Martin A Briggs
Biography
Although my specialty is in surface water/groundwater exchange processes, here at the Hydrogeophysics Branch we work on a wide range of pressing hydrological issues around the world. The Hydrogeophysics Branch supports state water science centers when hydro-geophysical tools and training are required, and we collaborate with academic institutions on pioneering water research. One of our central missions at the Branch is training and method development, so we travel around the country giving workshops and field testing new methods. So far I have primarily been involved with:
· Repeat expeditions to Alaska as field team leader to characterize permafrost extent and lake budgets using seismic, electrical, radar, thermal and mechanical methods, and subsequent modeling of unsaturated permafrost dynamics.
· Characterization of endangered shellfish habitat in the Delaware River using electrical and thermal methods including modified fiber-optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (FO-DTS) and infrared technology.
· Measuring and modeling dual-domain porosity behavior in groundwater/surface water interface sediments
· 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 resources
· Refining and applying various infrared, fiber-optic, and discrete-sensor heat tracing field methods and modeling approaches for the study of preferential native fish habitat in PA, MA, and VA
· Planning and creating teaching materials for USGS training workshops (n=8) on the topics of hydrogeophysics and surface water/groundwater exchange
Publications (pre-2016; refer to Publications tab for more recent):
Briggs, M.A., F.D. Day-Lewis, J.P. Zarnetske, and J.W. Harvey (2015), A physical explanation for the development of redox microzones in hyporheic flow, Geophysical Research Lettersdoi:10.1002/2015GL064200 [Link]
Koch, F., E.B. Voytek, F.D. Day-Lewis, R. Healy, Briggs, M.A., J.W. Lane and D. Werkema (2015), 1DTempPro V.2: New Features for Parameter Estimation, Heterogeneity, and Time-Varying Exchange,Groundwater, doi:10.1111/gwat.12369. [Link]
Briggs, M.A., L.K. Lautz and D.H. Hare (2014), Residence time control on hot moments of net nitrate production and uptake in the hyporheic zone, Hydrological Processes, doi: 10.1002/hyp.9921 [Link]
Briggs, M.A., Walvoord, M.A., Mckenzie, J.M., Voss, C., Day-Lewis, F.D., and Lane, J.W., (2014), Shrinking Arctic lakes are forming new local permafrost, but will it last? Geophysical Research Letters, doi: 10.1002/2014GL059251. [Link]
Wollheim, M.N., T.K. Harms, B.J. Peterson, K. Morkeski, C.S. Hopkinson, R.J. Stewart, M.N. Gooseff, and M.A. Briggs (2014), Nitrate uptake dynamics of surface transient storage in stream channels and fluvial wetlands, Biogeochemistry, 119, doi:10.1007/s10533-014-9993-y [Link]
Briggs, M.A., L.K. Lautz, S.F. Buckley, and J.W. Lane, (2014), Practical limitations on the use of diurnal temperature signals to quantify groundwater upwelling, Journal of Hydrology, 519, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.09.030 [Link]
Briggs, M.A., F.D. Day-Lewis, J.B. Ong, J.W. Harvey, and J.W. Lane, (2014), Dual-domain mass-transfer parameters from electrical hysteresis: Theory and analytical approach applied to laboratory, synthetic streambed, and groundwater experiments, Water Resources Research, 50(10), doi:10.1002/2014WR015880 [Link]
Briggs, M.A., Voytek, E.B., Day-Lewis, F.D, Rosenberry, D.O., and J.W. Lane (2013), Understanding Water Column and Streambed Thermal Refugia for Endangered Mussels in the Delaware River,Environmental Sciences and Technology, 47, doi:10.1021/es4018893 [Link]
Briggs, M.A., F.D. Day-Lewis, J. Ong, G.P. Curtis, and J.W. Lane (2013), The simultaneous estimation of local and flowpath-scale dual domain mass-transfer parameters using geoelectrical monitoring,Water Resour. Res., 49, doi:10.1002/wrcr.20397 [Link]
Briggs, M.A., L.K. Lautz, D.H. Hare, and R. González-Pinzón (2013), Relating hyporheic fluxes, residence times and redox-sensitive biogeochemical processes upstream of beaver dams, Freshwater Science 32(2), doi: 10.1899/12-110.1. [Link]
