Jenna L Shelton, Ph.D.
Jenna Shelton is an Associate Science Center Director (Acting) with the USGS Geology, Energy, and Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Biography
Jenna received a B.S. in Environmental Geology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2011, a M.S. in Hydrology and Water Resources from the University of Arizona in 2013, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science from Colorado School of Mines in 2016. She joined the USGS as a student in 2011, and has been in her current position since 2016. Her areas of research and expertise are in subsurface hydrology, aqueous geochemistry, microbial methanogenesis, microbial ecology, bioinformatics, CO2 sequestration and enhanced oil recovery, isotope geochemistry, and compositional data analysis.
Education
- Ph.D. Environmental Engineering Science, Colorado School of Mines, 2016
- M.S. Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, 2013
- B.S. Environmental Geology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2011
Work Experience
- May 2016 to present: Research Hydrologist, USGS Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, Reston, VA
- May 2013 to May 2016: Physical Scientist Technician, USGS Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, Denver, CO
- May 2011 to May 2013: Student Career Experience Program, USGS Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, Tucson, AZ
Science and Products
Big Data and Data Visualization
In the “Big Data and Data Visualization” task of the Oil and Gas Waters Project, we compile and update the USGS National Produced Waters Geochemical Database and use big data approaches to provide stakeholders with effortless access and modern tools for easier use and interpretation of our data.
Controls on Unconventional Oil and Gas Production
This scoping task incorporates insights from new approaches to production of unconventional resources and currently focuses on conducting a pilot assessment of biogenic natural gas resources in the Permian Basin. For the pilot assessment to occur, we are developing a database that will host geochemical parameters known to be suggestive of microbial methanogenesis mined to the reservoir level...
Direct Trace Element Determination in Oil and Gas Produced Waters with Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of High Salinity Tolerance (2019)
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due both to their high salinities, which can greatly exceed 35 g/L (seawater equivalent), and also the sheer volume of wastewater generated, which is estimated at nearly 900 billion gallons per year across the United States. Beyond di
Microbial Communities Associated with Hot Springs and other CO2-rich Waters, Rocky Mountain Plateau
The Colorado Plateau is associated with several different commercial sources of natural CO2 and other non-hydrocarbon gases, such as noble gases. Twenty-five different hot springs, warm springs, cold springs, and/or rivers across the Utah region of the Colorado Plateau were sampled for microbial biomass. These different locations were associated with some concentration of dissolved or e
Low biomass microbiology samples collected from a hydraulically fractured well producing from the Niobrara Shale in Colorado
Low biomass waters provide a unique challenge in the field of microbial ecology. It is difficult to determine, when biomass concentrations are extremely low, whether or not the sequencing data received are of good quality and representative of the waters sampled. Fifty-nine samples including 8 blanks were collected from a low biomass hydraulically fractured well producing from the Niobrara Sh...
Microbiology of the greater Bravo Dome region
Bravo Dome is a commercial natural CO2 field that supplies the gas to depleted oil fields for enhanced oil recovery. In order to understand the distribution of CO2 across the greater Bravo Dome region, including southeastern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, and to assess the impacts of high CO2 concentrations on microbes in the subsurface, 7 samples were collected from sites associated...
Utica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management
The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few...
Blondes, Madalyn S.; Shelton, Jenna L.; Engle, Mark A; Trembly, Jason; Doolan, Colin A.; Jubb, Aaron M.; Chenault, Jessica; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Haefner, Ralph J.; Mailot, Brian E. Repetitive sampling and control threshold improve 16S rRNA results from produced waters associated with hydraulically fractured shales
Sequencing microbial DNA from deep subsurface environments is complicated by a number of issues ranging from contamination to non-reproducible results. Many samples obtained from these environments - which are of great interest due to the potential to stimulate microbial methane generation - contain low biomass. Therefore, samples from these...
Shelton, Jenna L.; Barnhart, Elliott; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Jubb, Aaron M.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; DeVera, Christina A.
Compositional analysis of formation water geochemistry and microbiology of commercial and carbon dioxide-rich wells in the southwestern United States
Studies of naturally occurring subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulations can provide useful information for potential CO2 injection projects; however, the microbial communities and formation water geochemistry of most reservoirs are understudied. Formation water and microbial biomass were sampled at four CO2-rich reservoir sites: two within...
Shelton, Jenna L.; Andrews, Robert S.; Akob, Denise M.; DeVera, Christina A.; Mumford, Adam C.; Engle, Mark; Plampin, Michelle R.; Brennan, Sean T. Direct trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due to their high salinities and the sheer volumes generated. Produced waters may also contain valuable mineral commodities. While an understanding of produced water trace element composition is...
