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Hydrogeology

Core Capabilities
People
  • Advanced Process Modeling arch image

    Advanced Process Modeling

    Researchers are developing a quantitative understanding of the main physical and chemical processes that operate in geologic systems, and providing practically useful modeling tools for recovering, storing, and protecting subsurface fluid resources.

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  • Contaminant Hydrology

    Researchers are addressing the national and international need for subsurface contaminant characterization and remediation across a spectrum of approaches.

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  • Reservoir Engineering

    Researchers are studying ways to enhance production of energy from subsurface reservoirs containing methane gas hydrates, geothermal energy, and oil and gas resources.

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  • Imaging Our Earth’s Environment

    Concurrent X-ray CT imaging enables process quantification and visualization of the earth materials

    Read More

Overview

Publications Button
Hydrogeology has been an important component of Berkeley Lab’s former Earth Sciences Division (ESD) since its inception in 1977. Together with geophysics and geochemistry researchers, hydrogeologists addressed subsurface energy challenges at that time, which focused on geophysical characterization and numerical modeling of fracture flow, associated first with fundamental geosciences, geothermal energy exploration, and nuclear waste isolation and research activities heavily relied upon understanding flow and transport in the subsurface.

Today, the broad range of cutting-edge research continues in fundamental and applied hydrology. The Hydrogeology Department has expertise in theoretical, experimental, field, and modeling approaches in a variety of research areas, among which are advanced process modeling, reservoir engineering, vadose-zone and fracture hydrology, contaminant hydrology, and coupled nonisothermal, geochemical, and geomechanical processes. Our researchers address national needs in the areas of subsurface energy resources recovery, subsurface remediation, geological CO2 storage, and nuclear waste disposal, with a continued focus on mass and heat transport through porous and fractured earth materials under saturated and unsaturated conditions.

Currently, the majority of the Hydrogeology Department personnel support the Energy Geosciences Division.

Core Capabilities

Advanced Process Modeling arch image

Advanced Process Modeling

Hydrogeology Department researchers are developing a quantitative understanding of the main physical and chemical processes that operate in geologic systems, and providing practically useful modeling tools for recovering, storing, and protecting subsurface fluid resources.

Contaminant Hydrology

Hydrogeology Department researchers are addressing the national and international need for subsurface contaminant characterization and remediation across a spectrum of approaches—laboratory experiments, field tests, and theoretical and numerical investigations.

Coupled Processes

Hydrogeology Department researchers are addressing the complex field of coupled processes analysis through an integrated experimental and modeling effort, combining laboratory experiments and in situ tests, using advanced monitoring methods with sophisticated modeling analysis.

Reservoir Engineering

Hydrogeology Department researchers are studying ways to enhance production of energy from subsurface reservoirs containing methane gas hydrates, geothermal energy, and oil and gas resources.

Vadose-Zone and Fracture Hydrology

Hydrogeology Department researchers have made significant contributions to identifying the physical mechanisms, and developing modeling approaches and characterization/monitoring techniques, for flow and transport in fractures in both saturated and unsaturated systems.

Pramod Bhuvankar

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 765-426-3077
pbhuvankar@lbl.gov

Jens Birkholzer

Associate Laboratory Director (Acting);

Senior Scientist;

Hydrogeologist

Phone: 510-486-7134
Fax: 510-486-5686
jtbirkholzer@lbl.gov

Laura Blanco Martin

Faculty Scientist

lblancomartin@lbl.gov

Sharon E. Borglin

Principal Scientific Research Associate

seborglin@lbl.gov

Chun Chang

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-345-8308
chunchang@lbl.gov

Abdullah Cihan

Abdullah Cihan

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2997
acihan@lbl.gov

Christine Doughty

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6453
Fax: 510-486-5686
cadoughty@lbl.gov

Boris A. Faybishenko

Earth Staff Scientist

Hydrogeology Department
Energy Geosciences Division
Earth and Environmental Sciences Area

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
University of California, Berkeley
M/S 74R316C
510-486-4852

bafaybishenko@lbl.gov

Stefan Finsterle

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

safinsterle@lbl.gov

Barry M. Freifeld

Guest Scientist/Mechanical Engineer (Retired)

Affliate

Phone: 510-520-2618
bmfreifeld@lbl.gov

Mengsu Hu

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5154
mengsuhu@lbl.gov

Preston Jordan Portrait

Preston D. Jordan

Principal Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 510-486-6774
pdjordan@lbl.gov

Kenzi Karasaki

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-6759
kkarasaki@lbl.gov

Kunhwi Kim

Affiliate

Phone: 858-263-3313
kunhwikim@lbl.gov

Tim Kneafsey

Affiliate Scientist (Retired)

