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William H. Orem, Ph.D.

William Orem (Bill), Ph.D. is a Supervisory Research Chemist (Geochemist) and Principal Investigator with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.

Prior to joining the USGS, Dr. Orem was a National Research Council Postdoc for 2 years. His research at the USGS focuses on biogeochemistry and organic geochemistry. He currently leads several projects investigating: (1) human and environmental health impacts of energy resources, (2) environmental controls on mercury methylation in wetlands, and (3) microbial methanogenesis and natural gas production in coal, shale, and petroleum deposits. He oversees a 7 lab geochemistry and toxicology lab complex (Eastern Energy Environmental Labs, EEEL) and supervises lab personnel and visiting scientists. He has authored over 150 peer reviewed papers and 250 abstracts.

Professional Experience

  • Research Chemist, U.S. Geological Survey (1984-present)

  • Adjunct Faculty, University of Maryland, Department of Geology (1982-1992)

  • National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate (1982-1984)

Education and Certifications

  • B.S. Chemistry, Lehigh University

  • M.S. Oceanography, University of Delaware

  • Ph.D. Chemistry, University of New Hampshire

Science and Products

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Geochemistry Controls Science Object Representation Thumb

Microbial Methanogenesis and Strategies for Enhancements

Microbial (biogenic) natural gas is present in shale, coal and petroleum reservoirs and is estimated to account for 20% of the world’s natural gas resources. We provide hydrological, geochemical and microbial information related to the production of biogenic natural gas and new methods to monitor and enhance the production of this energy resource. Generating microbial methane at a faster rate from...
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center
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Microbial Methanogenesis and Strategies for Enhancements

Microbial (biogenic) natural gas is present in shale, coal and petroleum reservoirs and is estimated to account for 20% of the world’s natural gas resources. We provide hydrological, geochemical and microbial information related to the production of biogenic natural gas and new methods to monitor and enhance the production of this energy resource. Generating microbial methane at a faster rate from...
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USGS scientist collecting water samples on a wastewater disposal facility

Trace Levels of Organic Chemicals Limited to Local Reaches of a Stream near an Oil and Gas Wastewater Disposal Facility

Organic contaminants that were present in Wolf Creek near a wastewater disposal facility were not evident farther downstream where Wolf Creek enters the New River. Wolf Creek and the New River are used for drinking water and recreational purposes.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Trace Levels of Organic Chemicals Limited to Local Reaches of a Stream near an Oil and Gas Wastewater Disposal Facility

Organic contaminants that were present in Wolf Creek near a wastewater disposal facility were not evident farther downstream where Wolf Creek enters the New River. Wolf Creek and the New River are used for drinking water and recreational purposes.
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Organic Compounds Identified via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Produced Water Samples Collected at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL) field site in Morgantown, WV was established by West Virginia University in order to increase understanding of factors that affect resource recovery and environmental impacts from unconventional oil and gas development. The site, which is located in the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP) adjacent to the Monongahela River, includes one w
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Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Eastern Energy and Environmental Laboratory (EEEL)

Chemical characterization of water, sediments, and fish from Water Conservation Areas and Canals of the Florida Everglades (USA), 2012 to 2019

This dataset includes field and laboratory measurements of surface waters, pore waters, sediment, and fish from Water Conservation Areas and adjacent canals of the Florida Everglades (USA). Water, sediment, and fish samples were collected from Water Conservation Areas 1 (Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge), 2, and 3 and neighboring canals between 2012 and 2019. The sites sampl
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Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Total and Methyl Mercury Water and Fish Concentrations within Everglades National Park

The data in this data release includes results from the analysis of water and fish from 76 sites in the Everglades National Park (ENP). Water and particulate matter samples were collected from 2008 to 2018 and analyzed for total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg). Filtered water samples were also analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), and major ani
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Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Chemistry Data from the Birney Test Site, Montana, 2018-2020

Data were collected to monitor geochemistry before and after an injection designed to stimulate microbial methanogenesis in the shallow Flowers-Goodale coal bed, near Birney in southeastern Montana. Waters from wells completed in the Flowers-Goodale, Nance, Knobloch, and Terret coalbeds at the Birney Test Site were sampled. Geochemical characterization of the water included non-purgeable dissolved
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Injection of Deuterium and Yeast Extract at USGS Birney Field Site, Powder River Basin, Montana, USA, 2016-2020

