Geoffrey Plumlee, Ph.D.
As the USGS Chief Scientist, Geoff provides strategic scientific vision and counsel to the Director and the USGS Executive Leadership Team on inter- and trans-disciplinary USGS science research priorities, opportunities, activities, capabilities, and partnerships, particularly those cross multiple Mission Areas and Regions.
Geoff serves as a USGS executive science liaison with the Department of the Interior (DOI) and other Federal agencies, and is the USGS/DOI principal or representative on various Federal interagency coordination bodies such as the NSTC Subcommittee on Global Change Research and the NSTC Joint Subcommittee on Environment, Innovation and Public Health.
Executive Biography
As Chief Scientist of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Dr. Geoff Plumlee provides strategic scientific vision and counsel to the USGS Director and Executive Leadership Team on inter- and transdisciplinary USGS science research priorities, opportunities, activities, capabilities, and partnerships, particularly those that cross multiple USGS Mission Areas and Regions. He serves as an executive science liaison for the USGS with the Department of the Interior (DOI) and other Federal agencies and is the USGS/DOI principal or representative on various Federal interagency committees such as the Subcommittee on Global Change Research and the NSTC Joint Subcommittee on Environment, Innovation and Public Health. As reflected in his role as a USGS executive champion or co-champion of two USGS Employee Resource Groups, Geoff is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive USGS workforce, and to enhancing USGS use-inspired science that better meets the needs of underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.
Geoff has been USGS Chief Scientist and Senior Science Advisor to the USGS Director since January 2019. From May 2016 to early 2020, Geoff was the USGS Associate Director for Environmental Health, where he led USGS research at the intersection of the environment and health.
Geoff brought to these executive leadership positions 33 years of research and science leadership experience with the USGS, as well as his ability to seek out and establish successful research collaborations with scientists from a broad range of earth, biological, health, social, emergency response, and engineering science disciplines. From 1983 through May 2016, Geoff helped lead and carry out many research projects on linkages between mineral resources, the environment, disasters, and human health.
Geoff is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Past Chair of the GSA Geology and Health Division, a leader in the founding of the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) GeoHealth Section, past AGU Council Member, and past adjunct clinical assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Public Health. He is author or coauthor of more than 140 scientific publications, including many in journals across a wide range of scientific disciplines. Geoff has received the Department of the Interior Superior and Meritorious Service awards, the inaugural AGU GeoHealth Section Award, the GSA Geology and Health Division Distinguished Service Award, and the Society of Economic Geologists Waldemar Lindgren (Early Career Scientist) Award.
Education and Certifications
Doctorate in Geochemistry from Harvard University, 1989
Bachelor’s of Science in Geology from the University of New Mexico, 1980
Abstracts and Presentations
Geoff’s key publications are listed under the publications tab below. PDF’s of specific publications, as well as a complete list of Geoff’s more than 140 publications, are available upon request.
Science and Products
Are there Health Hazards from Contaminants Released to the Environment by Natural Disasters?
Are Naturally Occurring Algal Toxins in Water Resources a Health Hazard?
What is the Chemical and Microbial Content of Our Tap Waters?
Are Tumors in Wild Fish Harvested in the Great Lakes Region Related to Contaminants in Water Resources?
Are Spills Associated with Deep Well Injection of Wastewater from Oil and Gas Operations a Health Hazard?
Environmental Chemistry Core Technology Team
Disasters and Environmental Health
Distribution of Fibrous Erionite in the United States and Implications For Human Health
Can treatment and disposal costs be reduced through metal recovery?
The environmental and medical geochemistry of potentially hazardous materials produced by disasters
Asphaltene content and composition as a measure of Deepwater Horizon oil spill losses within the first 80 days
Family inspiration for my career(s) in transdisciplinary science
When water, gravity and geology collide: Firsthand observations of the impacts of the 2013 Colorado floods
Trace metals in Saharan dust: The use of in vitro bioaccessibility extractions to assess potential health risks in a dustier world
Potential Environmental and Environmental-Health Implications of the SAFRR Tsunami Scenario in California: Chapter F in The SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario
SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario--Executive Summary and Introduction: Chapter A in The SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario
The SAFRR tsunami scenario: improving resilience for California
Geologic occurrences of erionite in the United States: an emerging national public health concern for respiratory disease
Protocol for analysis of volcanic ash samples for assessment of hazards from leachable elements
Linking geology and health sciences to assess childhood lead poisoning from artisanal gold mining in Nigeria
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 20
Are there Health Hazards from Contaminants Released to the Environment by Natural Disasters?
Our specialized teams of hydrologists, chemists, and geologists working together at field sites in Northeastern US after Hurricane Sandy have shown: Metal contaminants were released to the environment after Hurricane Sandy due to some dune restoration activities. In other locations the storm actually decreased contaminant exposures to bottom dwelling aquatic biota. Natural disasters like...Are Naturally Occurring Algal Toxins in Water Resources a Health Hazard?
