Douglas Kent
Dr. Douglas Kent is a scientist emeritus with the Earth System Processes Division of the Water Mission Area, U. S. Geological Survey.
Doug Kent received an AA from Pasadena City College, a BA in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego and a PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has conducted hydrologic research at the USGS since 1985.
Doug Kent's research at the USGS has focused on processes influencing the mobility of constituents that can affect the availability of water for beneficial use by humans and for sustaining aquatic ecosystems.
Science and Products
Geochemical Signatures of Oil and Gas Wastewater from an Accidental Release Detected in Stream Sediment and Pore Waters Two Years Post Spill
Elemental partitioning between aqueous and solid phases of mercury and other constituents associated with Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) gas well production waste water, Morgantown, WV, 2015 - 2018.
Geochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico
Simulating changes in the distribution of ammonium and ammonia versus physical and chemical conditions using PHREEQC with applications to toxicity to fish
Water-Quality Data in and near Groundwater Flow-Through Kettle-Hole Lakes, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2003 - 2018
Geochemistry Data for Wastewater Samples Collected at a Separator Tank and from an On-Site Storage Tank at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia (ver. 2.0, May 2023)
Data on the Effects of Oil and Gas Wastewater Components on Microbial Community Structure and Function
Chemical Data From 40 Years of Monitoring a Treated-Wastewater Groundwater Plume in a Sand and Gravel Aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1978-2018
Lake Ontario Water Quality and Velocity Transect Data 2015-18
Geochemistry Data from Samples Collected in 2015-2017 to study an OG wastewater spill in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota
Seasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
Natural gradient, lakebed tracer tests using nitrite in a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in Ashumet Pond, Massachusetts
Illegal dumping of oil and gas wastewater alters arid soil microbial communities
Ammonia and aquatic ecosystems – A review of global sources, biogeochemical cycling, and effects on fish
Using biological responses to monitor freshwater post-spill conditions over 3 years in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, USA
Integrated science for the study of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey
Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters
Reactive transport modeling to understand attenuation of arsenic concentrations in anoxic groundwater during Fe(II) oxidation by nitrate
Seasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
When oil and water mix: Understanding the environmental impacts of shale development
Extent and persistence of secondary water quality impacts after enhanced reductive bioremediation
Environmental signatures and effects of an oil and gas wastewater spill in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Anoxic nitrate reduction coupled with iron oxidation and attenuation of dissolved arsenic and phosphate in a sand and gravel aquifer
Wastewater disposal from unconventional oil and gas development degrades stream quality at a West Virginia injection facility
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
- Science
Geochemical Signatures of Oil and Gas Wastewater from an Accidental Release Detected in Stream Sediment and Pore Waters Two Years Post Spill
Scientists identified geochemical signatures of wastewater in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, as a result of a 2015 pipeline leak. They demonstrated that environmental signatures from wastewater spills are persistent within a short (1-3 year) time frame, can enter the creek through subsurface pathways, and can create the potential for extended environmental exposures. - Data
Elemental partitioning between aqueous and solid phases of mercury and other constituents associated with Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) gas well production waste water, Morgantown, WV, 2015 - 2018.
The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) site is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River, located in western Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. NNE began drilling two horizontal production wells, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H and MIP-3H, in the Marcellus Shale in 2014. TheGeochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico
The Permian Basin, straddling New Mexico and Texas, is one of the most productive oil and gas (OG) provinces in the United States. OG production yields large volumes of wastewater that contain elevated concentrations of major ions including salts (also referred to as brines), and trace organic and inorganic constituents. These OG wastewaters pose unknown environmental health risks, particularly inByWater Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Eastern Energy and Environmental Laboratory (EEEL), Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory, Reston Microbiology LaboratorySimulating changes in the distribution of ammonium and ammonia versus physical and chemical conditions using PHREEQC with applications to toxicity to fish
Two sets of PHREEQC input and output files are provided that illustrate the distribution of aqueous ammonium and ammonia as a function of physical (temperature) and chemical (pH and solution composition) conditions. One set of simulations calculates the distribution of aqueous ammonia and aqueous ammonium over a range of temperatures and pH values in different solution compositions. The other setWater-Quality Data in and near Groundwater Flow-Through Kettle-Hole Lakes, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2003 - 2018
