Dr. John Lane is Senior Advisor for Water for International Programs.
As Chief of the USGS Hydrogeophysics Branch, Dr. John W. Lane, Jr. provided leadership and support to USGS offices across the Water Resources Mission Area in the application of geophysical methods for groundwater investigations.
Dr. Lane supervised Branch applied research, technical support, and technology transfer programs utilizing borehole, surface, and airborne geophysical methods including emerging applications of small unmanned aircraft systems.
Dr. Lane's applied research focuses on the development of quantitative geophysical methods in fractured rock and porous media, geophysical assessment of hydrologic processes, and on the application of hydrogeophysical methods for water resource and contamination assessment studies. Development and implementation of geophysical training and support for diverse audiences is a key component of Dr. Lane’s work. Dr. Lane has developed and supervised national, international, regional, and local instruction for USGS scientists and other cooperating agency personnel on the use of geophysics for groundwater exploration, water-resource assessment, and to address groundwater contamination and environmental engineering problems.
Science and Products
Water Science for a Changing World
Rancho Ancón – Water Cycle Augmentation
Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing Technology for Surface-Water and Groundwater Studies
Optimized Enhanced Bioremediation through 4D Geophysical Monitoring and Autonomous Data Collection, Processing, and Analysis
Borehole Geophysics
Hydrogeophysics — Storrs, Connecticut
QUASHNET SPAWN HESS CHEMICAL DATA
Geophysical and Other Data From an Irrigation Monitoring Experiment at Haddam Meadows, CT, July 2019
Passive seismic data collected along headwater stream corridors in Shenandoah National Park in 2016 - 2020
Surface geophysical data for characterizing shallow, discontinuous frozen ground near Fort Yukon, Alaska
Geophysical and direct groundwater data collected on Palmyra Atoll to study fresh/saline groundwater interfaces from 2008 to 2019
Geophysical Data Collected for an Assessment of a Proposed Landfill Site in Fredericktown, Missouri, June 2018
Thermal infrared and photogrammetric data collected by drone for hydrogeologic characterization around two US Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing Systems stream gage locations near Claryville, NY, USA
Surface Geophysical data collected along Blacktail Creek in June 2017 near Williston, North Dakota, USA
Transient Electromagnetics, Passive Seismic, and Borehole Electromagnetics, Gamma, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Methods to Characterize an Unconsolidated Aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Geophysical Data Collected in the Cedar River Floodplain, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2015-2017
Investigation of Scale-dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Model and Field Experiment Data, Quashnet River, Massachusetts, October 2017 (ver. 2.0, November 2020)
2016-2017 Geophysical data from the Kuparuk aufeis, North Slope, AK
Field evaluation of semi-automated moisture estimation from geophysics using machine learning
GW/SW-MST: A groundwater/surface-water method selection tool
Geostatistical mapping of salinity conditioned on borehole logs, Montebello Oil Field, California
Investigation of scale-dependent groundwater/surface-water exchange in rivers by gradient self-potential logging: Numerical modeling and field experiments
Time-domain electromagnetic soundings and passive-seismic measurements for delineation of saline groundwater in the Genesee Valley-fill aquifer system, western New York, 2016–17
Continental-scale analysis of shallow and deep groundwater contributions to streams
Groundwater discharge generates streamflow and influences stream thermal regimes. However, the water quality and thermal buffering capacity of groundwater depends on the aquifer source-depth. Here, we pair multi-year air and stream temperature signals to categorize 1729 sites across the continental United States as having major dam influence, shallow or deep groundwater signatures, or lack of pron
DTSGUI: A python program to process and visualize fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing data
Small atoll fresh groundwater lenses respond to a combination of natural climatic cycles and human modified geology
Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters
Characterizing the diverse hydrogeology underlying rivers and estuaries using new floating transient electromagnetic methodology
Experimental shifts of hydrologic residence time in a sandy urban stream sediment-water interface alter nitrate removal and nitrous oxide fluxes
Hillslope groundwater discharges provide localized ecosystem buffers from regional PFAS contamination in a gaining coastal stream
Emerging groundwater contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact surface-water quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of gaining streams. Although complex near-surface hydrogeology of stream corridors challenges sampling efforts, recent advances in heat tracing of discharge zones enable efficient and informed data collection. For this study we used a combinatio
