Martin Briggs (he/him) is a Research Hydrologist for the Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area Observing Systems Division.
At the USGS Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch (HRSB) Marty works on a wide range of pressing hydrological issues across climates and hydrogeological terrain. As a national office, one of HRSB’s primary functions is to support regional USGS Water Science Centers through providing hydrogeophysical tools, training, and collaboration on novel water research. As central missions at the Branch are training and methods development, Marty often travels to provide workshops, participate in outreach events, and to field-test new methods that are then utilized for research applications. Although his specialty is in surface water/groundwater exchange processes, Marty works on a wide range of pressing national hydrological issues where geophysical and remotely sensed data lend insight. Marty also contributes to several Water Mission Area Programs including the Next Generation Water Observing System and co-advises graduate students at the University of Connecticut through a Cooperative Agreement, leveraging reimbursable projects. Marty asks that you please reach out if you are interested in discussing objectives, methods, and/or research related to his work.
Professional Experience
Development of new heat tracing methodology and refinement of existing methods for location and quantifying groundwater/surface water exchanges over a range of scales including the development of several software tools to improve accessibility to such methods. These tools include: VFLUX2, DTS-GUI, 1DTempPro2, GW-SW MST
Extensive characterization of groundwater preferential groundwater discharge zones and related physical processes across a range of headwater and mainstem river settings nationally
Repeat expeditions to Alaska as field team leader to characterize discontinuous permafrost dynamics using seismic, electrical, radar, thermal and mechanical methods coupled with processed-based models
Measuring and modeling dual-domain mass transfer of contaminated groundwater and natural anoxic microzones involving the novel use of combined electrical and chemical methods
Installation of sea water intrusion monitoring network on a remote Pacific atoll to monitor the effects of climate change and sea level rise on atoll fresh water and identify controlling geologic processes that were tested in a numerical modeling framework
Innovative characterization of endangered shellfish and native brook trout habitat in a variety of systems, particularly in the context of groundwater discharge to surface water
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2012. Syracuse University, (Hydro) Geology.
M.S., 2009. Colorado School of Mines. Hydrology.
Honors and Awards
2022 American Geophysical Union Edward A. Flinn III Award (group award)
2017 Geologic Society of America Hydrogeology Division Kohout Early Career Award
Exceptional rating, USGS performance review 2013, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21
Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences Doctoral Dissertation Prize, 2012
Science and Products
Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams
Wildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses
Stabilising effects of karstic groundwater on stream fish communities
Interaction of a legacy groundwater contaminant plume with the Little Wind River from 2015 through 2017, Riverton Processing site, Wyoming
Connecting diverse disciplines to improve understanding of surface water-groundwater interactions
A multiscale approach for monitoring groundwater discharge to headwater streams by the U.S. Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing System Program—An example from the Neversink Reservoir watershed, New York
Bedrock depth influences spatial patterns of summer baseflow, temperature and flow disconnection for mountainous headwater streams
Application of recursive estimation to heat tracing for groundwater/surface-water exchange
Hot spots and hot moments in the Critical Zone: Identification of and incorporation into reactive transport models
Using ensemble data assimilation to estimate transient hydrologic exchange flow under highly dynamic flow conditions
GW/SW-MST: A groundwater/surface-water method selection tool
PFAS Transport, Exposure, and Effects
Groundwater Discharge is a Pathway for Phytoestrogen and Herbicide Entry to Streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
A hydrological framework to improve precision of Vital Signs metrics in the Appalachian highlands
Thermal Imaging Cameras for Studying Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange
What does groundwater have to do with ice in Alaska?
Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing Technology for Surface-Water and Groundwater Studies
Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Hydrogeophysics — Storrs, Connecticut
Floating and Towed Transient Electromagnetic Surveys used to Characterize Hydrogeology underlying Rivers and Estuaries: March - December 2018
Floating Electromagnetic Surveys from the Lower Delaware River Basin
Riverbank vertical temperature profiler data and calculated groundwater discharge flux estimates from the Farmington River corridor, CT, USA
Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing data collected for improved mapping and monitoring of contaminated groundwater discharges along the upper Quashnet River, Mashpee and Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA 2020
Passive seismic depth to bedrock data collected along streams of the Farmington River watershed, CT, USA
QUASHNET SPAWN HESS CHEMICAL DATA
Geophysical and Other Data From an Irrigation Monitoring Experiment at Haddam Meadows, CT, July 2019
Heat tracing of potential groundwater seepage zones along the upper Coonamessett River bog area (Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2021)
Visible-light orthomosaic images collected by drone for two cold-water tributary confluences within the Housatonic River, CT, USA
Thermal infrared images of groundwater discharge zones in the Farmington and Housatonic River watersheds (Connecticut and Massachusetts, 2019)(ver. 3.0, January 2023)
Main channel river water temperature collected along the East Branch, West Branch, and mainstem Delaware River down to Lordville near Handcock, NY, USA in summer 2021
Stream Temperature, Dissolved Radon, and Stable Water Isotope Data Collected along Headwater Streams in the Upper Neversink River Watershed, NY, USA (ver. 2.0, April 2023)
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 69
Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are spatially extensive areas of preferential seepage that are exposed to air at low river flow. Some conceptual hydrologic models indicate discharge faces represent the spatial convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, while others indicate greater consistency in source groundwater characteristics. Our detailed field investigation oAuthorsAdam Haynes, Martin Briggs, Eric Moore, Kevin Jackson, James Knighton, David Rey, Ashley HeltonClosing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams
Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater ecosystems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally, cohesive manAuthorsFrancine H. Mejia, Valerie Ouellet, Martin Briggs, Stephanie M. Carlson, Rose Casas-Mulet, Mollie Chapman, Matthias J. Collins, Stephen J. Dugdale, Joseph L. Ebersole, Danielle M. Frechette, Aimee H. Fullerton, Carol-Anne Gillis, Zachary Johnson, Christa Kelleher, Barret L. Kurylyk, Rebecca Lave, Benjamin Letcher, Knut M. Myrvold, Tracie-Lynn Nadeau, Helen Neville, Herve Piégay, Kathryn E. Smith, Diego Tonolla, Christian E. TorgersenWildfire-induced shifts in groundwater discharge to streams identified with paired air and stream water temperature analyses
Within the western United States, increasingly severe and frequent wildfires may alter the magnitude, timing, and quality of water exported from burned areas by streams. Post-fire hydrologic studies often focus on peak stream flow responses to shifts in runoff generation or on annual streamflow yield response to changes in evapotranspiration following fire. However, the magnitude and duration of wAuthorsDavid Rey, Martin Briggs, Michelle A. Walvoord, Brian A. EbelStabilising effects of karstic groundwater on stream fish communities
Although groundwater exchange processes are known to modulate atmospheric influences on stream temperature and flow, the implications for ecological stability are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated temporal change in stream fish communities across a gradient of groundwater influence defined by karst terrain (carbonate parent materials) within the Potomac River basin of eastern North America. WeAuthorsNathaniel P. Hitt, Karli M Rogers, Karmann G. Kessler, Martin Briggs, Jennifer Burlingame Hoyle FairInteraction of a legacy groundwater contaminant plume with the Little Wind River from 2015 through 2017, Riverton Processing site, Wyoming
The Riverton Processing site was a uranium mill 4 kilometers southwest of Riverton, Wyoming, that prepared uranium ore for nuclear reactors and weapons from 1958 to 1963. The U.S. Department of Energy completed surface remediation of the uranium tailings in 1989; however, groundwater below and downgradient from the tailings site and nearby Little Wind River was not remediated. Beginning in 2010, aAuthorsDavid L. Naftz, Christopher C. Fuller, Robert L. Runkel, John Solder, W. Payton Gardner, Neil Terry, Martin A. Briggs, Terry M. Short, Daniel J. Cain, William L Dam, Patrick A. Byrne, James R. CampbellConnecting diverse disciplines to improve understanding of surface water-groundwater interactions
Laura K. Lautz is a premier mentor, collaborator, and researcher at the intersection of natural hydrologic systems and humans. Her research has shifted the paradigm around measuring and understanding the impacts of surface water and groundwater interactions across spatial and temporal scales. She has done this by testing and refining new methods and by collaborating with, training, supporting, andAuthorsSarah Ledford, Martin Briggs, Robin Lee Glas, Margaret ZimmerA multiscale approach for monitoring groundwater discharge to headwater streams by the U.S. Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing System Program—An example from the Neversink Reservoir watershed, New York
