Carole Johnson
Carole Johnson is a hydrologist with the Hydrogeophysics Branch of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area Earth System Processes Division. Carole provides leadership to USGS hydrologists nationally on development and application of hydrogeophysical methods to groundwater studies through applied research, training, and policy development.
Biography
Carole Johnson is a hydrologist with the USGS Earth System Processes Division, Hydrogeophysics Branch in Storrs, Connecticut, where she provides leadership to USGS hydrologists nationally on development and application of hydrogeophysical methods to USGS groundwater studies through applied research, training, and policy development. Carole’s research interests include use of borehole- and surface-geophysical methods and hydraulic testing for characterization of fractured-rock aquifers. She has coauthored ~40 USGS publications on use of hydrogeophysical methods for aquifer characterization for water resources and contaminant investigations. An experienced trainer, Carole has taught numerous webinars and more than 20 hands-on workshops for scientists on geophysical field methods, data processing, and data analysis for groundwater investigations, including through USGS courses, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Groundwater Association Fractured Rock Conference workshops, and classes for licensed environmental professionals in New Jersey and around New England.
Carole currently holds a professional geologists license in New Hampshire, and serves on the board of the Environmental and Engineering Geophysics Society. Carole has a B.S. in geology from Bates College and M.S. in hydrology from the University of New Hampshire.
Science and Products
Borehole Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an emerging geophysical method being applied to hydrogeology investigations.
Spectral Gamma Borehole Logging
Spectral gamma borehole geophysical methods measure natural-gamma energy spectra, which are caused by the decay of uranium, thorium, potassium-40, and anthropogenic radioactive isotopes. Spectral gamma data can be used to identify and quantify the amount of uranium, thorium, and potassium-40 isotopes detected in boreholes.
Understanding Spectral Gamma: Fundamentals of Nuclear Geophysics
The principles essential to the interpretation of gamma, gamma-spectrometry, gamma-gamma, and various types of neutron logs include the nature of subatomic particles and the particles and photons emitted by unstable isotopes.
Geophysical Data Collected in the Cedar River Floodplain, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2015-2017
A suite of geophysical methods was used along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to support the hydrogeologic characterization of the alluvial aquifer associated with the river and to assess the area for suitability for larger-scale airborne geophysics. The aquifer is comprised of sand and gravel, interbedded with finer sediments, and underlain by carbonate-dominated bedrock. The aquife...
Assessment of NMR logging for estimating hydraulic conductivity in glacial aquifers
Glacial aquifers are an important source of groundwater in the United States and require accurate characterization to make informed management decisions. One parameter that is crucial for understanding the movement of groundwater is hydraulic conductivity, K. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging measures the NMR response associated with...
Kendrick, Alexander K.; Knight, Rosemary; Johnson, Carole D.; Liu, Gaisheng; Knobbe, Steven; Hunt, Randall J.; Butler, James J.
Lithostratigraphic, geophysical, and hydrogeologic observations from a boring drilled to bedrock in glacial sediments near Nantucket Sound in East Falmouth, Massachusetts
In spring 2016, a 310-foot-deep boring (named MA–FSW 750) was drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey near Nantucket Sound in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the hydrogeology of the southern coast of western Cape Cod. Few borings that are drilled to bedrock exist in the area, and the study area was selected to fill a gap between...
Hull, Robert B.; Johnson, Carole D.; Stone, Byron D.; LeBlanc, Denis R.; McCobb, Timothy D.; Phillips, Stephanie N.; Pappas , Katherine L. ; Lane, Jr., John W. Geophysical assessment of a proposed landfill site in Fredericktown, Missouri
In June 2018, U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected geophysical measurements to help evaluate the suitability of a proposed landfill site for disposing mine-waste materials in Fredericktown, MO. The geophysical investigation included electromagnetic induction, electrical resistivity...
Johnson, Carole D.; White, Eric A.; Werkema, Dale D.; Terry, Neil; Phillips, Stephanie N.; Ford, Robert; Lane, Jr., John W. Geophysical assessment of a proposed landfill location in Fredericktown, Missouri
In June 2018, U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected geophysical measurements to help evaluate the suitability of a proposed landfill site for disposing mine-waste materials in Fredericktown, MO. The geophysical investigation included electromagnetic induction, electrical resistivity...