FLASH-R (Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes)
Science and Products
- Science
Water Science for a Changing World
Information about water resources is fundamental to national and local economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective management. The USGS works with domestic and international partners to monitor, assess, and conduct targeted research on a wide range of water resource conditions, including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and water use and availability. USGS provides...Rancho Ancón – Water Cycle Augmentation
The USGS is working with partners to understand the impacts of installing structures made from rock, sandbags and wood in channels at a dryland ranch in southern Baja California. Hydrogeological instrumentation, recording observations, modeling hydrogeological scenarios, and an interdisciplinary scientific study of the watershed interactions between water, ecological systems, and human activities...Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing Technology for Surface-Water and Groundwater Studies
Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) technology can be used for characterizing estuary-aquifer and stream-aquifer interaction and for identifying transmissive fractures in bedrock boreholes.Optimized Enhanced Bioremediation through 4D Geophysical Monitoring and Autonomous Data Collection, Processing, and Analysis
The USGS Office of Ground Water, Branch of Geophysics (OGW BG) is collaborating on an applied research project to evaluate the use of new hydrogeophysical tools to remotely monitor and visualize subsurface bioremediation amendment emplacement and transport in near real-time. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, could provide...Borehole Geophysics
Borehole geophysics is the science of recording and analyzing measurements of physical properties made in wells or test holes. Probes that measure different properties are lowered into the borehole to collect continuous or point data that is graphically displayed as a geophysical log. Multiple logs typically are collected to take advantage of their synergistic nature--much more can be learned by...Hydrogeophysics — Storrs, Connecticut
About the Research The Environmental Health Program collaborates with geophysicists and hydrologists to develop, demonstrate, and support the application of geophysical methods to environmental-health investigations. They have expertise in a diverse suite of geophysical field methods including electrical, electromagnetic, seismic, radar, gravity, and thermal; these methods are run from land-based... - Data
Filter Total Items: 16
QUASHNET SPAWN HESS CHEMICAL DATA
This data set includes dissolved oxygen (DO) and specific conductivity (SpC) data collected in both the surface water and shallow streambed at the Quashnet River, Mashpee, USA from 2014-16. This data was collected to better understand groundwater discharge to the river and associated brook trout habitat. DO was typically near saturation in surface water and some groundwater, but is reduced in streGeophysical and Other Data From an Irrigation Monitoring Experiment at Haddam Meadows, CT, July 2019
An irrigation monitoring experiment was performed in Haddam Meadows State Park, Connecticut, on July 16, 2019. Prior to this experiment, ground penetrating radar (GPR), frequency domain electromagnetics (FDEM), and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) geophysical data were collected over a 20 meter by 10-meter grid to provide baseline information. A vertical soil moisture probe was installed inPassive seismic data collected along headwater stream corridors in Shenandoah National Park in 2016 - 2020
In July 2016, July 2019, and March 2020, 318 seismic recordings were acquired at locations within Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, using MOHO Tromino Model TEP-3C three-component seismometers to assess depth to bedrock using the HVSR method. This method requires a measurement of estimate of shear wave velocity, which depends on the regolith sediment composition and density, for the conversion oSurface geophysical data for characterizing shallow, discontinuous frozen ground near Fort Yukon, Alaska
The distribution of permafrost in cold regions is subject to temporal and spatial changes influenced by climate, landscape disturbance, and ecosystem succession. Remote sensing from airborne and satellite platforms is increasing our understanding of landscape-scale permafrost distribution, but typically lacks the resolution to characterize finer-scale processes and phenomena, which are often betteGeophysical and direct groundwater data collected on Palmyra Atoll to study fresh/saline groundwater interfaces from 2008 to 2019
The surface ecology of small ocean islands is directly linked to subsurface fresh water resources, which exist in the form of soil water and fresh groundwater lenses. The management of threaten plant species such as the tree Pisonia grandis needs to consider the spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater lenses, particularly in a time of climate change. The Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife RefugeGeophysical Data Collected for an Assessment of a Proposed Landfill Site in Fredericktown, Missouri, June 2018