Groundwater-stream connectivity across mountain watersheds is critical for supporting streamflow during dry times and keeping streams cool during warm times, yet U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream measurements are often sparse in headwaters. Starting in 2019, the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System Program developed a multiscale methods and technology testbed approach to monitoring grounAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Christopher L. Gazoorian, Daniel H. Doctor, Douglas A. BurnsBedrock depth influences spatial patterns of summer baseflow, temperature and flow disconnection for mountainous headwater streams
In mountain headwater streams, the quality and resilience of summer cold-water habitat is generally regulated by stream discharge, longitudinal stream channel connectivity and groundwater exchange. These critical hydrologic processes are thought to be influenced by the stream corridor bedrock contact depth (sediment thickness), a parameter often inferred from sparse hillslope borehole information,AuthorsMartin Briggs, Phillip J. Goodling, Zachary Johnson, Karli M. Rogers, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Jennifer Burlingame Hoyle Fair, Craig D. SnyderApplication of recursive estimation to heat tracing for groundwater/surface-water exchange
We present and demonstrate a recursive-estimation framework to infer groundwater/surface-water exchange based on temperature time series collected at different vertical depths below the sediment/water interface. We formulate the heat-transport problem as a state-space model (SSM), in which the spatial derivatives in the convection/conduction equation are approximated using finite differences. TheAuthorsW. Anderson McAliley, Frederick Day-Lewis, David Rey, Martin Briggs, Allen M. Shapiro, Dale WerkemaHot spots and hot moments in the Critical Zone: Identification of and incorporation into reactive transport models
Biogeochemical processes are often spatially discrete (hot spots) and temporally isolated (hot moments) due to variability in controlling factors like hydrologic fluxes, lithological characteristics, bio-geomorphic features, and external forcing. Although these hot spots and hot moments (HSHMs) account for a high percentage of carbon, nitrogen and nutrient cycling within the Critical Zone, the abiAuthorsBhavna Arora, Martin Briggs, Jay P. Zarnetske, James Stegen, Jesus Gomez-Velez, D. DwivediUsing ensemble data assimilation to estimate transient hydrologic exchange flow under highly dynamic flow conditions
Quantifying dynamic hydrologic exchange flows (HEFs) within river corridors that experience high-frequency flow variations caused by dam regulations is important for understanding the biogeochemical processes at the river water and groundwater interfaces. Heat has been widely used as a tracer to infer steady-state flow velocities through analytical solutions of heat transport defined by the diurnaAuthorsK. C. Chen, Xingyuan Chen, X. Song, Martin Briggs, P. Jiang, P. Shuai, G. Hammond, H. Zhang, J. ZacharaGW/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. Werkema - Science
PFAS Transport, Exposure, and Effects
The team is determining the movement and behavior of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from their sources in the environment, as they move through exposure pathways in ecosystems including watersheds and aquifers, their incorporation into food webs, and molecular to population scale effects on fish and wildlife. These studies are accomplished at a variety of spatial scales from regional...Groundwater Discharge is a Pathway for Phytoestrogen and Herbicide Entry to Streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Groundwater discharge zones are important spawning areas for fish because they provide a thermally stable habitat. Research at three streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with areas of focused groundwater discharge revealed that groundwater also is a source of phytoestrogens and herbicides that could result in fish exposure during sensitive life stages.A hydrological framework to improve precision of Vital Signs metrics in the Appalachian highlands
Stream flow is a fundamental driver of ecological structure and function, but its influence on bioassessment measures is poorly understood. Although extreme flow conditions (e.g., floods and droughts) have long been known to play a central role in structuring stream communities, a mechanistic understanding of the linkages between flow variables, landscape and local physical characteristics, and...Thermal Imaging Cameras for Studying Groundwater/Surface-Water Exchange
USGS scientists are using high-resolution handheld and airborne thermal imaging cameras in groundwater/surface-water exchange studies and other investigations where surface temperature contrasts indicate various hydrological processes. These cameras are used to quickly locate and characterize thermal (temperature) anomalies along streams, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and across the landscape...What does groundwater have to do with ice in Alaska?