Johnson, Carole D.; White, Eric A.; Werkema, Dale D.; Terry, Neil; Phillips, Stephanie N.; Ford, Robert; Lane, Jr., John W. Application of a towed time-domain electromagnetic (tTEM) imaging system in Jamestown, North Dakota
Time-Domain Electromagnetic (EM) methods have been used for decades in support of groundwater investigations. A new towed Time-Domain EM system called “tTEM”, designed by Aarhus University, is being tested and evaluated under a collaborative research agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tTEM system is rapid and efficient,...
Johnson, Carole D.; Valder, Joshua; White, Eric A.; Maurya, Pradip K; Hisz, David; Lane, Jr., John W. Remembering F. Peter Haeni - "What did we learn from this?"
Frederick Peter (‘Pete’) Haeni grew up on Long Island, New York, where he developed a lifelong love of the water —–a love that continued with his family in Deep River, Connecticut, and at their Eagle Island cottage in Maine. Pete was always at home on the water — whether sailing, motor boating, or collecting geophysical data. We remember Pete for...
Johnson, Carole D.; Lane, Jr., John W. Time-domain electromagnetic soundings for the delineation of saline groundwater in the Genesee River Valley, Western New York, 2016-2017
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is investigating the distribution of saline groundwater in the Genesee River Valley near the former Retsof salt mine (fig. 1). As part of this study, paired time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) soundings and horizontal-to-vertical spectral...
Williams, John H.; Kappel, William M.; Johnson, Carole D.; White, Eric A.; Heisig, Paul M.; Lane, J. W. Evaluating long-term patterns of decreasing groundwater discharge through a lake-bottom permeable reactive barrier
Identifying and quantifying groundwater exchange is critical when considering contaminant fate and transport at the groundwater/surface-water interface. In this paper, areally distributed temperature and point seepage measurements are used to efficiently assess spatial and temporal groundwater discharge patterns through a glacial-kettle lakebed...
McCobb, Timothy D.; Briggs, Martin A.; LeBlanc, Denis R.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Johnson, Carole D. Hydraulic tomography: 3D hydraulic conductivity and fracture network connectivity in a contaminated mudstone aquifer
No abstract available.
Barrash, Warren; Tiedeman, Claire; Thrash, Colby; Patterson, Jeremy; Johnson, Carole D. Bioremediation in fractured rock: 1. Modeling to inform design, monitoring, and expectations
Field characterization of a trichloroethene (TCE) source area in fractured mudstones produced a detailed understanding of the geology, contaminant distribution in fractures and the rock matrix, and hydraulic and transport properties. Groundwater flow and chemical transport modeling that synthesized the field characterization information proved...
Tiedeman, Claire; Shapiro, Allen M.; Hsieh, Paul A.; Imbrigiotta, Thomas; Goode, Daniel J.; Lacombe, Pierre; DeFlaun, Mary F.; Drew, Scott R.; Johnson, Carole D.; Williams, John H.; Curtis, Gary P. Application of frequency- and time-domain electromagnetic surveys to characterize hydrostratigraphy and landfill construction at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Beatty, Nevada
In 2014 and 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), conducted frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) surveys at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS), approximately 17 kilometers (km) south of Beatty, Nevada. The FDEM surveys were conducted within and adjacent to a closed low-level radioactive waste disposal site located at the ADRS....
White, Eric A.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Johnson, Carole D.; Lane, John W. Statistical comparison of methods for estimating sediment thickness from Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) seismic methods: An example from Tylerville, Connecticut, USA
Determining sediment thickness and delineating bedrock topography are important for assessing groundwater availability and characterizing contamination sites. In recent years, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) seismic method has emerged as a non-invasive, cost-effective approach for estimating the thickness of unconsolidated...
Johnson, Carole D.; Lane, John W.
Fractured Rock Geophysical Toolbox Method Selection Tool (FRGT-MST)
The Fractured Rock Geophysical Toolbox Method Selection Tool (FRGT-MST) is an Excel-based tool for identification of geophysical methods most likely to be appropriate for project goals and site conditions.
FLASH: A Computer Program for Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes
FLASH (Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes) is a computer program for the analysis of borehole vertical flow logs.