Jubb, Aaron M.; Engle, Mark; Chenault, Jessica; Blondes, Madalyn; Danforth, Cloelle G.; Doolan, Colin; Gallegos, Tanya; Mueller, Dan; Shelton, Jenna
A probabilistic assessment methodology for carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention
The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorized the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of the potential volume of hydrocarbons recoverable by injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into known oil reservoirs with historical production. The implementation of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) techniques could...
Warwick, Peter D.; Attanasi, Emil D.; Olea, Ricardo A.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Freeman, Philip A.; Brennan, Sean T.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Verma, Mahendra K.; Karacan, Cevat O.; Shelton, Jenna L.; Lohr, Celeste D.; Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Roueché, Jacqueline N. Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and residual oil zone studies at the U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is preparing a national resource assessment of the potential hydrocarbons recoverable after injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into conventional oil reservoirs in the United States. The implementation of CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) techniques can increase hydrocarbon production, and lead to incidental...
Warwick, Peter D.; Attanasi, Emil D.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Brennan, Sean T.; Buursink, Marc; Doolan, Colin A.; Freeman, Philip A.; Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Karacan, Cevat O.; Lohr, Celeste D.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Olea, Ricardo A.; Roueché, Jacqueline N.; Shelton, Jenna L.; Slucher, Ernie; Varela, Brian; Verma, Mahendra K. Microbial community composition of a hydrocarbon reservoir 40 years after a CO2 enhanced oil recovery flood
Injecting CO2 into depleted oil reservoirs to extract additional crude oil is a common enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technique. However, little is known about how in situ microbial communities may be impacted by CO2 flooding, or if any permanent microbiological changes occur after flooding has ceased. Formation water was...
Shelton, Jenna L.; Andrews, Robert S.; Akob, Denise M.; DeVera, Christina A.; Mumford, Adam C.; McCray, John E.; McIntosh, Jennifer C. The isometric log-ratio (ilr)-ion plot: A proposed alternative to the Piper diagram
The Piper diagram has been a staple for the analysis of water chemistry data since its introduction in 1944. It was conceived to be a method for water classification, determination of potential water mixing between end-members, and to aid in the identification of chemical reactions controlling a sample set. This study uses the information gleaned...
Shelton, Jenna L.; Engle, Mark A.; Buccianti, Antonella; Blondes, Madalyn S. Environmental drivers of differences in microbial community structure in crude oil reservoirs across a methanogenic gradient
Stimulating in situ microbial communities in oil reservoirs to produce natural gas is a potentially viable strategy for recovering additional fossil fuel resources following traditional recovery operations. Little is known about what geochemical parameters drive microbial population dynamics in biodegraded, methanogenic oil reservoirs. We...
Shelton, Jenna L.; Akob, Denise M.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Fierer, Noah; Spear, John R.; Warwick, Peter D.; McCray, John E. Determining CO2 storage potential during miscible CO2 enhanced oil recovery: Noble gas and stable isotope tracers
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are fueling anthropogenic climate change. Geologic sequestration of anthropogenic CO2 in depleted oil reservoirs is one option for reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere while enhancing oil recovery. In order to evaluate the feasibility of using enhanced oil recovery (EOR) sites in...
Shelton, Jenna L.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Hunt, Andrew; Beebe, Thomas L; Parker, Andrew D; Warwick, Peter D.; Drake, Ronald; McCray, John E. Impact of formation water geochemistry and crude oil biodegradation on microbial methanogenesis
Converting non-producible crude oil to CH4 via methanogenic crude oil biodegradation in oil reservoirs could serve as one way to increase our energy profile. Yet, field data supporting the direct relationship between methanogenesis and crude oil biodegradation are sparse. Indicators of methanogenesis, based on the formation water and gas...
Shelton, Jenna L.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Warwick, Peter D.; McCray, John E. Fate of injected CO2 in the Wilcox Group, Louisiana, Gulf Coast Basin: Chemical and isotopic tracers of microbial–brine–rock–CO2 interactions
The “2800’ sandstone” of the Olla oil field is an oil and gas-producing reservoir in a coal-bearing interval of the Paleocene–Eocene Wilcox Group in north-central Louisiana, USA. In the 1980s, this producing unit was flooded with CO2 in an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project, leaving ∼30% of the injected CO2 ...
Shelton, Jenna L.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Warwick, Peter D.; Lee Zhi Yi, Amelia