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Benjamin S. Linhoff, Ph.D.

Dr. Benjamin Linhoff is a research hydrologist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Earth System Process Division.

Dr. Linhoff specializes in using hydrogeochemistry, biogeochemistry, and isotope geochemistry to answer questions related to groundwater hydrology and the fate and transport of nutrients, metals, and emerging contaminants in surface water and groundwater. His current research is on selenium biogeochemistry in the Kootenai River watershed, tracing PFAS through arid environments, the effect of wildfires on water quality, and groundwater quantity trends in the United States.

Prior to the USGS, his graduate research focused on developing chemical tracers of Greenland Ice Sheet hydrology and the chemical evolution of hypersaline soda lakes in Mongolia. Between graduate degrees, he worked in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory where he operated several mass spectrometers and researched groundwater quality in northern New Mexico.

Professional Experience

  • 2023–present: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Mission Area, Earth System Process Division

  • 2021–2023: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

  • 2016–2021: Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

  • 2009–2010: Post Masters Graduate Research Assistant, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

  • 2006: Fulbright Fellowship, Mongolia

Education and Certifications

  • PhD, Geochemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, 2016

  • MS, Hydrology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2009

  • BS, Geology, Boise State, 2005

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • American Geophysical Union: 2009–present

  • Geochemical Society: 2005–present

Science and Products

Groundwater flow model investigation of the vulnerability of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park related to unconventional oil and gas development Groundwater flow model investigation of the vulnerability of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park related to unconventional oil and gas development

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP), located in northwestern New Mexico, protects the greatest concentration of Chacoan historical sites in the American Southwest. Geologically, CCNHP is located within the San Juan structural basin, which consists in part of complex Cretaceous stratigraphy and hosts a variety of energy resources. As part of a larger study to investigate the
Authors
Zachary Shephard, Andre Ritchie, Benjamin Linhoff, John Lunzer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Water quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the potential effects of hydrocarbon extraction Water quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the potential effects of hydrocarbon extraction

Study region Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) is in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A. Its only water supply is in Gallup Sandstone aquifer, stratigraphically surrounded by layers long targeted for oil and natural gas extraction.Study focus To assess groundwater flow direction, age, mixing between aquifers, and whether hydrocarbons extraction may affect...
Authors
Benjamin Linhoff, Kimberly Beisner, Andrew G. Hunt, Zachary Shephard
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center

Deciphering natural and anthropogenic nitrate and recharge sources in arid region groundwater Deciphering natural and anthropogenic nitrate and recharge sources in arid region groundwater

Recently, the subsoils of ephemeral stream (arroyos) floodplains in the northern Chihuahuan Desert were discovered to contain large naturally occurring NO3− reservoirs (floodplain: ~38,000 kg NO3-N/ha; background: ~60 kg NO3-N/ha). These reservoirs may be mobilized through land use change or natural stream channel migration which makes differentiating between anthropogenic and natural...
Authors
Benjamin Linhoff
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Utilizing multiple hydrogeologic and anthropogenic indicators to understand zones of groundwater contribution to water-supply wells near Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico Utilizing multiple hydrogeologic and anthropogenic indicators to understand zones of groundwater contribution to water-supply wells near Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico

In 1999, a jet-fuels release was discovered at the Bulk Fuels Facility on Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contaminants had reached the water table and migrated north-northeast toward water-supply wells. Monitoring wells were installed downgradient from the facility to determine the primary zones of groundwater production for water-supply wells and assess contaminant...
Authors
Rebecca E. Travis, Meghan Bell, Benjamin Linhoff, Kimberly Beisner
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Discovery of a large subsoil nitrate reservoir in an arroyo floodplain and associated aquifer contamination Discovery of a large subsoil nitrate reservoir in an arroyo floodplain and associated aquifer contamination