A growing number of human gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatologic, and neurologic effects, as well as dog and livestock illnesses and deaths, in the United States have been linked to exposures to algal blooms in recreational lakes and stock ponds. Some of the blooms contain cyanobacteria, which have the potential to produce cyanotoxins in freshwater systems. However, the connection between...What is the Chemical and Microbial Content of Our Tap Waters?
Safe Drinking Water Act compliance addresses the safety of public-supply water systems. The composition of public-supply drinking water is generally only tested at the treatment facility, and not at the tap in homes and businesses after traveling through the water distribution system. Only lead and copper are tested at a subset of residential and other taps. Testing of water in private wells is...Are Tumors in Wild Fish Harvested in the Great Lakes Region Related to Contaminants in Water Resources?
Our specialized teams of scientists are working in our laboratories and at field sites around the Great Lakes in collaboration with other federal and state resource agencies to document the prevalence of skin and liver tumors in fish. Tumor prevalence in white suckers ( Catostomus commersonii ), a fish harvested as a food source by local communities, is related to the degree of urbanization in the...Are Spills Associated with Deep Well Injection of Wastewater from Oil and Gas Operations a Health Hazard?
Our specialized teams of hydrologists, chemists, biologists, and geologists worked together in the New River Gorge National River watershed to answer this question. Wastewater generated in association with oil and gas operations at this site is managed by injection in deep wells designed to safely dispose and contain contaminants in deep geologic formations. Contaminants associated with oil and...Environmental Chemistry Core Technology Team
About the Research The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program develops and applies innovative methods of sampling and analysis to answer critical questions about the occurrence, distribution, fate and transport, and biological exposure of chemical in all environmental matrices (water, air, tissues, sediments, and others).Disasters and Environmental Health
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are focusing on new efforts to help protect human and environmental health during disasters. Two papers published recently summarize important characteristics of materials released into the environment by natural and anthropogenic disasters, such as volcanic ash, building collapse dusts and debris, flood sediments, flood waters, wildfire ash and debris...Distribution of Fibrous Erionite in the United States and Implications For Human Health
Fibrous erionite, a zeolite mineral, has been designated as a human carcinogen by the World Health Organization and is believed to be the cause of extraordinarily high rates of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos - related diseases in several villages in Central Turkey. A recent study by the University of Hawaii in collaboration with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in Dunn County, - Data
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 90
Can treatment and disposal costs be reduced through metal recovery?
This paper describes a framework to conduct a “metal-recovery feasibility assessment” for mining influenced water (MIW) and associated treatment sludge. There are multiple considerations in such a determination, including the geologic/geochemical feasibility, market feasibility, technical feasibility, economic feasibility, and administrative feasibility. Each of these considerations needs to be evAuthorsKathleen S. Smith, Linda Figueroa, Geoffrey S. PlumleeThe environmental and medical geochemistry of potentially hazardous materials produced by disasters
Many natural or human-caused disasters release potentially hazardous materials (HM) that may pose threats to the environment and health of exposed humans, wildlife, and livestock. This chapter summarizes the environmentally and toxicologically significant physical, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of materials produced by a wide variety of recent disasters, such as volcanic eruptionsAuthorsGeoffrey S. Plumlee, Suzette A. Morman, G.P. Meeker, Todd M. Hoefen, Philip L. Hageman, Ruth E. WolfAsphaltene content and composition as a measure of Deepwater Horizon oil spill losses within the first 80 days
The composition and content of asphaltenes in spilled and original wellhead oils from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) incident provide information on the amount of original oil lost and the processes most responsible for the losses within the first 80 days of the active spill. Spilled oils were collected from open waters, coastal waters and coastal sediments during the incident. Asphaltenes are the moAuthorsM. D. Lewan, A. Warden, R.F. Dias, Z.K. Lowry, T.L. Hannah, P. G. Lillis, R.F. Kokaly, T.M. Hoefen, G.A. Swayze, C.T. Mills, S.H. Harris, G.S. PlumleeFamily inspiration for my career(s) in transdisciplinary science
I have been fortunate to spend the last 31 years working for an organization that has allowed me to make multiple career shifts across earth science disciplines and to collaborate with people in fields well beyond the earth sciences. Many inspirational colleagues have guided me along this transdisciplinary science path, but perhaps my biggest source of inspiration has been my family.AuthorsGeoffrey S. PlumleeWhen water, gravity and geology collide: Firsthand observations of the impacts of the 2013 Colorado floods