Phone: 510-486-4414
Fax: 510-486-5686
tjkneafsey@lbl.gov

Robin D. Lopez

Research Associate

rdlopez@lbl.gov

Keurfon Luu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-5432
keurfonluu@lbl.gov

Michael Manga

Faculty Scientist

Phone: (510) 643-8532
mmanga@lbl.gov

George J. Moridis

Senior Scientist

Phone: 510-486-4746
Fax: 510-486-5686
gjmoridis@lbl.gov

Nils Anders Petersson

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-7134
andersp@lbl.gov

Curtis M. Oldenburg

Senior Scientist

Rehired Retiree

cmoldenburg@lbl.gov

Omotayo A. Omosebi

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6656
oaomosebi@lbl.gov

Clayton J. Radke

Faculty Scientist/Engineer

Phone: 510-642-5204
clradke@lbl.gov

Matthew T. Reagan

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6517
Fax: 510-486-5686
mtreagan@lbl.gov

Jonny Rutqvist

Senior Scientist

Hydrogeology Department Head

Phone: 510-486-5432
Fax: 510-486-5686
jrutqvist@lbl.gov

Tsubasa Sasaki

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 530-220-7130
tsubasasasaki@lbl.gov

Matthias Sprenger

Earth Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5266
msprenger@lbl.gov

Tetsu K. Tokunaga

Senior Scientist (retired)

Affiliate

Phone: 510-684-9661
Fax: 510-486-5686
tktokunaga@lbl.gov

Hafssa Tounsi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-365-6550
htounsi@lbl.gov

Haruko Murakami Wainwright

Affiliate Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2038
hmwainwright@lbl.gov

Jiamin Wan

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6004
Fax: 510-486-7152
jmwan@lbl.gov

Sangcheol Yoon

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 405-615-6481
scyoon@lbl.gov

Yingqi Zhang

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2983
Fax: 510-486-5686
yqzhang@lbl.gov

LianGe Zheng

Staff Scientist

Nuclear Energy and Waste Program Head

Phone: 510-486-5502
Fax: 510-486-5686
lzheng@lbl.gov

Quanlin Zhou

Staff Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5748
Fax: 510-486-5686
qzhou@lbl.gov

Department Contacts

Jonny Rutqvist
Senior Scientist
Hydrogeology Department Head

Shelby Bemiss
Administrative Assistant III

News & Events

Berkeley Lab, BIDS Take on Big Data

September 4, 2018

The world is currently generating data at a break-neck pace — about 2.5 quintillion bytes per day — and this trend is only accelerating. To make sense of this torrent of information, Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS) has built an ecosystem of researchers to advance data-analytic methods and inquiry, develop and expand software and analytics tools, and share…

Algorithm Provides Early Warning System for Tracking Groundwater Contamination

August 13, 2018

Groundwater contamination is increasingly recognized as a widespread environmental problem. The most important course of action often involves long-term monitoring. But what is the most cost-effective way to monitor when the contaminant plumes are large, complex, and long-term, or an unexpected event such as a storm could cause sudden changes in contaminant levels that may…

Berkeley Lab Isotope Geochemists Study Isotopic Fractionation by Plants

August 3, 2018

            Isotope geochemists at Berkeley Lab are the first to establish the degree of Potassium (K) isotopic fractionation by plants. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have a different number of neutrons. Scientists have just in the past decade begun studying for key nutrient elements (other than C,…

Three Amazing EESA Women Take Home Women @ The Lab Awards

July 12, 2018

     Romy Chakraborty, Ecology Department Head Sixteen women at various stages of their careers were honored for making extraordinary contributions to STEM and Operations here at Berkeley Lab at the third Women @ The Lab event on Monday, July 9. Hundreds of friends and colleagues cheered as each woman approached the stage in the B50…

Berkeley Lab Study Provides New Insights Into Measuring Aquifer Recharge in Semi-Arid Regions

June 5, 2018

Berkeley Lab researchers who study aquifer recharge and groundwater quality measured concentrations and isotopic composition of the trace element Strontium (Sr) in groundwater to evaluate how local topography affects the amount of groundwater recharge across a semi-dry riparian floodplain in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Their study location was the Rifle Site, one of 18 former…

EESA Early Career Researchers Learn What It’s Like Across Berkeley Lab

June 1, 2018

When not at work researching Arctic permafrost microbes or mountainous watersheds, research scientists Neslihan Taş (above left) and Erica Woodburn (above right) are out and about learning what it’s like across Berkeley Lab with fellow recipients of Early Career research awards from the Department of Energy, Berkeley Lab, and UC Berkeley. In December, Berkeley Lab…

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