In an area of elevated nitrate (NO3) groundwater concentrations in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in central New Mexico (United States), a large reservoir of nitrate was found in the subsoil of an arroyo floodplain. Nitrate inventories in the floodplain subsoils ranged from 10,000 to 38,000 kg NO3-N/ha—over twice as high as any previously measured arid region. The floodplain subsoil NO3...
Authors
Benjamin Shawn Linhoff, John Lunzer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Hawkings, J.R., Linhoff, B.S., Wadham, J.L., Stibal, M., Lamborg, C.H., Carling, G.T., Lamarche-gagnon, G., Kohler, T.J., Ward, R., Hendry, K.R., Falteisek, L., Kellerman, A.M., Cameron, K.A., Hatton, J.E., Tingey, S., Holt, A.D., Vinšová, P., 2021. Large subglacial source of mercury from the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00753-w
Chandler, D.M., Wadham, J.L., Nienow, P.W., Doyle, S.H., Tedstone, A.J., Telling, J., Hawkings, J., Alcock, J.D., Linhoff, B., Hubbard, A., 2021. Rapid development and persistence of efficient subglacial drainage under 900 m-thick ice in Greenland. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 566, 116982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116982
Linhoff, B., Charette, M., and Wadham, J., 2020, Rapid mineral surface weathering beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet shown by radium and uranium isotopes: Chemical Geology, v. 547, p. 119663, doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119663
Linhoff, B.S., Charette, M.A., Nienow, P.W., Wadham, J.L., Tedstone, A.J., and Cowton, T., 2017, Utility of222Rn as a passive tracer of subglacial distributed system drainage: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 462, p. 180–188, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2016.12.039.
Linhoff, B., Longmire, P., Rearick, M., McQuillan, D., and Perkins, G., 2016, Water quality and hydrogeochemistry of a basin and range watershed in a semi-arid region of northern New Mexico: Environmental Earth Sciences, v. 75, p. 640, doi:10.1007/s12665-015-5179-8.
Placzek, C.J., Heikoop, J.M., House, B., Linhoff, B.S., and Pelizza, M., 2016, Uranium isotope composition of waters from South Texas uranium ore deposits: Chemical Geology, v. 437, p. 44–55, doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.05.008.
Linhoff, B.S., Bennett, P.C., Puntsag, T., and Gerel, O., 2011, Geochemical evolution of uraniferous soda lakes in Eastern Mongolia: Environmental Earth Sciences, v. 62, p. 171–183, doi:10.1007/s12665-010-0512-8.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Sediment core collection, USGS, NMWSC

Nitrate Contamination in the Albuquerque Basin

Globally, nitrate is the most ubiquitous groundwater contaminate including within the Albuquerque Basin in New Mexico. Ingesting high concentrations of nitrate (> 10 mg/L as N) in drinking water can lead to an increased risk of cancer and in infants, methemoglobinemia. Historical groundwater sampling in Albuquerque and Kirtland Air Force Base have found high (> 10 mg/L as N) and sometime extreme (...
By
Kansas Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center
Nitrate Contamination in the Albuquerque Basin

Nitrate Contamination in the Albuquerque Basin

Globally, nitrate is the most ubiquitous groundwater contaminate including within the Albuquerque Basin in New Mexico. Ingesting high concentrations of nitrate (> 10 mg/L as N) in drinking water can lead to an increased risk of cancer and in infants, methemoglobinemia. Historical groundwater sampling in Albuquerque and Kirtland Air Force Base have found high (> 10 mg/L as N) and sometime extreme (...
Learn More

Lagrangian water quality monitoring of the Animas River: Data release from a sonde-equipped raft sampling campaign that occurred on the Animas River between Trimble, CO to Farmington, NM in June, 2022 Lagrangian water quality monitoring of the Animas River: Data release from a sonde-equipped raft sampling campaign that occurred on the Animas River between Trimble, CO to Farmington, NM in June, 2022

The purpose of this data release is to provide water quality data that were collected during a raft sampling campaign near USGS streamgage 372728107475701 (Animas River at Bakers Bridge north of Durango, CO) to USGS streamgage 09364500 (Animas River at Farmington, NM) between the dates 06/06/2022 and 06/10/2022. Chemical and physical parameters were collected at 1-minute intervals with...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Data Collected to Evaluate Sources, Fate, and Mobility of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico Data Collected to Evaluate Sources, Fate, and Mobility of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico

Soil, soil porewater, groundwater, and playa lake sediment samples were collected between September 2021 and November 2023 at Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB) in eastern New Mexico as part of a study on the sources, fate, and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Soil cores (2-foot-long) were collected in September 2021 from six sites that were potential PFAS source areas...
By
Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

MODFLOW-2005 and MODPATH models in support of groundwater flow model investigation of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park MODFLOW-2005 and MODPATH models in support of groundwater flow model investigation of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Situated in a remote corner of northwestern New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) was once the center of a sophisticated social, political and architectural civilization with a 50,000-square mile sphere of influence. The park protects the greatest concentration of Chacoan historical sites in the American Southwest and is arguably the most significant prehistoric site...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Albuquerque Region Nitrate Map Viewer Albuquerque Region Nitrate Map Viewer