No abstract available.AuthorsGeoffrey S. PlumleeTrace metals in Saharan dust: The use of in vitro bioaccessibility extractions to assess potential health risks in a dustier world
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is acknowledged as a risk factor for human morbidity and mortality. Epidemiology and toxicology studies have focused on anthropogenic sources of PM and few consider contributions produced by natural processes (geogenic), or PM produced from natural sources as a result of human activities (geoanthropogenic PM). The focus of this study was to elucidate relatiAuthorsSuzette A. Morman, Virginia H. Garrison, Geoffrey S. PlumleePotential Environmental and Environmental-Health Implications of the SAFRR Tsunami Scenario in California: Chapter F in The SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario
The California Tsunami Scenario models the impacts of a hypothetical, yet plausible, tsunami caused by an earthquake offshore from the Alaska Peninsula. In this chapter, we interpret plausible tsunami-related contamination, environmental impacts, potential for human exposures to contaminants and hazardous materials, and implications for remediation and recovery. Inundation-related damages to majorAuthorsGeoffrey S. Plumlee, Suzette A. Morman, Carma San JuanSAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario--Executive Summary and Introduction: Chapter A in The SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario
The Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR) tsunami scenario depicts a hypothetical but plausible tsunami created by an earthquake offshore from the Alaska Peninsula and its impacts on the California coast. The tsunami scenario is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the California Geological Survey, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), theAuthorsStephanie L. Ross, Lucile M. Jones, Kevin H. Miller, Keith A. Porter, Anne Wein, Rick I. Wilson, Bohyun Bahng, Aggeliki Barberopoulou, José C. Borrero, Deborah M. Brosnan, John T. Bwarie, Eric L. Geist, Laurie A. Johnson, Stephen H. Kirby, William R. Knight, Kate Long, Patrick Lynett, Carl E. Mortensen, Dmitry J. Nicolsky, Suzanne C. Perry, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Charles R. Real, Kenneth Ryan, Elena Suleimani, Hong Kie Thio, Vasily V. Titov, Paul M. Whitmore, Nathan J. WoodThe SAFRR tsunami scenario: improving resilience for California
On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and the resulting tsunami devastated Japan with a disaster of unfathomable proportions. Five thousand miles away, the waves from Tohoku caused $50 to 100 million in damages in California. Although this pales in comparison to the loss of lives and property in Japan, the U.S. Government must ask whether California, and the national economy, will someday faceAuthorsStephanie L. Ross, Lucile M. Jones, Kevin H. Miller, Keith A. Porter, Anne Wein, Rick I. Wilson, Bohyun Bahng, Aggeliki Barberopoulou, José C. Borrero, Deborah M. Brosnan, John T. Bwarie, Eric L. Geist, Laurie A. Johnson, Stephen H. Kirby, William R. Knight, Kate Long, Patrick Lynett, Carl E. Mortensen, Dmitry J. Nicolsky, Suzanne C. Perry, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Charles R. Real, Kenneth Ryan, Elena Suleimani, Hong Kie Thio, Vasily V. Titov, Paul M. Whitmore, Nathan J. WoodGeologic occurrences of erionite in the United States: an emerging national public health concern for respiratory disease
Erionite, a mineral series within the zeolite group, is classified as a Group 1 known respiratory carcinogen. This designation resulted from extremely high incidences of mesothelioma discovered in three small villages from the Cappadocia region of Turkey, where the disease was linked to environmental exposures to fibrous forms of erionite. Natural deposits of erionite, including fibrous forms, havAuthorsBradley S. Van Gosen, Thomas A. Blitz, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Gregory P. Meeker, M. Patrick PiersonProtocol for analysis of volcanic ash samples for assessment of hazards from leachable elements
Volcanic eruptions can produce a wide range of hazards. Although phenomena such as pyroclastic density currents and surges, sector collapses, lahars and ballistic blocks are the most destructive and dangerous, volcanic ash is by far the most widely distributed eruption product1 and the most likely to be encountered by the public. Following an eruption, the public, civil authorities and agriculturaAuthorsC. Stewart, C. Horwell, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Shane Cronin, P. Delmelle, P. Baxter, J. Calkins, David Damby, Suzette A. Morman, Clive OppenheimerLinking geology and health sciences to assess childhood lead poisoning from artisanal gold mining in Nigeria
Background: In 2010, Médecins Sans Frontières discovered a lead poisoning outbreak linked to artisanal gold processing in northwestern Nigeria. The outbreak has killed approximately 400 young children and affected thousands more. Objectives: Our aim was to undertake an interdisciplinary geological- and health-science assessment to clarify lead sources and exposure pathways, identify additional toAuthorsGeoffrey S. Plumlee, James T. Durant, Suzette A. Morman, Antonio Neri, Ruth E. Wolf, Carrie A. Dooyema, Philip L. Hageman, Heather Lowers, Gregory L. Fernette, Gregory P. Meeker, William Benzel, Rhonda L. Driscoll, Cyrus J. Berry, James G. Crock, Harland L. Goldstein, Monique Adams, Casey L. Bartrem, Simba Tirima, Behbod Behrooz, Ian von Lindern, Mary Jean Brown - News