Martin A. Briggs
(he/him)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
Chemical and geophysical data collected along Oh-be-joyful Creek, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado
Electrical Geophysical Data Collected in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Near Moab, Utah
Thermal infrared and photogrammetric data collected by small unoccupied aircraft system for hydrogeologic analysis of Oh-be-joyful Creek, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado, August 2017
Temperature and seepage data from a lake-bottom permeable reactive barrier, Ashumet Pond, Falmouth, MA, 2004-2015.
Fiber-optic distributed temperature data collected along the streambed of the East River, Crested Butte, CO, USA
Temperature data for study of shallow mountain bedrock limits seepage-based headwater climate refugia, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Streambed temperature data for the manuscript: Heat as a hydrologic tracer in shallow and deep heterogeneous media: analytical solution, spreadsheet tool, and field applications
Seasonal subsurface thaw dynamics of an aufeis feature inferred from geophysical methods
Formation criteria for hyporheic anoxic microzones: Assessing interactions of hydraulics, nutrients and biofilms
Heterogeneity in hyporheic flow, pore water chemistry, and microbial community composition in an alpine streambed
Streambed flux measurement informed by distributed temperature sensing leads to a significantly different characterization of groundwater discharge
Quantitative guidance for efficient vertical flow measurements at the sediment-water interface using temperature-depth profiles
Evaluation of groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley Watershed, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah
Evaluation of stream and wetlands restoration using UAS-based thermal infrared mapping
Return flows from beaver ponds enhance floodplain-to-river metals exchange in alluvial mountain catchments
Residence time controls on the fate of nitrogen in flow‐through lakebed sediments
Wetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Multi-scale preferential flow processes in an urban streambed under variable hydraulic conditions
The dual‐domain porosity apparatus: Characterizing dual porosity at the sediment/water interface
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 43
Chemical and geophysical data collected along Oh-be-joyful Creek, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado
As part of their Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA), Berkeley Lab and its collaborating institutions (e.g., USGS) have established a "Community Watershed" in the headwaters of the East River near Crested Butte, Colorado (USA), designed to quantify processes impacting the ability of mountainous systems to retain and release water, nutrients, carbon, and metals. The ongoing research spanElectrical Geophysical Data Collected in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Near Moab, Utah
Quantitative evaluation of groundwater/surface water exchange dynamics is universally challenging in large river systems, because existing physical methodology often does not yield spatially-distributed data and is difficult to utilize in deeper water. Here we apply combined frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) and direct contact vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements to identThermal infrared and photogrammetric data collected by small unoccupied aircraft system for hydrogeologic analysis of Oh-be-joyful Creek, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado, August 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey collected low-altitude airborne thermal infrared data and visual imagery via a multirotor, small unoccupied aircraft system deployed from the northern bank of Oh-be-joyful Creek and adjacent to the Peeler fault, approximately 6 kilometers northwest of the town of Crested Butte, in Gunnison National Forest, Colorado, on August 17, 2017. Thermal infrared still images wereTemperature and seepage data from a lake-bottom permeable reactive barrier, Ashumet Pond, Falmouth, MA, 2004-2015.