This interactive map summarizes historical groundwater sampling for nitrate in the Albuquerque Basin, potential sources of nitrate in groundwater, and other complementary data.
By
New Mexico Water Science Center
Researchers collecting surface-water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022
Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022
Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022
Researchers collecting surface-water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

USGS researchers collect surface water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

By
Water Resources Mission Area
Researchers collecting surface-water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

USGS researchers collect surface water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

By
Water Resources Mission Area

Science and Products

Groundwater flow model investigation of the vulnerability of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park related to unconventional oil and gas development Groundwater flow model investigation of the vulnerability of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park related to unconventional oil and gas development

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP), located in northwestern New Mexico, protects the greatest concentration of Chacoan historical sites in the American Southwest. Geologically, CCNHP is located within the San Juan structural basin, which consists in part of complex Cretaceous stratigraphy and hosts a variety of energy resources. As part of a larger study to investigate the
Authors
Zachary Shephard, Andre Ritchie, Benjamin Linhoff, John Lunzer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Water quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the potential effects of hydrocarbon extraction Water quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the potential effects of hydrocarbon extraction

Study region Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) is in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A. Its only water supply is in Gallup Sandstone aquifer, stratigraphically surrounded by layers long targeted for oil and natural gas extraction.Study focus To assess groundwater flow direction, age, mixing between aquifers, and whether hydrocarbons extraction may affect...
Authors
Benjamin Linhoff, Kimberly Beisner, Andrew G. Hunt, Zachary Shephard
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center

Deciphering natural and anthropogenic nitrate and recharge sources in arid region groundwater Deciphering natural and anthropogenic nitrate and recharge sources in arid region groundwater

Recently, the subsoils of ephemeral stream (arroyos) floodplains in the northern Chihuahuan Desert were discovered to contain large naturally occurring NO3− reservoirs (floodplain: ~38,000 kg NO3-N/ha; background: ~60 kg NO3-N/ha). These reservoirs may be mobilized through land use change or natural stream channel migration which makes differentiating between anthropogenic and natural...
Authors
Benjamin Linhoff
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Utilizing multiple hydrogeologic and anthropogenic indicators to understand zones of groundwater contribution to water-supply wells near Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico Utilizing multiple hydrogeologic and anthropogenic indicators to understand zones of groundwater contribution to water-supply wells near Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico

In 1999, a jet-fuels release was discovered at the Bulk Fuels Facility on Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contaminants had reached the water table and migrated north-northeast toward water-supply wells. Monitoring wells were installed downgradient from the facility to determine the primary zones of groundwater production for water-supply wells and assess contaminant...
Authors
Rebecca E. Travis, Meghan Bell, Benjamin Linhoff, Kimberly Beisner
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Discovery of a large subsoil nitrate reservoir in an arroyo floodplain and associated aquifer contamination Discovery of a large subsoil nitrate reservoir in an arroyo floodplain and associated aquifer contamination

In an area of elevated nitrate (NO3) groundwater concentrations in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in central New Mexico (United States), a large reservoir of nitrate was found in the subsoil of an arroyo floodplain. Nitrate inventories in the floodplain subsoils ranged from 10,000 to 38,000 kg NO3-N/ha—over twice as high as any previously measured arid region. The floodplain subsoil NO3...
Authors
Benjamin Shawn Linhoff, John Lunzer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Mexico Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Hawkings, J.R., Linhoff, B.S., Wadham, J.L., Stibal, M., Lamborg, C.H., Carling, G.T., Lamarche-gagnon, G., Kohler, T.J., Ward, R., Hendry, K.R., Falteisek, L., Kellerman, A.M., Cameron, K.A., Hatton, J.E., Tingey, S., Holt, A.D., Vinšová, P., 2021. Large subglacial source of mercury from the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00753-w
Chandler, D.M., Wadham, J.L., Nienow, P.W., Doyle, S.H., Tedstone, A.J., Telling, J., Hawkings, J., Alcock, J.D., Linhoff, B., Hubbard, A., 2021. Rapid development and persistence of efficient subglacial drainage under 900 m-thick ice in Greenland. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 566, 116982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116982
Linhoff, B., Charette, M., and Wadham, J., 2020, Rapid mineral surface weathering beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet shown by radium and uranium isotopes: Chemical Geology, v. 547, p. 119663, doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119663
Linhoff, B.S., Charette, M.A., Nienow, P.W., Wadham, J.L., Tedstone, A.J., and Cowton, T., 2017, Utility of222Rn as a passive tracer of subglacial distributed system drainage: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 462, p. 180–188, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2016.12.039.
Linhoff, B., Longmire, P., Rearick, M., McQuillan, D., and Perkins, G., 2016, Water quality and hydrogeochemistry of a basin and range watershed in a semi-arid region of northern New Mexico: Environmental Earth Sciences, v. 75, p. 640, doi:10.1007/s12665-015-5179-8.
Placzek, C.J., Heikoop, J.M., House, B., Linhoff, B.S., and Pelizza, M., 2016, Uranium isotope composition of waters from South Texas uranium ore deposits: Chemical Geology, v. 437, p. 44–55, doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.05.008.
Linhoff, B.S., Bennett, P.C., Puntsag, T., and Gerel, O., 2011, Geochemical evolution of uraniferous soda lakes in Eastern Mongolia: Environmental Earth Sciences, v. 62, p. 171–183, doi:10.1007/s12665-010-0512-8.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Sediment core collection, USGS, NMWSC