In June 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 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, Missouri. Geophysical methods were used to evaluate and characterize the unconsolidated sediment (i.e., regolith) above the crystallineThermal infrared and photogrammetric data collected by drone for hydrogeologic characterization around two US Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing Systems stream gage locations near Claryville, NY, USA
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected low-altitude (typically 200-350 ft above land surface) airborne thermal infrared, and visual imagery data via a multirotor, small unoccupied aircraft system (UAS or 'drone') deployed along the river corridor encompassing two U.S. Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing Systems (NGWOS) stream gage locations near Claryville, NY, USA. One site isSurface Geophysical data collected along Blacktail Creek in June 2017 near Williston, North Dakota, USA
The extraction of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources often produces highly saline waste waters, which can be released to the river corridor environment during spills and pipe leakage. In North Dakota, USA more than 8,000 spills were recorded from 2008-2015, and more than half of those spills were related to pipelines. Data collected for this study were related to UOG wastewater leakage froTransient Electromagnetics, Passive Seismic, and Borehole Electromagnetics, Gamma, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Methods to Characterize an Unconsolidated Aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Reserved for CDJ. Transient Electromagnetics, Passive Seismic, and Borehole Electromagnetics, Gamma, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Methods to Characterize an Unconsolidated Aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts Johnson, White, Phillips, Pappas, Hull, LeBlanc, and LaneGeophysical 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 aquifer is theInvestigation of Scale-dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Model and Field Experiment Data, Quashnet River, Massachusetts, October 2017 (ver. 2.0, November 2020)
This data release contains waterborne self-potential (SP) logging data measured during 48 laboratory experiments and three field experiments that were performed to develop an efficient, accurate method for detecting (in the laboratory) and geolocating (in the field) focused vertical groundwater discharge (surface-water gains) and recharge (surface-water losses) in a river. The experimental procedu2016-2017 Geophysical data from the Kuparuk aufeis, North Slope, AK
This release contains geophysical data from the Kuparuk aufeis associated with the manuscript "Seasonal thaw dynamics of an aufeis feature inferred from surface geophysical methods." Data were collected in two campaigns in September 2016 and April 2017 with the purpose of investigating freeze-thaw dynamics below the aufeis feature during maximally frozen and maximally thawed conditions. Ground pen - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 90
Field evaluation of semi-automated moisture estimation from geophysics using machine learning
Geophysical methods can provide three-dimensional (3D), spatially continuous estimates of soil moisture. However, point-to-point comparisons of geophysical properties to measure soil moisture data are frequently unsatisfactory, resulting in geophysics being used for qualitative purposes only. This is because (1) geophysics requires models that relate geophysical signals to soil moisture, (2) geophAuthorsNeil Terry, F.D. Day-Lewis, John W. Lane, Carole D. Johnson, Dale WerkemaGW/SW-MST: A groundwater/surface-water method selection tool
Groundwater/surface-water (GW/SW) exchange and hyporheic processes are topics receiving increasing attention from the hydrologic community. Hydraulic, chemical, temperature, geophysical, and remote sensing methods are used to achieve various goals (e.g., inference of GW/SW exchange, mapping of bed materials, etc.), but the application of these methods is constrained by site conditions such as wateAuthorsSteven Hammett, Frederick Day-Lewis, Brett Russell Trottier, Paul M. Barlow, Martin A. Briggs, Geoffrey N. Delin, Judson Harvey, Carole D. Johnson, John W. Lane, D. O. Rosenberry, Dale D. WerkemaGeostatistical mapping of salinity conditioned on borehole logs, Montebello Oil Field, California
We present a geostatistics-based stochastic salinity estimation framework for the Montebello Oil Field that capitalizes on available total dissolved solids (TDS) data from groundwater samples as well as electrical resistivity (ER) data from borehole logging. Data from TDS samples (n = 4924) was coded into an indicator framework based on falling below four selected thresholds (500, 1000, 3000, andAuthorsNeil Terry, Frederick Day-Lewis, Matthew K. Landon, Michael Land, Jennifer S. Stanton, John W. LaneInvestigation of scale-dependent groundwater/surface-water exchange in rivers by gradient self-potential logging: Numerical modeling and field experiments
