I study biodegradation of groundwater contaminants. Presently I serve as research coordinator of a team studying a 1979 crude oil spill at the USGS study site near Bemidji, Minnesota. Studies at the site include the fate and bioeffects of oxyhdrocarbons formed during natural attenuation, controls on degradation rates, and use of biogenic heat to estimate degradation
EDUCATION
University of California, Santa Cruz, Ph.D., 1993, Hydrogeology
San Jose State University, M.S., 1988, Mathematics
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., 1975, Mathematics
EXPERIENCE
1990-present: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division
2006-2008 Instructor, Stanford University, Solute Transport in Groundwater
1988-1993: Researcher and Instructor, University of California, Santa Cruz.
1979-1987: Computer Specialist, U. S. Geological Survey, Seismology Branch.
Project chief, system administrator and UNIX consultant for computer facilities monitoring earthquakes in real time.
1977-1978: Research Assistant, Stanford University Geophysics Department.
1976-1977: Mathematics Lab Director, Canada Community College.
1975-1976: Scientific Programmer, SRI International.
HONORS
Member, National Academy of Engineering, 2020
AGU Fellow, 2019
GSA Fellow, 2005
GSA Hydrogeology Division Birdsall-Dreiss Lecturer, 2003-2004
U.S. Geological Survey Meritorious Service Award, 2004
JOI/USSAC Distinguished Lecturer, 2002-2003
ARCS Foundation Fellowship, 1989-1990
University of California Regents’ Fellowship, 1988-1989
B.A. Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
INTERNATIONAL OCEAN DISCOVERY PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
Exp. 366, Mariana Serpentine Mud Volcanoes, 12/2016-2/2017, Downhole Tools and Phys. Props.
Science Planning Committee, 2004-2007.
Leg 201, Peru Deep Biosphere, 1/2002-4/2002, Downhole Tools and Phys. Props.
U.S. Science Advisory Committee, 2000-2003.
Science Steering and Evaluation Panel, Earth's Environment, 1997-2000.
Leg 171A, Logging While Drilling, 12/1996-1/1997, Hydrologist.
Sedimentary and Geochemical Processes Panel, 1994-1996.
COMMITTEES
AGU Program Committee, 2013-2016
AGU Groundwater Technical Committee, Chair 2009-2010
National Research Council Panel on Intrinsic Remediation, 1997-2000.
JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARDS
Groundwater Monitoring and Remediation 2021-present.
Geofluids, 2007-2017.
Hydrogeology Journal, 1997-2000.
Ground Water, 1998-2003.
Geology, 1995-1998.
Science and Products
National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minnesota
Variability in Composition of an Oil Spill after more than 30 Years of Natural Attenuation
U.S. Geological Survey Identifies Crude-Oil Metabolites in Subsurface Plumes
Ethanol-Containing Fuel Spills Enhanced Natural Trace Element Release from Sediments in an Experimental Setting
Pipeline Crude Oil Spill Still a Cleanup Challenge after 30 Years
Understanding Fluid Injection Induced Seismicity
Dissolved organic carbon, total petroleum hydrocarbons and and toxicity assay results for Bemidji, MN (2018)
Toxicity Data for Groundwater Contaminated by Petroleum Hydrocarbons near Bemidji, MN (2016)
Nonvolatile dissolved organic carbon and diesel range organics concentrations measured in 2016 at the Bemidji crude oil study site
Data Sets from the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minnesota, USA (ver. 3.0, March 2020)
Sampling site information, well construction details, and data dictionaries for data sets associated with the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Site near Bemidji, Minnesota
Data Release for Data Report: Permeability, porosity, and frictional strength of core samples from IODP Expedition 366 in the Mariana forearc
Geophysical data from the unnamed lake at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site, Bemidji, MN (ver. 3.0, May 2022)
Historical data sets including inorganic and organic chemistry of water, oil, and sediments, aquifer hydraulic conductivity, and sediment grain size distribution at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minn
Weathering of Oil in a Surficial Aquifer, Bemidji, MN
Partial release of iron, alkalinity, and oxygen data from Bemidji crude oil site, Minnesota 1993-2016
Methanogens and their syntrophic partners dominate zones of enhanced magnetic susceptibility at a petroleum contaminated site
Hydrocarbons to carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules: A continuum model to describe biodegradation of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in contaminated groundwater plumes
Biological effects of hydrocarbon degradation intermediates: Is the total petroleum hydrocarbon analytical method adequate for risk assessment?