Nitrate Contamination in the Albuquerque Basin

Globally, nitrate is the most ubiquitous groundwater contaminate including within the Albuquerque Basin in New Mexico. Ingesting high concentrations of nitrate (> 10 mg/L as N) in drinking water can lead to an increased risk of cancer and in infants, methemoglobinemia. Historical groundwater sampling in Albuquerque and Kirtland Air Force Base have found high (> 10 mg/L as N) and sometime extreme (...
By
Kansas Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center
Nitrate Contamination in the Albuquerque Basin

Nitrate Contamination in the Albuquerque Basin

Globally, nitrate is the most ubiquitous groundwater contaminate including within the Albuquerque Basin in New Mexico. Ingesting high concentrations of nitrate (> 10 mg/L as N) in drinking water can lead to an increased risk of cancer and in infants, methemoglobinemia. Historical groundwater sampling in Albuquerque and Kirtland Air Force Base have found high (> 10 mg/L as N) and sometime extreme (...
Learn More

Lagrangian water quality monitoring of the Animas River: Data release from a sonde-equipped raft sampling campaign that occurred on the Animas River between Trimble, CO to Farmington, NM in June, 2022 Lagrangian water quality monitoring of the Animas River: Data release from a sonde-equipped raft sampling campaign that occurred on the Animas River between Trimble, CO to Farmington, NM in June, 2022

The purpose of this data release is to provide water quality data that were collected during a raft sampling campaign near USGS streamgage 372728107475701 (Animas River at Bakers Bridge north of Durango, CO) to USGS streamgage 09364500 (Animas River at Farmington, NM) between the dates 06/06/2022 and 06/10/2022. Chemical and physical parameters were collected at 1-minute intervals with...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Data Collected to Evaluate Sources, Fate, and Mobility of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico Data Collected to Evaluate Sources, Fate, and Mobility of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico

Soil, soil porewater, groundwater, and playa lake sediment samples were collected between September 2021 and November 2023 at Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB) in eastern New Mexico as part of a study on the sources, fate, and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Soil cores (2-foot-long) were collected in September 2021 from six sites that were potential PFAS source areas...
By
Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

MODFLOW-2005 and MODPATH models in support of groundwater flow model investigation of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park MODFLOW-2005 and MODPATH models in support of groundwater flow model investigation of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Situated in a remote corner of northwestern New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) was once the center of a sophisticated social, political and architectural civilization with a 50,000-square mile sphere of influence. The park protects the greatest concentration of Chacoan historical sites in the American Southwest and is arguably the most significant prehistoric site...
By
New Mexico Water Science Center

Albuquerque Region Nitrate Map Viewer Albuquerque Region Nitrate Map Viewer

This interactive map summarizes historical groundwater sampling for nitrate in the Albuquerque Basin, potential sources of nitrate in groundwater, and other complementary data.
By
New Mexico Water Science Center
Researchers collecting surface-water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022
Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022
Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022
Researchers collecting surface-water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

USGS researchers collect surface water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

By
Water Resources Mission Area
Researchers collecting surface-water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

Sampling surface water on the Animas River, New Mexico, 2022

USGS researchers collect surface water samples on the Animas River, New Mexico, June 2022

By
Water Resources Mission Area

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

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