Ted Grantham

Research Description

Ted Grantham is an ecohydrologist whose research investigates the ecology, hydrology, and management of freshwater ecosystems. In his role as a cooperative extension specialist, he works to translate scientific knowledge into sustainable solutions for managing water and the environment. He leads the Collaboratory for Equity in Water Allocations (COEQWAL), a program that seeks to democratize water planning in California. He is the faculty director of the UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center and an Adjunct Fellow with the Water Policy Center of the Public Policy Institute of California. 

Ted co-leads the Berkeley Freshwater Group. A key research theme in our group is understanding how humans are altering river ecosystems, especially from dam operations, water withdrawals, and climate change. Our group also investigates how different levels of biological organization - from populations to food webs - respond to changes in hydrology within streams, rivers, and estuaries. We are particularly interested in the ecology of California’s Pacific salmon and their responses to environmental change. 

Much of our work is designed to inform management decisions, with the aim of conserving biodiversity and the many benefits that people derive from healthy freshwater ecosystems. A primary topic in this research theme is environmental flow science - an interdisciplinary field focused on understanding the quantity and quality of river flows needed to sustain aquatic species and their habitats. This work includes applying knowledge of ecological-flow relationships to guide dam (re)operation, water diversion management, establishment of environmental flow requirements, as well as dam removal and habitat restoration planning. 

Overall, our group aims to inform solutions to global water challenges that sustain biodiversity, satisfy human needs, and promote environmental stewardship. 

Education

2010 - Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California – Berkeley

2000 - Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Selected Publications

• Baker, H.K., Obedzinski, M.O., Grantham, T.E., and Carlson, S.M. 2025. Variation in salmon migration phenology bolsters population stability but is threatened by drought. Ecological Letters 28:e70081.

• Andrews, L. and Grantham, T.E. 2024. Strategic stream gauging network design for sustainable water management. Nature Sustainability 7: 714-723.

• Ayres, J.R., Yarnell, S.M., Baruch, E., Lusardi, R.A., Grantham, T.E. 2024. Perennial and non-perennial streamflow regime shifts across California, USA. Water Resources Research 035768.

• Rossi, G., Obedzinski, M., Pneh, S., Nossaman Pierce, S., Boucher, W.T., Slaughter, W.M., Flynn, K.M., and Grantham, T.E. 2023. Flow augmentation from off‐channel storage improves salmonid habitat and survival. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 10954.

• Dillis, C., Butsic, V., Georgakakos, P., Portugal, E. and Grantham, T.E. 2023. Water demands of permitted and unpermitted cannabis cultivation in Northern California. Environmental Research Communications 5: 025005.

• Kastl, B., Obedzinski, M., Carlson, S.M., Boucher, W.T. and Grantham, T.E. 2022. Migration in drought: Receding streams contract the seaward migration window of endangered salmon. Ecosphere 13(12): e4295. 

• Rossi, G.J., Power, M.E., Carlson, S.M., and Grantham, T.E. 2022. Seasonal growth potential of Oncorhynchus mykiss in streams with contrasting prey phenology and streamflow. Ecosphere 13( 9): e4211.

• Grantham, T.E., Carlisle, D.M., Howard, J., Lane, B., Lusardi, R., Obester, A., Sandoval-Solis, S., Stanford, B., Stein, E.D., Taniguchi-Quan, K.T. and Yarnell, S.M. 2022. Modeling functional flows in California’s rivers. Frontiers in Environmental Science 7877473.

• Vander Vorste, R., Obedzinski, M., Nossaman Pierce, S., Carlson, S.M. & Grantham, T.E. 2020. Refuges and ecological traps: extreme drought threatens persistence of an endangered fish in intermittent streams. Global Change Biology 26: 3834-3845.

For a full publication list, see Google Scholar

Selected Honors and Awards

• Public Policy Institute of California-California Trout (PPIC-CalTrout) Ecosystem Fellow, 2019-2020.

• U.S. Geological Survey Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, 2014-2015.

• U.S. Scholar Fulbright Fellowship (Spain), 2010.