Layered deposit of unconsolidated heavy mineral sands along the shores of Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Carleton Bern, PhD
Carl is a Research Soil Scientist with the USGS Colorado Water Science Center.
My research examines the geochemical interactions between water, rock, and soil in both natural and human-managed systems. I specialize in using isotopes and geochemical tracers to answer questions of both basic and applied research. Areas of focus in my recent work include:
- Using tritium to trace the ages of surface waters and water availability in the Upper Colorado River Basin as part of the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
- Salinity in surface waters and soils of the semiarid western U.S.
- Contaminants of concern like PFAS and selenium
- Water and soil effects from uranium mining
Professional Experience
2016-present Research Soil Scientist, USGS Colorado Water Science Center
2010-2016 Research Soil Scientist, USGS Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center
2008-2010 Mendenhall Fellow, USGS Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center
2006-2008 Post-doctoral researcher, University of California, Santa Barbara
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, Ecology and Biogeochemistry
B.S. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, Biology
Science and Products
Technique Used to Distinguish Natural Background from Human-Caused Enrichment of Trace Elements in Soils
Soil Disturbance Can Increase Stream Salinity in Semiarid Watersheds
Daily potable water deliveries and effluent discharge by Colorado Springs Utilities: 2008–22
Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of precipitation samples from selected Colorado and Utah National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) sites
Geochemical and fallout radionuclide data for sediment source fingerprinting studies of the Loutsenhizer Arroyo and Sunflower Drain watersheds in western Colorado
Geochemical data from batch experiments to test mobility of trace elements downgradient from breccia-pipe uranium deposits
Results of leaching experiments on 12 energy-related shales from the United States
GIS and Data Tables for Focus Areas for Potential Domestic Nonfuel Sources of Rare Earth Elements
Surface Materials Data from Breccia-Pipe Uranium Mine and Reference Sites, Arizona, USA
Laboratory data from testing parameters of EPA Method 3060A on Soils Contaminated with Chromium Ore Processing Residue 2013-2016
Layered deposit of unconsolidated heavy mineral sands along the shores of Folly Beach, South Carolina.
White crusts of natural salts along a tributary to Muddy Creek, Wyoming. Natural salts are present in soils from drier climates, and rain and snowmelt can percolate into the soil and carry the salts to streams.
White crusts of natural salts along a tributary to Muddy Creek, Wyoming. Natural salts are present in soils from drier climates, and rain and snowmelt can percolate into the soil and carry the salts to streams.
Potential climate and human water-use effects on water-quality trends in a semiarid, western U.S. watershed: Fountain Creek, Colorado, USA
Stream water sourcing from high-elevation snowpack inferred from stable isotopes of water: A novel application of d-excess values
Assessment of salinity retention or mobilization by sediment-retention ponds near Delta, Colorado, 2019
Source contributions to suspended sediment and particulate selenium export from the Loutsenhizer Arroyo and Sunflower Drain watersheds in Colorado
Examination of dissolved uranium concentrations in regional shallow groundwater relative to Operable Unit 8 of the Denver Radium Superfund Site
Characterization of and temporal changes in groundwater quality of the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin, El Paso County, Colorado, 2018–20
Laboratory simulation of groundwater along uranium-mining-affected flow paths near the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
Water–rock interaction and the concentrations of major, trace, and rare earth elements in hydrocarbon-associated produced waters of the United States
Nontuberculous mycobacterial disease and molybdenum in Colorado watersheds
Salt flushing, salt storage, and controls on selenium: A 31-year mass-balance analysis of an irrigated, semiarid valley
Effects of John Martin Reservoir on water quality and quantity: Assessment by chemical, isotopic, and mass-balance methods
Comment on “Particle fluxes in groundwater change subsurface rock chemistry over geologic time”
Science and Products
Technique Used to Distinguish Natural Background from Human-Caused Enrichment of Trace Elements in Soils
Soil Disturbance Can Increase Stream Salinity in Semiarid Watersheds
Daily potable water deliveries and effluent discharge by Colorado Springs Utilities: 2008–22
Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of precipitation samples from selected Colorado and Utah National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) sites
Geochemical and fallout radionuclide data for sediment source fingerprinting studies of the Loutsenhizer Arroyo and Sunflower Drain watersheds in western Colorado
Geochemical data from batch experiments to test mobility of trace elements downgradient from breccia-pipe uranium deposits
Results of leaching experiments on 12 energy-related shales from the United States
GIS and Data Tables for Focus Areas for Potential Domestic Nonfuel Sources of Rare Earth Elements
Surface Materials Data from Breccia-Pipe Uranium Mine and Reference Sites, Arizona, USA
Laboratory data from testing parameters of EPA Method 3060A on Soils Contaminated with Chromium Ore Processing Residue 2013-2016
Layered deposit of unconsolidated heavy mineral sands along the shores of Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Layered deposit of unconsolidated heavy mineral sands along the shores of Folly Beach, South Carolina.
White crusts of natural salts along a tributary to Muddy Creek, Wyoming. Natural salts are present in soils from drier climates, and rain and snowmelt can percolate into the soil and carry the salts to streams.
White crusts of natural salts along a tributary to Muddy Creek, Wyoming. Natural salts are present in soils from drier climates, and rain and snowmelt can percolate into the soil and carry the salts to streams.