Robert M. Hirsch is research hydrologist and a former Associate Director for Water of the U.S. Geological Survey. As Associate Director, he was responsible for the water science programs of the USGS. These include water-related research, the collection of data on rivers and ground water, assessments of water quantity and quality. He served as the leader of USGS water science from 1994 until May 12, 2008 when Dr. Hirsch transitioned to the USGS National Research Program to re-dedicate himself to advancing the science on critical issues of climate change and long-term trends in water resources.

He began his USGS career in 1976 as a hydrologist and has conducted research on water quality statistical methods (trends and fluxes), water supply reliability, and flood frequency analysis. He has served as: Acting Director of the USGS during an interim period between Directors (August 1993 to March 1994); Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Research and External Coordination (1989–1993); and Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior (1987–1988).

He graduated from Highland Park High School, Highland Park, Illinois, in 1967. He earned a bachelor of arts in Geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

 at Earlham College

Earlham College

Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...

 in 1971, an MS in Geology at the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

 in 1974, and a Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University

The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...

 from the Department of Geography

Geography

Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...

 and Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineering

Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...

 in 1976. He is co-author of the textbook “Statistical Methods in Water Resources.” (available on-line at http://pubs.usgs.gov/twri/twri4a3/) Dr. Hirsch is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Association for the Advancement of Science

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...

.

Awards and recognition

• 1994 - Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Executive
• 1994 - Distinguished Service Award, U.S. Department of the Interior
• 1995 - Outstanding Alumni Award, Earlham College
• 1995 - Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
• 1996 - Water Management Achievement Award, Interstate Council on Water Policy
• 2003 - Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Executive
• 2006 - William C. Ackermann Medal for Excellence in Water Management from the American Water Resources Association (AWRA)

Selected publications

• Hirsch, Robert M. “Method for evaluating management options for and urbanizing watershed” Johns Hopkins University (1976)
• Hirsch, Robert M. “Risk analyses for a water-supply system--Occoquan Reservoir, Fairfax and Prince William Counties, Virginia” U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report No.78-452 (1978)
• Hirsch, Robert M. “Estimating probabilities of reservoir storage for the upper Delaware River basin” U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report No.81-478 (1981)
• Hirsch, Robert M., Slack, J.R., Smith, R.A. “Techniques of trend analysis for monthly water-quality data” U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report No.81-488 (1981)
• Hirsch, Robert M “Statistical methods and sampling design for estimating step trends in surface-water quality” Water Resources Bulletin, vol.24, no.3, pp. 493–503, Jun 1988
• Hirsch, Robert M; Alexander, Richard B; Smith, Richard A “Selection of methods for the detection and estimation of trends in water quality” Water Resources Research, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 803–813, May 1991
• Hirsch, Robert M. “Preface; Water quality of large U.S. rivers; results from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Stream Quality Accounting Network” Hydrological Processes, vol.15, no.7, pp. 1085–1087, May 2001
• Helsel, Dennis R. and Hirsch, R.M. “Statistical methods in water resources” Elsevier Publishing (1992 ) 522 p. revised in 2002.
• Hirsch, Robert M and Costa, John E “U. S. stream flow measurement and data dissemination improve” Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, vol.85, no.20, pp. 197, 203, 18 May 2004
• Hirsch, Robert M “Science issues crucial to water availability” Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America, vol. 37, no. 7, pp. 94, Oct 2005