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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:

  1. 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)
  2. Salinity in surface waters and soils of the semiarid western U.S.
  3. Contaminants of concern like PFAS and selenium
  4. Water and soil effects from uranium mining