Subsurface microbial (biogenic) methane production is an important part of the global carbon cycle and has resulted in natural gas accumulations in many coal beds worldwide. Laboratory experiments indicate coal beds can act as natural geobioreactors and produce additional low carbon renewable natural gas with algal or yeast compounds, yet the effectiveness of these nutrients in situ are unknown. T
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Data on the Effects of Oil and Gas Wastewater Components on Microbial Community Structure and Function

Oil and gas (OG) wastewaters are commonly disposed of by underground injection and previous research showed that activities at a disposal facility in West Virginia affected stream biogeochemistry and sediment microbial communities downstream from the facility. Microorganisms can control the fate and transport of organic and inorganic components of OG wastewater highlighting the need to characteriz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Chemistry Data from Southern Florida Canals Collected in Support of the Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades Project

Several canals in southern Florida run from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and feed water to the northern Everglades. Agricultural and water-management practices affect the water quality of these canals. Fertilizers added in the EAA flow into the canals and are transported to treatment areas which remove much of the phosphorous in the water, but are not as effective
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Organic Analysis of Oilfield Wastewater from the Williston Basin, North Dakota

The organic composition of produced waters (flowback and formation waters) from the Bakken Formation and the Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota were examined in this study in order to aid in the remediation of surface contamination due to spills during transport and help develop treatment methods for recycling. Twelve produced water samples were collected from wells in the
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

DDT and related compounds in pore water of shallow sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf, CA

For nearly two and a half decades following World War II, production wastes from the worlds largest manufacturer of technical DDT were discharged into sewers of Los Angeles County. Following treatment, the wastes were released via a submarine outfall system to nearshore coastal waters where a portion accumulated in shallow sediments of the Palos Verdes Shelf (PVS). An investigation of the pore-wat
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Water Resources Mission Area

Stratigraphic, geochemical, and hydrologic data for the Boston Peak wetland, Larimer County, CO, USA

Comprehensive sampling of peat, underlying lakebed sediments, and coexisting waters of a naturally uraniferous montane wetland are combined with hydrologic measurements to define the important controls on uranium (U) supply and uptake. The major source of U to the wetland is groundwater flowing through locally fractured and faulted granite gneiss of Proterozoic age. Dissolved U concentrations in f
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
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Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park

Mercury (Hg) contamination has been a persistent concern in the Florida Everglades for over three decades due to elevated atmospheric deposition and the system's propensity for methylation and rapid bioaccumulation. Given declines in atmospheric Hg concentrations in the conterminous United States and efforts to mitigate nutrient release to the greater Everglades ecosystem, it was vital to assess h
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Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Brett Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem, Jeffrey D Kline
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

In situ enhancement and isotopic labeling of biogenic coalbed methane

Subsurface microbial (biogenic) methane production is an important part of the global carbon cycle that has resulted in natural gas accumulations in many coal beds worldwide. Laboratory studies suggest that complex carbon-containing nutrients (e.g., yeast or algae extract) can stimulate methane production, yet the effectiveness of these nutrients within coal beds is unknown. Here, we use downhole
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Elliott Barnhart, Leslie F. Ruppert, Randy Heibert, Heidi J. Smith, Hannah Schweitzer, Arthur Clark, Edwin Weeks, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, George A. Platt, Jenna L. Shelton, Katherine J Davis, Robert Hyatt, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Kilian Ashley, Shuhei Ono, Anna M. Martini, Keith Hackley, Robin Gerlach, Lee Spangler, Adrienne Phillips, Mark Barry, Alfred B. Cunningham, Matthew W. Fields
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Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, National Innovation Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Oil and gas wastewater components alter streambed microbial community structure and function

The widespread application of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies expanded oil and gas (OG) development to previously inaccessible resources. A single OG well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, which is a mixture of brine produced from the fractured formations and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFFs). With thousands of wells completed each year, safe manag
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Denise M. Akob, Adam Mumford, Andrea Fraser, Cassandra Rashan Harris, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Reston Microbiology Laboratory

Effect of an algal amendment on the microbial conversion of coal to methane at different sulfate concentrations from the Powder River Basin, USA

Biogenic methane is estimated to account for one-fifth of the natural gas worldwide and there is great interest in controlling methane from different sources. Biogenic coalbed methane (CBM) production relies on syntrophic associations between fermentative bacteria and methanogenic archaea to anaerobically degrade recalcitrant coal and produce methanogenic substrates. However, very little is known
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Heidi J. Smith, Hannah S. Schweitzer, Elliott Barnhart, William H. Orem, Robin Gerlach, Matthew W. Fields
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Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Evaluation of Indoor PM2.5 concentrations in a Native American community: A pilot study