Gooseff, M.N., M.A. Briggs, K.E. Bencala, B.L. McGlynn, D.T. Scott (2013), Can the transient storage be simply scaled to longer reaches? Length scale dependence of transient storage modeling and interpretations, Journal of Hydrology 48, 16–25, doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.12.046. [Link]
Briggs, M.A., L.K. Lautz, J.M. McKenzie, R.P. Gordon and D.K. Hare (2012), Using high-resolution distributed temperature sensing to quantify spatial and temporal variability in vertical hyporheic flux,Water Resources Research, 48, doi:10.1029/2011WR011227. [Link]
Gordon, R.P., L.K. Lautz, M.A. Briggs, and J.M. McKenzie (2012), Automated calculation of vertical pore-water flux from field temperature time series using the VFLUX method and computer program,Journal of Hydrology, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.11.053. [Link]
Briggs, M.A., L.K. Lautz and J.M. McKenzie (2012), A comparison of Distributed Temperature Sensing to traditional methods of evaluating groundwater inflows to streams, Hydrological Processes, 25, doi:10.1002/hyp.8200. [Link]
Gooseff, M.N., D.A. Benson, M.A. Briggs, M. Weaver, W. Wollheim, B. Peterson and C.S. Hopkinson (2011), Residence time distributions in surface transient storage zones in streams: estimation via signal deconvolution, Water Resources Research, 47, W05509, doi:10.1029/2010WR009959. [Link]
Stewart, R.J., W.M. Wollheim, M.N. Gooseff, M.A. Briggs, J.M. Jacobs, B.J. Peterson and C.S. Hopkinson (2011), Separation of river scale nitrogen removal among main channel and two transient storage compartments, Water Resources Research, 47, W00J10, doi:10.1029/2010WR009896. [Link]
Briggs, M.A., M.N. Gooseff, B.J. Peterson, K. Morkeski, W. Wollheim and C.S. Hopkinson (2010), Surface and Hyporheic Transient Storage Dynamics Throughout A Coastal Stream Network, Water Resources Research, 46, W06516, doi:10.1029/2009WR008222. [Link]
Briggs, M.A., M.N. Gooseff, C.D. Arp and M.A. Baker (2009), A Method for estimating surface transient storage parameters for streams with concurrent hyporheic storage, Water Resources Research, 45, W00D27, doi:10.1029/2008WR006959. [Link]
Science and Products
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,...
Handheld Thermal Imaging Cameras for Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction Studies
USGS scientists are using high-resolution handheld thermal imaging cameras in groundwater/surface-water interaction studies and other investigations. These cameras are used to quickly locate and characterize thermal anomalies in streams, lakes, and adjacent structures. Variations in temperature can be used to track the heat carried by flowing water, such groundwater discharge into a stream....
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.
Geophysics for USGS Groundwater/Surface Water Interaction Studies
Understanding the interaction of groundwater and surface water is essential to water 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 groundwater/surface-water exchange.
Temperature and geophysical data collected along the Quashnet River, Mashpee/Falmouth MA
The temperature and surface geophysical data contained in this release have primarily been collected to support groundwater/surface water methods development, and to characterize the hydrogeological controls on native brook trout habitat. All data have been collected since 2010 along the Quashnet River corridor located on Cape Cod, MA, USA. Cape Cod is a peninsula in southeastern coastal...
Fiber-optic distributed temperature data collected along the streambed of the East River, Crested Butte, CO, USA
The data set includes temperature data from the base of the water column along the sediment interface of the East River near Crested Butte Colorado, USA, in support of ongoing study regarding groundwater/surface water exchange. The data were collected from 08/09/2016 to 08/31/2016 using a fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing system that has 1.01 m spatial resolution along the linear...
