C. Eric Humphrey
Eric focuses on understanding groundwater transport from recharge to discharge using tracers, geochemistry, and groundwater modeling.
After earning a B.S. in Geological Engineering, Eric worked as an exploration geologist in the oil and gas industry before moving to Guatemala, where he guided communities in developing their groundwater resources with Engineers Without Borders.
In 2018, Eric began a Ph.D. program in groundwater hydrology at the University of Utah, focusing on the use of age-dating tracers and other novel techniques to quantify the spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater recharge and discharge. Since joining the Utah Water Science Center in 2021, Eric has collaborated with municipalities, states, tribes, and federal agencies to address a variety of groundwater challenges.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 2023
M.S., Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 2021
Graduate Certificate in Hydrology, University of Utah, 2020
B.S., Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 2014
Science and Products
High resolution identification and quantification of diffuse deep groundwater discharge in mountain rivers using continuous boat-mounted helium measurements
Discharge of deeply sourced groundwater to streams is difficult to locate and quantify, particularly where both discrete and diffuse discharge points exist, but diffuse discharge is one of the primary controls on solute budgets in mountainous watersheds. The noble gas helium is a unique identifier of deep groundwater discharge because groundwater with long residence times is commonly...
Authors
Connor P. Newman, Eric Humphrey, Matthias Brennwald, W. Payton Gardner, Kelli M Palko, Michael Gooseff, Kip Solomon
Quantifying stream-loss recovery in a spring using dual-tracer injections in the Snake Creek drainage, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA
Simultaneous short-pulse injections of two tracers (sodium bromide [Br–] and fluorescein dye) were made in a losing reach of Snake Creek in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA, to evaluate the quantity of stream loss through permeable carbonates that resurfaces at a spring approximately 10 km down drainage. A revised hydrogeologic cross section for a possible flow path of the...
Authors
C. Eric Humphrey, Philip M. Gardner, Lawrence E. Spangler, Nora C. Nelson, Laura Toran, D. Kip Solomon
Non-USGS Publications**
Humphrey, C. E., Solomon, D. K., Genereux, D. P., Gilmore, T. E., Mittelstet, A. R., Zlotnik, V. A., Zeyrek, C., Jensen, C. R., & MacNamara, M. R. (2022). Spatial Variation in Transit Time Distributions of Groundwater Discharge to a Stream Overlying the Northern High Plains Aquifer, Nebraska, USA. Water Resources Research, 60(2). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR034410
Humphrey, C. E., Solomon, D. K., Genereux, D. P., Gilmore, T. E., Mittelstet, A. R., Zlotnik, V. A., Zeyrek, C., Jensen, C. R., & MacNamara, M. R. (2022). Using Automated Seepage Meters to Quantify the Spatial Variability and Net Flux of Groundwater to a Stream. Water Resources Research, 58(6). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030711
Zeyrek, C., Mittelstet, A. R., Gilmore, T. E., Zlotnik, V., Kip Solomon, D., Genereux, D. P., Humphrey, C. E., & Shrestha, N. (2022). Modeling groundwater transit time distributions and means across a Nebraska watershed: effects of heterogeneity in the aquifer, riverbed, and recharge parameters. Journal of Hydrology, 128891. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128891
Lerback, J. C., Bowen, B. B., Humphrey, C. E., Fernandez, D. P., Bernau, J. A., Macfarlan, S. J., Schniter, E., & Garcia, J. J. (2022). Geochemistry and Provenance of Springs in a Baja California Sur Mountain Catchment. Groundwater, 60(2), 295–308
Jensen, C. R., Genereux, D. P., Gilmore, T. E., Solomon, D. K., Mittelstet, A. R., Humphrey, C. E., MacNamara, M. R., Zeyrek, C., & Zlotnik, V. A. (2022). Estimating groundwater mean transit time from SF6 in stream water: field example and planning metrics for a reach mass-balance approach. Hydrogeology Journal, 30(2), 479–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-021-02435-8
Gilmore, T., Cherry, M., Gastmans, D., Humphrey, C.E., & Solomon, D. K. (2021). The 3H/3He Groundwater Age-Dating Method And Applications. Derbyana, 42. https://doi.org/10.14295/derb.v42.740
Solomon, D. K., Humphrey, E., Gilmore, T. E., Genereux, D. P., & Zlotnik, V. (2020). An automated seepage meter for streams and lakes. Water Resources Research, 56(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026983