BackgroundIndoor air pollution is associated with adverse health effects; however, few studies exist studying indoor air pollution on the Navajo Nation in the southwest U.S., a community with high rates of respiratory disease.MethodsIndoor PM2.5 concentration was evaluated in 26 homes on the Navajo Nation using real-time PM2.5 monitors. Household risk factors and daily activities were evaluated wi
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Nan Ji, Ana Rule, Robert Weatherholtz, Lynn M. Crosby, Joseph E. Bunnell, William H. Orem, Raymond R. Reid, Mathuram Santosham, Laura L. Hammitt, Katherine L. O’Brien
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Origin and geochemistry of formation waters from the lower Eagle Ford Group, Gulf Coast Basin, south central Texas

The lower Eagle Ford Group (LEFG) is one of the most productive continuous hydrocarbon plays in the United States but few associated produced waters data and minimal interpretation have been published. This effort focuses on results from compositional and isotopic data from 39 produced water samples collected from horizontal wells producing from the LEFG in south central Texas. The depth of the LE
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Mark A Engle, Colin A. Doolan, Janet K. Pitman, Matthew S. Varonka, Jessica Chenault, William H. Orem, Peter B. McMahon, Aaron M. Jubb
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Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Brine Research Instrumentation and Experimental (BRInE) Laboratory

Organic compounds in produced waters from the Bakken Formation and Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota

The organic composition of produced waters (flowback and formation waters) from the middle member of the Bakken Formation and the Three Forks Formation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota were examined to aid in the remediation of surface contamination and help develop treatment methods for produced-water recycling. Twelve produced water samples were collected from the Bakken and Three Forks Form
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Matthew S. Varonka, Tanya Gallegos, Anne L. Bates, Colin A. Doolan, William H. Orem
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Brine Research Instrumentation and Experimental (BRInE) Laboratory

Review of studies of composition, toxicology and human health impacts of wastewater from unconventional oil and gas development from shale

Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extractions has produced large economic benefits. However, prudent management of UOG wastes necessitates a thorough understanding of the complex composition, fate, and potential impacts of wastewater releases. UOG production results in large volumes of wastewater. Despite limited re-use of the wastewater, the majority needs to be disposed of, usually by underground
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Lynn M. Crosby, William H. Orem
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Coal biomethanation potential of various ranks from Pakistan: A possible alternative energy source

The present study investigated the possibility of microbial transformations of coal to gas (biogasification) as an alternative to conventional coal mining because this approach has the potential to be less expensive, cleaner, and providinge greater access to deeper coal resources. Biogasification is often associated with low rank coal such as lignite and subbituminous coal that hasve produced enou
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Aneela Y. Malik, Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali, Asif Jamal, Uzma Farooq, Nazia Khatoon, William H. Orem, Elliott P. Barnhart, John R. SanFilipo, Huan He, Zaixing Huang
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Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Aquatic cycling of mercury

This chapter examines crucial processes in the aquatic cycling of mercury (Hg) that may lead to microbial production of neurotoxic and bioaccumulative methylmercury (MeHg), and highlights environmental conditions in the Everglades that make it ideal for MeHg production and bioaccumulation. The role of complexation of Hg2+ in surface water, especially by dissolved organic matter (DOM), in the trans
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William H. Orem, David P. Krabbenhoft, Brett Poulin, George A Aiken
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory, Wildland Fire Science

Sulfur contamination in the Everglades, a major control on mercury methylation

In this chapter sulfur contamination of the Everglades and its role as a major control on methylmercury (MeHg) production is examined. Sulfate concentrations over large portions of the Everglades (60% of the ecosystem) are elevated or greatly elevated compared to background conditions of <1 mg/L. Land and water management practices in south Florida are the primary reason for the high levels of sul
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William H. Orem, David P. Krabbenhoft, Brett Poulin, George Aiken
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Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Organic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations

Water and sediment extracts samples were analyzed for extractable hydrocarbons by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using an Agilent (Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) 7890 series GC and 5975 electron ionization (EI) mass selective detector (MSD) operated in scan mode. Agilent ChemStation software was used for data acquisition and analysis (version E.02.00.493 on GC/MS computer
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William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, Lynn M. Crosby, Karl B. Haase, Keith A. Loftin, Michelle Hladik, Denise M. Akob, Calin Tatu, Adam C. Mumford, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Anne L. Bates, Tiffani Schell, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
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Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, California Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory, Reston Microbiology Laboratory

Science and Products