Hydrogeology is the study of water in geologic materials. Hydrogeologists evaluate the flow of water through geologic materials and the chemistry of water found in the subsurface. Ground water (water in the subsurface) cannot usually be observed and wells are used to collect water samples and measure the hydraulic potential in geologic materials. Various tests can be performed on the wells to measure the hydraulic properties in the subsurface.
Because hydrogeologic data is usually sparse, computer simulations are utilized in some cases to evaluate hydrogeologic systems. Uses of computer modeling software include: 1) predicting how a hydrogeologic system will change over time,improving the conceptual understanding of a hydrogeologic system, and constructing numerical experiments to evaluates hydrogeologic processes.
My research involves a mixture of field measurements and applied computer modelling. I have focused my research on: 1) the hydrogeologic settings of wetlands with an emphasis on peatlands, 2) the assessment of springs, 3) and arsenic on ground-water systems. Computer modeling activities utilize software developed by the U.S. Geologic Survey (Modflow and Phreeqc), and the creation of custom software to simulate ground-water flow and transport processes.<\p>
Equipment available in the Dept. of Earth Sciences for hydrogeologic research includes a power auger, dual frequency GPS units, a portable borehole geophysics winch with heat pulse flow meter, caliper, and gamma probes, submersible pumps, and field equipment for chemical measurements (pH, SC, alkalinity, temp). The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory is adjacent to the geoscience building and contains state of the art analytical facilities
I teach four classes at the University of Maine: Environmental Geology (ERS 102), Computational Methods in Earth Science (ERS 420), Introduction to Hydrogeology (ERS 580), and Applied Methods in Hydrogeology (ERS 588).
Additional information about my teaching and research activities can be found here.
The pictures above show: 1) A student preparing to collect a ground-water sample in mid-coast Maine. Arsenic concentrations in the ground water are high at some households in this area and we are evaluating the source and fate of arsenic in the ground water. 2) Students collecting a peat core. The peat cores collected were subsequently used in the laboratory to complete solute transport experiments, 3) Student measuring the flow from a spring in central Maine. This student is evaluating the ecological importance of springs.