USGS scientists are working alongside university researchers in Alaska to understand how groundwater and permafrost conditions change over time due to seasonal variations and climate change. Changes in permafrost can pose a threat to built infrastructure (like roads, homes, and pipelines) and to valued ecological resources that provide important habitats for wildlife.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.Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Exchange Studies
Locating and quantifying exchanges of groundwater and surface water, along with characterizing geologic structure, is essential to water-resource managers and hydrologists for the development of effective water-resource policy, protection, and management. The USGS conducts applied research to evaluate the use of new or emerging hydrogeophysical tools and methods to improve our understanding of...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: 41
Floating and Towed Transient Electromagnetic Surveys used to Characterize Hydrogeology underlying Rivers and Estuaries: March - December 2018
Surface and water-borne geophysical methods can provide information for the characterization of the subsurface structure of the earth for aquifer investigations. Floating and towed transient electromagnetic (FloaTEM and tTEM) surveys provide resistivity soundings of the subsurface, which can be related to lithology and hydrogeology. In the TEM method, a primary electrical current is cycled throughFloating Electromagnetic Surveys from the Lower Delaware River Basin
Electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods provide information about the bulk electrical conductivity of the subsurface. EM data has been widely used to investigate aquifers and geologic structures. In the following study, the United States Geological Survey conducted a boat-towed, waterborne transient electromagnetic (FloaTEM) survey to examine conductivity within the subsurface of the main DelawarRiverbank vertical temperature profiler data and calculated groundwater discharge flux estimates from the Farmington River corridor, CT, USA
As the climate warms and dry periods become more extreme, shallow groundwater discharge is generally becoming a less reliable source of streamflow while deep groundwater discharge remains a more resilient source. The implications of shifts in the relative balance of shallow and deep groundwater discharge sources are profound in gaining streams. These different sources exert critical controls on stFiber-optic distributed temperature sensing data collected for improved mapping and monitoring of contaminated groundwater discharges along the upper Quashnet River, Mashpee and Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA 2020
In summer in Massachusetts, USA, preferential groundwater discharge zones are often colder than adjacent streambed areas that do not have substantial discharge. Therefore, discharge zones can efficiently be identified and mapped over space using heat as a tracer. This data release contains fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) data collected along the streambed interface of the mainPassive seismic depth to bedrock data collected along streams of the Farmington River watershed, CT, USA
Using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral-ratio (HVSR) method, we infer regolith thickness (i.e., depth to bedrock) throughout the Farmington River Watershed, CT, USA. Between Nov. 2019 and Nov. 2020, MOHO Tromino Model TEP-3C (MOHO, S.R.L.) three-component seismometers collected passive seismic recordings along the Farmington River and the upstream West Branch of Salmon Brook. From these recordinQUASHNET 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 inHeat tracing of potential groundwater seepage zones along the upper Coonamessett River bog area (Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2021)
Locations of focused groundwater seepage to surface water are often hydrologically and ecologically important. Spatially focused or 'preferential' seepage can be identified as anomalous cold zones compared to warmer adjacent bank and surface water features (in summer). The temperature of deeper groundwater on Cape Cod is expected to approximate 11 degrees Celsius year-round, yielding a relativelyVisible-light orthomosaic images collected by drone for two cold-water tributary confluences within the Housatonic River, CT, USA
The University of Connecticut and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected low-altitude (30-50 m above ground level) airborne visible-light imagery data via a quadcopter, small unoccupied aircraft system (UAS or ‘drone’) deployed along two tributary confluence locations within the Housatonic River: Mill Brook (latitude: 42°52’18” N, longitude: 73°21’48” W) and Furnace Brook (latitude: 41°49’16”Thermal infrared images of groundwater discharge zones in the Farmington and Housatonic River watersheds (Connecticut and Massachusetts, 2019)(ver. 3.0, January 2023)
Locations of focused (or ‘preferential’) groundwater discharge to surface water are often hydrologically and ecologically important, yet our ability to predict the spatial distribution and water quality of preferential riverbank discharges is limited at the scale of river networks. To advance the understanding of the physical controls on riverbank groundwater discharge processes, discharge zones cMain channel river water temperature collected along the East Branch, West Branch, and mainstem Delaware River down to Lordville near Handcock, NY, USA in summer 2021
The Upper Delaware River is a unique example of an aquatic system where summer river temperature is actively managed for ecological purposes. River temperature at the mainstem Delaware River at Lordville, NY gage (USGS 01427207) is targeted to remain below 25 degrees C, with warm events potentially mitigated via directed upstream reservoir releases, a process guided by predictive tools. These direStream Temperature, Dissolved Radon, and Stable Water Isotope Data Collected along Headwater Streams in the Upper Neversink River Watershed, NY, USA (ver. 2.0, April 2023)
This data release contains three data types that could potentially be used to infer spatiotemporal variability in groundwater discharge processes, along with other research and monitoring purposes: 1) Temporally continuous stream channel water temperature and adjacent streambank air temperature time series data (generally starting November 2020) as well as limited temperature data from May to Octo - Multimedia