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides a comprehensive dataset of water-quality results, physical-parameter measurements, hydrologic measurements, and site information collected to study the nature and extent of water quality along groundwater flow paths adjacent to glacial-kettle lakes on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Water-quality samples were collected in 2003, 2005, and 2012 throGeochemistry Data for Wastewater Samples Collected at a Separator Tank and from an On-Site Storage Tank at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia (ver. 2.0, May 2023)
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release is focused on the geochemistry of wastewater (including flowback and produced water) samples, co-produced with natural gas, collected from the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) site. MSEEL is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River,Data on the Effects of Oil and Gas Wastewater Components on Microbial Community Structure and Function
Oil and gas (OG) wastewaters are commonly disposed of by underground injection and previous research showed that activities at a disposal facility in West Virginia affected stream biogeochemistry and sediment microbial communities downstream from the facility. Microorganisms can control the fate and transport of organic and inorganic components of OG wastewater highlighting the need to characterizChemical Data From 40 Years of Monitoring a Treated-Wastewater Groundwater Plume in a Sand and Gravel Aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1978-2018
This U.S. Geological Survey data release provides a comprehensive dataset of water-quality data and sampling-site characteristics collected in 1978-2018 during a study of the effects of land disposal of treated wastewater on groundwater quality in an unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Treated sewage-derived wastewater was discharged to rapid-infiltration beds at JoiLake Ontario Water Quality and Velocity Transect Data 2015-18
From May of 2015 through September of 2018, water-quality were collected at 178 locations and velocity data were collected along 7 transects from select tributaries, embayments, and nearshore lake locations along New York's Lake Ontario waterfront in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Lakewide Action Management Plan. These data include: depth, velocity magnitude, velocity diGeochemistry Data from Samples Collected in 2015-2017 to study an OG wastewater spill in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota
These metadata sets present the comprehensive geochemical composition of solid and water samples from the site of a 11.4ML (million liters) wastewater spill discovered in January, 2015. Analyses of a pipeline sample (analyses of select analytes), supplied by the North Dakota Department of Health are also included. The spill was near Blacktail Creek, north of Williston, ND. The leak was from a pipeSeasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
The U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program at Cape Cod has been investigating the fate and transport of a treated-wastewater, groundwater contaminant plume. A portion of the contaminated groundwater discharges into Ashumet Pond, a kettle hole, freshwater lake. A study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015 to document transport, transformation, and discharge of dissolved inorNatural gradient, lakebed tracer tests using nitrite in a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in Ashumet Pond, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program at Cape Cod has been investigating the fate and transport of a treated-wastewater, groundwater contaminant plume. A portion of the contaminated groundwater discharges into Ashumet Pond, a kettle hole, freshwater lake. A study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015 to document transport, transformation, and discharge of dissolved inor - Publications
Filter Total Items: 49
Illegal dumping of oil and gas wastewater alters arid soil microbial communities
The Permian Basin, underlying southeast New Mexico and west Texas, is one of the most productive oil and gas (OG) provinces in the United States. Oil and gas production yields large volumes of wastewater with complex chemistries, and the environmental health risks posed by these OG wastewaters on sensitive desert ecosystems are poorly understood. Starting in November 2017, 39 illegal dumps, as defAuthorsMitra Kashani, Mark A Engle, Douglas B. Kent, Terry G. Gregston, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Adam Mumford, Matthew S. Varonka, Cassandra Rashan Harris, Denise M. AkobAmmonia and aquatic ecosystems – A review of global sources, biogeochemical cycling, and effects on fish
The purpose of this review is to better understand the full life cycle and influence of ammonia from an aquatic biology perspective. While ammonia has toxic properties in water and air, it also plays a central role in the biogeochemical nitrogen (N) cycle and regulates mechanisms of normal and abnormal fish physiology. Additionally, as the second most synthesized chemical on Earth, ammonia contribAuthorsThea Margaret Edwards, Holly J. Puglis, Jonathan Lopez Duran, Lillian Bradshaw, Douglas B. Kent, Aida FaragUsing biological responses to monitor freshwater post-spill conditions over 3 years in Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, USA
A pipeline carrying unconventional oil and gas (OG) wastewater spilled approximately 11 million liters of wastewater into Blacktail Creek, North Dakota, USA. Flow of the mix of stream water and wastewater down the channel resulted in storage of contaminants in the hyporheic zone and along the banks, providing a long-term source of wastewater constituents to the stream. A multi-level investigationAuthorsAida Farag, David Harper, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Douglas B. Kent, Adam Mumford, Denise M. Akob, Travis W. Schaeffer, Luke R. IwanowiczByEcosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Eastern Ecological Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Reston Microbiology LaboratoryIntegrated science for the study of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey
Concerns related to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sources of drinking water and in natural and engineered environments have captured national attention over the last few decades. This report provides an overview of the science gaps that exist in the fields of study related to PFAS that are relevant to the U.S. Geological Survey mission and identifies opportunities where tAuthorsAndrea K. Tokranov, Paul M. Bradley, Michael J. Focazio, Douglas B. Kent, Denis R. LeBlanc, Jeff W. McCoy, Kelly L. Smalling, Jeffery A. Steevens, Patricia L. ToccalinoGeochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters
Releases of oil and gas (OG) wastewaters can have complex effects on stream-water quality and downstream organisms, due to sediment-water interactions and groundwater/surface water exchange. Previously, elevated concentrations of sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), and lithium (Li), and trace hydrocarbons were determined to be key markers of OG wastewater releases when combineAuthorsIsabelle M. Cozzarelli, Douglas B. Kent, Martin A. Briggs, Mark A Engle, Adam Benthem, Katherine Skalak, Adam Mumford, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Aida Farag, John W. Lane, Denise M. AkobReactive transport modeling to understand attenuation of arsenic concentrations in anoxic groundwater during Fe(II) oxidation by nitrate
A previously published field-experimental investigation showed that injection of nitrate in anoxic groundwater that contained aqueous and sediment-bound Fe(II) diminished concentrations of As(V) and As(III) to below drinking-water limits. In the current study, reactive transport modeling confirmed that the observed attenuation was consistent with oxidation of Fe(II) by nitrate, leading to precipitAuthorsDouglas B. Kent, Richard L. Smith, James Jamieson, John K. Böhlke, Deborah A. Repert, Henning PrommerSeasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
Groundwater discharge delivering anthropogenic N from surrounding watersheds can impact lake nutrient budgets. However, upgradient groundwater processes and changing dynamics in N biogeochemistry at the groundwater-lake interface are complex and difficult to resolve. In this study, hydrograph variations in a groundwater flow-through lake altered discharge patterns of a wastewater-derived, grounAuthorsRichard L. Smith, Deborah A. Repert, Deborah Stoliker, Douglas B. Kent, Bongkeun Song, Denis R. LeBlanc, Timothy McCobb, John K. Böhlke, Sung Pil Hyun, Hee Sun MoonWhen oil and water mix: Understanding the environmental impacts of shale development
Development of shale gas and tight oil, or unconventional oil and gas (UOG), has dramatically increased domestic energy production in the U.S. UOG resources are typically developed through the use of hydraulic fracturing, which creates high-permeability flow paths into large volumes of tight rocks to provide a means for hydrocarbons to move to a wellbore. This process uses significant volumes of wAuthorsDaniel J. Soeder, Douglas B. KentExtent and persistence of secondary water quality impacts after enhanced reductive bioremediation
Electron donor (ED) addition can be very effective in stimulating enhanced reductive bioremediation (ERB) of a wide variety of groundwater contaminants. However, ERB can result in Secondary Water Quality Impacts (SWQIs) including decreased levels of dissolved oxygen (O2), nitrate (NO3- ), and sulfate (SO42- ), and elevated levels of dissolved manganese (Mn2+), dissolved iron (Fe2+), methane (CH4),AuthorsRobert C. Borden, Jason M. Tillotson, Gene-Hua Crystal Ng, Barbara A. Bekins, Douglas B. Kent, Gary P. CurtisEnvironmental signatures and effects of an oil and gas wastewater spill in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Wastewaters from oil and gas development pose largely unknown risks to environmental resources. In January 2015, 11.4 M L (million liters) of wastewater (300 g/L TDS) from oil production in the Williston Basin was reported to have leaked from a pipeline, spilling into Blacktail Creek, North Dakota. Geochemical and biological samples were collected in February and June 2015 to identify geochemicalAuthorsIsabelle M. Cozzarelli, Katherine Skalak, D.B. Kent, Mark A. Engle, Adam J. Benthem, Adam Mumford, Karl B. Haase, Aïda M. Farag, David Harper, S. C. Nagel, Luke R. Iwanowicz, William H. Orem, Denise M. Akob, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Joel M. Galloway, Matthias Kohler, Deborah L. Stoliker, Glenn D. JollyAnoxic nitrate reduction coupled with iron oxidation and attenuation of dissolved arsenic and phosphate in a sand and gravel aquifer
Nitrate has become an increasingly abundant potential electron acceptor for Fe(II) oxidation in groundwater, but this redox couple has not been well characterized within aquifer settings. To investigate this reaction and some of its implications for redox-sensitive groundwater contaminants, we conducted an in situ field study in a wastewater-contaminated aquifer on Cape Cod. Long-term (15 year) geAuthorsRichard L. Smith, Douglas B. Kent, Deborah A. Repert, J. K. BöhlkeWastewater disposal from unconventional oil and gas development degrades stream quality at a West Virginia injection facility
The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources has rapidly increased in recent years; however, the environmental impacts and risks are poorly understood. A single well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, representing a mixture of formation brine and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids. One of the most common methods for wastewater disposal is underground injection; we arAuthorsDenise M. Akob, Adam Mumford, William H. Orem, Mark A. Engle, Julia (Grace) Klinges, Douglas B. Kent, Isabelle M. CozzarelliNon-USGS Publications**
Kent, D. B., and Kastner, M., 1985, Mg2+ removal in the system Mg2+‑amorphous SiO2‑H2O by adsorption and Mg‑hydroxysilicate precipitation: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 49, p. 1123‑1136.Kent, D. B., 1983, On the surface chemical properties of synthetic and biogenic amorphous silica: Ph.D. dissertation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, 420 pp.**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.