Mariana serpentinite mud volcanism exhumes subducted seamount materials: Implications for the origin of life
Natural Attenuation in Source Zone and Groundwater Plume - Bemidji Crude Oil Spill
Geophysical mapping of plume discharge to surface water at a crude oil spill site: Inversion versus machine learning
Examining the extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in contaminated groundwater plumes
Data Report: Permeability, porosity, and frictional strength of core samples from IODP Expedition 366 in the Mariana forearc
Case studies in groundwater contaminant fate and transport
Toxicity assessment of groundwater contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons at a well-characterized, aged, crude oil release site
Weathering of oil in a surficial aquifer
A direct-push freezing core barrel for sampling unconsolidated subsurface sediments and adjacent pore fluids
Science and Products
- Science
National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minnesota
The primary focus of the science team at the site is to improve the understanding of the mobilization, attenuation, transport, fate, potential health effects, and remediation of petroleum in the subsurface through collaborative research, peer-reviewed publications, presentations, data, and educational activities.Variability in Composition of an Oil Spill after more than 30 Years of Natural Attenuation
More than thirty years after an oil spill, hydrocarbons measured in groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota, have been depleted between 25 and 85 percent. However, some components have remained for many decades and some are expected to remain longer indicating that natural attenuation is an effective but slow process. Compounds that are sufficiently soluble and resistant to biodegradation provide a...U.S. Geological Survey Identifies Crude-Oil Metabolites in Subsurface Plumes
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists studying two subsurface crude-oil spill sites in Minnesota measured concentrations of oil breakdown products (metabolites) at greater concentrations than parent compound concentrations.Ethanol-Containing Fuel Spills Enhanced Natural Trace Element Release from Sediments in an Experimental Setting
Experimental field research simulating hydrocarbon spills by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Virginia Tech, and the University of St. Thomas showed that mixed ethanol and petroleum-based fuels increased the rate by which arsenic and other natural trace elements are released from aquifer sediments to groundwater when compared to petroleum-based fuels alone.Pipeline Crude Oil Spill Still a Cleanup Challenge after 30 Years
Research at a 1979 crude oil spill from a ruptured pipeline has exposed and helped to overcome many challenges facing an effective, cost-efficient cleanup of crude oil, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have found. The environmental release of crude oil occurred near Bemidji, Minnesota.Understanding Fluid Injection Induced Seismicity
Fluid injection induced seismicity has been reported since the 1960s. There are currently more than 150,000 injection wells associated with oil and gas production in 34 states in the conterminous US. Pore pressure disturbance caused by injection is generally considered the culprit for injection induced seismicity, but, not all injection causes seismicity. It is not well understood what mechanical - Data
Dissolved organic carbon, total petroleum hydrocarbons and and toxicity assay results for Bemidji, MN (2018)
In crude-oil-contaminant plumes the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is mainly hydrocarbon degradation intermediates only partly quantified by the diesel range total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHd) method. To understand potential biological effects of degradation intermediates we tested three fractions of DOC: (1) solid phase extract (HLB); (2) dichloromethane (DCM-total) extract used in TPHd; and (3)Toxicity Data for Groundwater Contaminated by Petroleum Hydrocarbons near Bemidji, MN (2016)
Management of petroleum-impacted waters by monitored natural attenuation (MNA) requires an understanding of the toxicology of both the original compounds released as well as the transformation products formed during natural breakdown. Here, we report data from a groundwater plume consisting of a mixture of crude oil compounds and transformation products resulting from a crude-oil release in AugustNonvolatile dissolved organic carbon and diesel range organics concentrations measured in 2016 at the Bemidji crude oil study site
The Bemidji crude oil spill site is a long-term USGS study site to understand the fate of crude oil in the shallow subsurface. A description of the site can be found at https://mn.water.usgs.gov/projects/bemidji. In 2014 concentrations of non-volatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC) were three times higher than diesel range organics (DRO) in the contaminant plume*. This is important because mostData Sets from the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minnesota, USA (ver. 3.0, March 2020)