Modeled temperature data developed for study of shallow mountain bedrock limits seepage-based headwater climate refugia, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey data release
1D transient numerical simulations with a modified version of the SUTRA model
(preliminary code) that accounts for variably-saturated freeze-thaw dynamics
(e.g. McKenzie and Voss, 2013) to predict annual alluvial aquifer temperature
dynamics using coupled fluid and heat transport physics. The model simulations
were run with a modified version of SUTRA_ICE (unreleased)...
Streambed temperature data for the manuscript: Heat as a hydrologic tracer in shallow and deep heterogeneous media: analytical solution, spreadsheet tool, and field applications: U.S. Geological Survey data release
This Data Release includes temperature measurements collected using a wrapped fiber-optic tool in a Cape Cod, MA streambed on 06/06/2016 to demonstrate the application of the manuscript: Kurylyk, B.L., Irvine, D.J, Carey, S., Briggs, M.A., Werkema, D., and Bonham, M., 2017, Heat as a hydrologic tracer in shallow and deep heterogeneous media: analytical solution, spreadsheet tool, and field...
Model data for pore network modeling of the electrical signature of solute transport in dual-domain media, U.S. Geological Survey data release: U.S. Geological Survey data release
Pore network simulations were performed to investigate the electrical geophysical
signature of solute-transport in dual-domain media. This data release includes model
results, source code, and laboratory data used in the accompanying paper, as
explained in the upper-level "readme" file.
Evaluation of groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley Watershed, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah
Groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley watershed in southern Utah were quantified for the first time since the early 1970s. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to better understand sources of recharge to, groundwater flow directions within, and discharge points for both the valley-fill and Glen Canyon Group aquifers (VFA and GCGA),...
Masbruch, Melissa D.; Gardner, Philip M.; Nelson, Nora C.; Heilweil, Victor M.; Solder, John E.; Hess, Michael D.; McKinney, Tim S.; Briggs, Martin A.; Solomon, D. Kip
Residence time controls on the fate of nitrogen in flow‐through lakebed sediments
For many glacial lakes with highly permeable sediments, water exchange rates control hydrologic residence times within the sediment‐water interface (SWI) and the removal of reactive compounds such as nitrate, a common pollutant in lakes and groundwater. Here we conducted a series of focused tracer injection experiments in the upper 20 cm of...
Hampton, Tyler B.; Zarentske, Jay P.; Briggs, Martin A.; Singha, Kamini; Harvey, Judson W.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Dehkordy, Farzaneh MahmoodPoor; Lane, John W. Wetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Quantitative evaluation of groundwater/surface water exchange dynamics is universally challenging in large river systems, because existing methodology often does not yield spatially‐distributed data and is difficult to apply in deeper water. Here we apply a combined near‐surface geophysical and direct groundwater chemical toolkit to refine fresh...
Briggs, Martin A.; Nelson, Nora C.; Gardner, Philip M.; Solomon, D. Kip; Terry, Neil; Lane, John W. Multi-scale preferential flow processes in an urban streambed under variable hydraulic conditions
Spatially preferential flow processes occur at nested scales at the sediment-water interface (SWI), due in part to sediment heterogeneities, which may be enhanced in flashy urban streams with heavy road sand influence. However, several factors, including the flow-rate dependence of preferential hyporheic flow and discrete groundwater discharge...
Dehkordy, Farzaneh MahmoodPoor; Briggs, Martin A.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Singha, Kamini; Krajnovich, Ashton; Hampton, Tyler B.; Zarnetske, Jay P.; Scruggs, Courtney R.; Bagtzoglou, Amvrossios C. The dual‐domain porosity apparatus: Characterizing dual porosity at the sediment/water interface
The characterization of pore-space connectivity in porous media at the sediment/water interface is critical to understanding contaminant transport and reactive biogeochemical processes in zones of groundwater and surface-water exchange. Previous in situ studies of dual-domain (i.e., mobile/less-mobile porosity) studies have been limited to...