Exchanges of groundwater and surface-water are fundamental to a wide range of water-supply and water-quality management issues but challenging to map beyond the reach scale. Waterborne gradient self-potential (SP) measurements are directly sensitive to water flow through riverbed sediments and can be used to infer exchange locations, direction (gain versus loss), scale, and relative changes, but tAuthorsScott Ikard, Martin A. Briggs, John W. LaneTime-domain electromagnetic soundings and passive-seismic measurements for delineation of saline groundwater in the Genesee Valley-fill aquifer system, western New York, 2016–17
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, used noninvasive surface geophysics in the investigation of the distribution of saline groundwater in the valley-fill aquifer system of the Genesee River Valley near the former Retsof salt mine in western New York. In 1994, the Retsof salt mine, the largest of its kind in the western hemispAuthorsJohn H. Williams, William M. Kappel, Carole D. Johnson, Eric A. White, Paul M. Heisig, John W. LaneContinental-scale analysis of shallow and deep groundwater contributions to streams
Groundwater discharge generates streamflow and influences stream thermal regimes. However, the water quality and thermal buffering capacity of groundwater depends on the aquifer source-depth. Here, we pair multi-year air and stream temperature signals to categorize 1729 sites across the continental United States as having major dam influence, shallow or deep groundwater signatures, or lack of pron
AuthorsD. Hare, A. M. Helton, Zachary C. Johnson, John W. Lane, Martin A. BriggsDTSGUI: A python program to process and visualize fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing data
Fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing (FO‐DTS) has proven to be a transformative technology for the hydrologic sciences, with application to diverse problems including hyporheic exchange, groundwater/surface‐water interaction, fractured‐rock characterization, and cold regions hydrology. FO‐DTS produces large, complex, and information‐rich datasets. Despite the potential of FO‐DTS, adoption oAuthorsMarian M. Domanski, Daven Quinn, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Martin A. Briggs, Dale D. Werkema, John W. LaneSmall atoll fresh groundwater lenses respond to a combination of natural climatic cycles and human modified geology
Freshwater lenses underlying small ocean islands exhibit spatial variability and temporal fluctuations in volume, influencing ecologic management. For example, The Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge harbors one of the few surviving native stands of Pisonia grandis in the central Pacific Ocean, yet these trees face pressure from groundwater salinization, with little basic groundwater data to guAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, J Cantelon, B. Kurylyk, Justin T. Kulongoski, Audrey Mills, John W. LaneGeochemical 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. AkobCharacterizing the diverse hydrogeology underlying rivers and estuaries using new floating transient electromagnetic methodology
The hydrogeology below large surface water features such as rivers and estuaries is universally under-informed at the long reach to basin scales (tens of km+). This challenge inhibits the accurate modeling of fresh/saline groundwater interfaces and groundwater/surface water exchange patterns at management-relevant spatial extents. Here we introduce a towed, floating transient electromagnetic (TEM)AuthorsJohn W. Lane, Martin A. Briggs, PK Maurya, Eric A. White, JB Pedersen, Esben Auken, Neil Terry, Burke J. Minsley, Wade Kress, Denis R. LeBlanc, Ryan F. Adams, Carole D. JohnsonExperimental shifts of hydrologic residence time in a sandy urban stream sediment-water interface alter nitrate removal and nitrous oxide fluxes
The sediment–water interfaces (SWI) of streams serve as important biogeochemical hotspots in watersheds and contribute to whole-catchment reactive nitrogen budgets and water-quality conditions. Recently, the SWI has been identified as an important source of nitrous oxide (N2O) produced in streams, with SWI residence time among the principal controls on its production. Here, we conducted a series oAuthorsT. Hampton, J. Zarnetske, Martin A. Briggs, F. M. P. Dehkordy, K. Singha, Frederick Day-Lewis, Judson Harvey, S. R. Chowdhury, John W. LaneHillslope groundwater discharges provide localized ecosystem buffers from regional PFAS contamination in a gaining coastal stream
Emerging groundwater contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact surface-water quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of gaining streams. Although complex near-surface hydrogeology of stream corridors challenges sampling efforts, recent advances in heat tracing of discharge zones enable efficient and informed data collection. For this study we used a combinatio
AuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Andrea K. Tokranov, Robert B. Hull, Denis R. LeBlanc, A. Haynes, John W. Lane - Software
FLASH-R (Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes)
FLASH-R (Flow-Log Analysis of Single Holes) is an R app for the analysis of borehole vertical flow logs to estimate fracture (or layer) transmissivities and far-field hydraulic heads. This app is a new version of the FLASH spreadsheet tool by Day-Lewis et al. (2011) . The program is written in R, an open-source environment. All previous features have been retained and new features incorporated i