This version supersedes the previous version of this data release: Trost, J.J., Krall, A.L., Baedecker, M., Cozzarelli, I.M., Herkelrath, W.N., Jaeschke, J.B., and Bekins, B.A., 2018, Historical data sets including inorganic and organic chemistry of water, oil, and sediments, aquifer hydraulic conductivity, and sediment grain size distribution at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural AttenSampling site information, well construction details, and data dictionaries for data sets associated with the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Site near Bemidji, Minnesota
This U.S. Geological Survey data release provides detailed sampling site information, hole and well construction details, and data dictionaries necessary to interpret historical and future physical, chemical, and biological data sets derived from samples collected and measurements made in association with the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site. In 1979, a high-Data Release for Data Report: Permeability, porosity, and frictional strength of core samples from IODP Expedition 366 in the Mariana forearc
Core samples from the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 366 were tested in the laboratory to determine permeability, porosity, density, and frictional strength and their relation to mineralogy as part of an effort to understand hydro-mechanical processes at convergent plate margins. Seven samples were tested from a depth range of 19.6 to 197.9 m below the sea floor. The samplGeophysical data from the unnamed lake at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site, Bemidji, MN (ver. 3.0, May 2022)
The National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site is located near Bemidji, MN, USA. A high-pressure oil pipeline ruptured in 1979 releasing ~1.7 million liters of light crude oil, which sprayed over an area of ~6500 square meters and collected in topographic depressions. Approximately 75% of the spilled oil was recovered. Much of the remainder reached the water table, where iHistorical data sets including inorganic and organic chemistry of water, oil, and sediments, aquifer hydraulic conductivity, and sediment grain size distribution at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minn
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides analytical data from samples and measurements completed at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minnesota (Site) between 1984 and 2010. Included are inorganic and organic chemistry data from water, oil, and sediment samples, hydraulic conductivity data from well slug tests, and sediment graiWeathering of Oil in a Surficial Aquifer, Bemidji, MN
The dataset consists of 30-year percentage depletion calculations, hydrocarbon group compositions, organic carbon mass fractions and hydrocarbon concentrations for 16 locations sampled at the Bemidji (MN) oil spill study site. Also included in the dataset are concentrations for 33 individual volatile hydrocarbons from the aforementioned sampling locations.Partial release of iron, alkalinity, and oxygen data from Bemidji crude oil site, Minnesota 1993-2016
In a crude-oil-contaminated sandy aquifer at the Bemidji site in northern Minnesota, biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons resulted in transient increases in magnetic susceptibility under high water table conditions. The magnetic susceptibility subsequently decreased again when the water table dropped. This data set was assembled to illustrate the cause of the magnetic susceptibility changes. T - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 86
Methanogens and their syntrophic partners dominate zones of enhanced magnetic susceptibility at a petroleum contaminated site
Geophysical investigations documenting enhanced magnetic susceptibility (MS) within the water table fluctuation zone at hydrocarbon contaminated sites suggest that MS can be used as a proxy for investigating microbial mediated iron reduction during intrinsic bioremediation. Here, we investigated the microbial community composition over a 5-year period at a hydrocarbon-contaminated site that exhibiAuthorsCarol L. Beaver, Estella A. Atekwana, Barbara A. Bekins, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Lee D. Slater, Silvia RossbachHydrocarbons to carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules: A continuum model to describe biodegradation of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in contaminated groundwater plumes
Relationships between dissolved organic matter (DOM) reactivity and chemical composition in a groundwater plume containing petroleum-derived DOM (DOMHC) were examined by quantitative and qualitative measurements to determine the source and chemical composition of the compounds that persist downgradient. Samples were collected from a transect down the core of the plume in the direction of groundwatAuthorsDavid C. Podgorski, Phoebe Zito, Anne M. Kellerman, Barbara A. Bekins, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Donald F. Smith, Xiaoyan Cao, Klaus Schmidt-Rohr, Sasha Wagner, Aron Stubbins, Robert G. M. SpencerBiological effects of hydrocarbon degradation intermediates: Is the total petroleum hydrocarbon analytical method adequate for risk assessment?
