmental Quality, 2011-present.

Maryland Commission on Climate Change, Scientific and Technical Working Group, 2008-2011.