Scruggs, Courtney R.; Briggs, Martin A.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Werkema, Dale D.; Lane, Jr., John W. Efficient hydrogeological characterization of remote stream corridors using drones
This project demonstrates the successful use of small unoccupied aircraft system (sUASs) for hydrogeological characterization of a remote stream reach in a rugged mountain terrain. Thermal infrared, visual imagery, and derived digital surface models are used to inform conceptual models of groundwater/surface‐water exchange and efficiently...
Briggs, Martin A.; Dawson, Cian B.; Holmquist-Johnson, Christopher; Williams, Kenneth H.; Lane, John W. Hydrogeochemical controls on brook trout spawning habitats in a coastal stream
Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) spawn in fall and overwintering egg development can benefit from stable, relatively warm temperatures in groundwater-seepage zones. However, eggs are also sensitive to dissolved oxygen concentration, which may be reduced in discharging groundwater (i.e., seepage). We investigated a 2 km reach of the coastal...
Briggs, Martin A.; Harvey, Judson W.; Hurley, Stephen T.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; McCobb, Timothy D.; Werkema, Dale D.; Lane, Jr., John W. Inferring watershed hydraulics and cold-water habitat persistence using multi-year air and stream temperature signals
Streams strongly influenced by groundwater discharge may serve as “climate refugia” for sensitive species in regions of increasingly marginal thermal conditions. The main goal of this study is to develop paired air and stream water annual temperature signal analysis techniques to elucidate the relative groundwater contribution to stream water and...
Briggs, Martin A.; Johnson, Zachary C.; Snyder, Craig D.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Kurylyk, Barret L.; Lautz, Laura K.; Irvine, Dylan J.; Hurley, Stephen T.; Lane, Jr., John W. Evaluating long-term patterns of decreasing groundwater discharge through a lake-bottom permeable reactive barrier
Identifying and quantifying groundwater exchange is critical when considering contaminant fate and transport at the groundwater/surface-water interface. In this paper, areally distributed temperature and point seepage measurements are used to efficiently assess spatial and temporal groundwater discharge patterns through a glacial-kettle lakebed...
McCobb, Timothy D.; Briggs, Martin A.; LeBlanc, Denis R.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Johnson, Carole D. Explicit consideration of preferential groundwater discharges as surface water ecosystem control points
Heterogeneities in sediment and rock permeability induce preferentialgroundwater flow from the scale of pore networks to large basins. Inthe unsaturated zone, preferential flow is frequently conceptualizedas an infiltration process dominated by macropores, resulting in stron-ger delivery of surface‐derived solute than would be predicted via dif-...
Briggs, Martin A.; Hare, Danielle K. Direct observations of hydrologic exchange occurring with less‐mobile porosity and the development of anoxic microzones in sandy lakebed sediments
Quantifying coupled mobile/less‐mobile porosity dynamics is critical to the prediction of biogeochemical storage, release, and transformation processes in the zone where groundwater and surface water exchange. The recent development of fine‐scale geoelectrical monitoring paired with pore‐water sampling in groundwater systems enables direct...
Briggs, Martin A.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Dehkordy, Farzaneh Mahmood Poor; Hampton, Tyler B.; Zarnetske, Jay P.; Scruggs, Courtney R.; Singha, Kamini; Harvey, Judson W.; Lane, Jr., John W. Simulation of less‐mobile porosity dynamics in contrasting sediment water interface porous media
Considering heterogeneity in porous media pore size and connectivity is essential to predicting reactive solute transport across interfaces. However, exchange with less‐mobile porosity is rarely considered in surface water/groundwater recharge studies. Previous research indicates that a combination of pore‐fluid sampling and geoelectrical...
Dehkordy, Farzaneh MahmoodPoor; Briggs, Martin A.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Bagtzoglou, Amvrossios C.