**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.
Science and Products
High resolution identification and quantification of diffuse deep groundwater discharge in mountain rivers using continuous boat-mounted helium measurements
Discharge of deeply sourced groundwater to streams is difficult to locate and quantify, particularly where both discrete and diffuse discharge points exist, but diffuse discharge is one of the primary controls on solute budgets in mountainous watersheds. The noble gas helium is a unique identifier of deep groundwater discharge because groundwater with long residence times is commonly...
Authors
Connor P. Newman, Eric Humphrey, Matthias Brennwald, W. Payton Gardner, Kelli M Palko, Michael Gooseff, Kip Solomon
Quantifying stream-loss recovery in a spring using dual-tracer injections in the Snake Creek drainage, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA
Simultaneous short-pulse injections of two tracers (sodium bromide [Br–] and fluorescein dye) were made in a losing reach of Snake Creek in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA, to evaluate the quantity of stream loss through permeable carbonates that resurfaces at a spring approximately 10 km down drainage. A revised hydrogeologic cross section for a possible flow path of the...
Authors
C. Eric Humphrey, Philip M. Gardner, Lawrence E. Spangler, Nora C. Nelson, Laura Toran, D. Kip Solomon
Non-USGS Publications**
Humphrey, C. E., Solomon, D. K., Genereux, D. P., Gilmore, T. E., Mittelstet, A. R., Zlotnik, V. A., Zeyrek, C., Jensen, C. R., & MacNamara, M. R. (2022). Spatial Variation in Transit Time Distributions of Groundwater Discharge to a Stream Overlying the Northern High Plains Aquifer, Nebraska, USA. Water Resources Research, 60(2). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR034410
Humphrey, C. E., Solomon, D. K., Genereux, D. P., Gilmore, T. E., Mittelstet, A. R., Zlotnik, V. A., Zeyrek, C., Jensen, C. R., & MacNamara, M. R. (2022). Using Automated Seepage Meters to Quantify the Spatial Variability and Net Flux of Groundwater to a Stream. Water Resources Research, 58(6). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030711
Zeyrek, C., Mittelstet, A. R., Gilmore, T. E., Zlotnik, V., Kip Solomon, D., Genereux, D. P., Humphrey, C. E., & Shrestha, N. (2022). Modeling groundwater transit time distributions and means across a Nebraska watershed: effects of heterogeneity in the aquifer, riverbed, and recharge parameters. Journal of Hydrology, 128891. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128891
Lerback, J. C., Bowen, B. B., Humphrey, C. E., Fernandez, D. P., Bernau, J. A., Macfarlan, S. J., Schniter, E., & Garcia, J. J. (2022). Geochemistry and Provenance of Springs in a Baja California Sur Mountain Catchment. Groundwater, 60(2), 295–308
Jensen, C. R., Genereux, D. P., Gilmore, T. E., Solomon, D. K., Mittelstet, A. R., Humphrey, C. E., MacNamara, M. R., Zeyrek, C., & Zlotnik, V. A. (2022). Estimating groundwater mean transit time from SF6 in stream water: field example and planning metrics for a reach mass-balance approach. Hydrogeology Journal, 30(2), 479–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-021-02435-8
Gilmore, T., Cherry, M., Gastmans, D., Humphrey, C.E., & Solomon, D. K. (2021). The 3H/3He Groundwater Age-Dating Method And Applications. Derbyana, 42. https://doi.org/10.14295/derb.v42.740
Solomon, D. K., Humphrey, E., Gilmore, T. E., Genereux, D. P., & Zlotnik, V. (2020). An automated seepage meter for streams and lakes. Water Resources Research, 56(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026983
**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.