In crude oil contaminant plumes, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is mainly hydrocarbon degradation intermediates only partly quantified by the diesel range total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHd) method. To understand potential biological effects of degradation intermediates, we tested three fractions of DOC: (1) solid-phase extract (HLB); (2) dichloromethane (DCM-total) extract used in TPHd; and (3AuthorsBarbara A. Bekins, Jennifer Brennan, Donald E. Tillitt, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Jennifer M. Illig, Dalma Martinovich-WeigeltMariana serpentinite mud volcanism exhumes subducted seamount materials: Implications for the origin of life
The subduction of seamounts and ridge features at convergent plate boundaries plays an important role in the deformation of the overriding plate and influences geochemical cycling and associated biological processes. Active serpentinization of forearc mantle and serpentinite mud volcanism on the Mariana forearc (between the trench and active volcanic arc) provides windows on subduction processes.AuthorsPatricia Fryer, C. Geoffrey Wheat, Trevor Williams, Kevin Johnson, Christopher Kelley, Elmar Albers, John W. Shervais, Walter Kurz, Jeffrey Ryan, Barbara A. Bekins, Baptiste Debret, Jianghong Deng, Yanhui Dong, Philip Eickenbusch, Emanuelle Frery, Yuji Ichiyama, Raymond Johnston, Richard Kevorkian, Vitor Magalhaes, Simone Mantovanelli, Walter Menapace, Catriona D. Menzies, Katsuyoshi Michibayashi, Craig Moyer, Kelli Mullane, Jung-Woo Park, Roy Price, Olivier Sissmann, Shino Suzuki, Ken Takai, Bastien Walter, Rui Zhang, Diva Amon, Deborah Glickson, Shirley PomponiNatural Attenuation in Source Zone and Groundwater Plume - Bemidji Crude Oil Spill
A long-term study of a 40-year-old crude oil spill provides insights about petroleum hydrocarbon natural attenuation processes and rates. In the source zone, fermentation coupled to methanogenesis is the dominant natural source zone depletion (NSZD) process, and most of the carbon mass exits the surface as CO2 efflux. Monitored natural attenuation (MNA) of the groundwater plume shows that benzeneAuthorsBarbara A. BekinsGeophysical mapping of plume discharge to surface water at a crude oil spill site: Inversion versus machine learning
The interpretation of geophysical survey results to answer hydrologic, engineering, and geologic questions is critical to diverse problems for management of water, energy, and mineral resources. Although geophysical images provide valuable qualitative insight into subsurface architecture and conditions, translating geophysical images into quantitative information (e.g., saturation, concentration,AuthorsNeil Terry, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, John W. Lane, Jared J. Trost, Barbara A. BekinsExamining the extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in contaminated groundwater plumes
The extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) was examined for groundwater samples from an aquifer contaminated with crude oil. Four different types of extraction were used to determine which method is best suited for the analysis of potentially toxic petroleum-derived DOM. The four types were a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with dichloromethane (EPA method 3510C),AuthorsPhoebe Zito, Rana Ghannam, Barbara A. Bekins, David C. PodgorskiData Report: Permeability, porosity, and frictional strength of core samples from IODP Expedition 366 in the Mariana forearc
Core samples from the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 366 were tested in the laboratory to determine permeability, porosity, density, and frictional strength and their relation to mineralogy as part of an effort to understand hydro-mechanical processes at convergent plate margins. Seven samples were tested from a depth range of 19.6 to 197.9 m below the sea floor. The samplAuthorsCarolyn A. Morrow, Diane E. Moore, David A. Lockner, Barbara A. BekinsCase studies in groundwater contaminant fate and transport
A case study of groundwater contamination is a detailed study of a single site contaminated with a chemical or mixture that is known to be a problem at many sites. The goal of case studies is to provide insights into the physical, chemical, and biological processes controlling migration, natural attenuation, or remediation of common groundwater contaminants. Ideally, processes occurring at a caseAuthorsBarbara A. BekinsToxicity assessment of groundwater contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons at a well-characterized, aged, crude oil release site
Management of petroleum-impacted waters by monitored natural attenuation requires an understanding of the toxicology of both the original compounds released and the transformation products formed during natural breakdown. Here, we report data from a groundwater plume consisting of a mixture of crude oil compounds and transformation products in an effort to bridge the gap between groundwater qualitAuthorsJennifer T. McGuire, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Barbara A. Bekins, Hannah Link, Dalma Martinović-WeigeltWeathering of oil in a surficial aquifer
The composition of crude oil in a surficial aquifer was determined in two locations at the Bemidji, MN, spill site. The abundances of 71 individual hydrocarbons varied within 16 locations sampled. Little depletion of these hydrocarbons (relative to the pipeline oil) occurred in the first 10 years after the spill, whereas losses of 25% to 85% of the total measured hydrocarbons occurred after 30 yeaAuthorsMary Jo Baedecker, Robert P. Eganhouse, Haiping Qi, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Jared J. Trost, Barbara A. BekinsA direct-push freezing core barrel for sampling unconsolidated subsurface sediments and adjacent pore fluids
Contaminants passing through the unsaturated zone can undergo changes in narrow reaction zones upon reaching saturated sediments. Understanding these reactions requires sampling of sediment together with adjacent water and microbes in a manner that preserves in situ redox conditions. Use of a basket-type core catcher for saturated, noncohesive sediments results in redistribution or loss of fluidsAuthorsJared J. Trost, Thomas M. Christy, Barbara A. Bekins