These data were collected to evaluate groundwater/surface-water exchange in the area of a lake-bottom permeable reactive barrier and to assess changes in groundwater seepage over the period between 2004 and 2015. This data release includes geospatial datasets, comma separated values (.csv) files, and associated FGDC-compliant metadata representing data collected between 2004 and 2015 as part of aFiber-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 fiber-Temperature data for study of shallow mountain bedrock limits seepage-based headwater climate refugia, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
A combination of long-term daily temperature records and depth to bedrock measurements were used to parameterize one-dimensional models of shallow aquifer vertical heat transport in Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA. Spatially discontinuous roving water surface and bank temperatures surveys were performed with a handheld thermal infrared camera in September and December 2015 along the main channelStreambed temperature data for the manuscript: Heat as a hydrologic tracer in shallow and deep heterogeneous media: analytical solution, spreadsheet tool, and field applications
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 applica - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 72
Seasonal subsurface thaw dynamics of an aufeis feature inferred from geophysical methods
Aufeis are sheets of ice unique to cold regions that originate from repeated flooding and freezing events during the winter. They have hydrological importance associated with summer flows and possibly winter insulation, but little is known about the seasonal dynamics of the unfrozen sediment layer beneath them. This layer may support perennial groundwater flow in regions with otherwise continuousAuthorsNeil Terry, Elliot Grunewald, Martin A. Briggs, Michael Gooseff, Alexander D. Huryn, M. Andy Kass, Ken Tape, Patrick Hendrickson, John W. LaneFormation criteria for hyporheic anoxic microzones: Assessing interactions of hydraulics, nutrients and biofilms
Recent experimental studies have detected the presence of anoxic microzones in hyporheic sediments. These microzones are small‐scale anoxic pores, embedded within oxygen‐rich porous media and can act as anaerobic reaction sites producing reduction compounds such as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Microbes are a key control on nutrient transformation in hyporheic sediment, but their associaAuthorsS. R. Chowdhury, J. Zarnetske, M.S. Phanikumar, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, K. SinghaHeterogeneity in hyporheic flow, pore water chemistry, and microbial community composition in an alpine streambed
The hyporheic zone, where surface water and groundwater mix, is an important microbial habitat where biogeochemical reactions influence water quality. We show that spatial variability in hyporheic flow in the East River near Crested Butte, Colorado, drives heterogeneity in streambed geochemical conditions and microbial community assemblages, but the diversity of assemblages remains nearly constantAuthorsA.R. Nelson, A. Sawyer, R. Gabor, C. Saup, S. Bryant, K. Harris, Martin A. Briggs, Kenneth Williams, M. J. WilkinsStreambed flux measurement informed by distributed temperature sensing leads to a significantly different characterization of groundwater discharge
Groundwater discharge though streambeds is often focused toward discrete zones, indicating that preliminary reconnaissance may be useful for capturing the full spectrum of groundwater discharge rates using point-scale quantitative methods. However, many direct-contact reconnaissance techniques can be time consuming, and remote sensing (e.g. thermal infrared) typically does not penetrate the waterAuthorsTroy E. Gilmore, Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson, J Korus, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Martin A. Briggs, V. Zlotnik, S. CorcoranQuantitative guidance for efficient vertical flow measurements at the sediment-water interface using temperature-depth profiles
Upward discharge to surface water bodies can be quantified using analytical models based on temperature-depth (T-z) profiles. The use of sediment T-z profiles is attractive as discharge estimates can be obtained using point-in-time data that are collected inexpensively and rapidly. Previous studies have identified that T-z methods can only be applied at times of the year when there is significantAuthorsD. Irvine, B. Kurylyk, Martin A. BriggsEvaluation 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), and (2) to quantify groundwater budget components oAuthorsMelissa D. Masbruch, Philip M. Gardner, Nora C. Nelson, Victor M. Heilweil, John E. Solder, Michael D. Hess, Tim S. McKinney, Martin A. Briggs, D. Kip SolomonEvaluation of stream and wetlands restoration using UAS-based thermal infrared mapping
Large-scale wetland restoration often focuses on repairing the hydrologic connections degraded by anthropogenic modifications. Of these hydrologic connections, groundwater discharge is an important target, as these surface water ecosystem control points are important to thermal stability, among other ecosystem services. However, evaluating the effectiveness of the restoration activities on establiAuthorsMark Harvey, Danielle Hare, Alex Hackman, Glorianna Davenport, Adam Haynes, Ashley Helton, John W. Lane, Martin BriggsReturn flows from beaver ponds enhance floodplain-to-river metals exchange in alluvial mountain catchments
River to floodplain hydrologic connectivity is strongly enhanced by beaver- (Castor canadensis) engineered channel water diversions. The hydroecological impacts are wide ranging and generally positive, however, the hydrogeochemical characteristics of beaver-induced flowpaths have not been thoroughly examined. Using a suite of complementary ground- and drone-based heat tracing and remote sensing meAuthorsMartin Briggs, Cheng-Hui Wang, Frederick Day-Lewis, Kenneth H. Williams, Wenming Dong, John LaneResidence 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 the naturally downwelling SWI in a flow‐through lake on CAuthorsTyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarentske, Martin A. Briggs, Kamini Singha, Judson W. Harvey, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Farzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, John W. LaneWetland-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 groundwater discharge estimates to the Colorado RiveAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Nora C. Nelson, Philip M. Gardner, D. Kip Solomon, Neil Terry, John W. LaneMulti-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 zones are commonly overlooked in reach-scale models ofAuthorsFarzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Kamini Singha, Ashton Krajnovich, Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarnetske, Courtney R. Scruggs, Amvrossios C. BagtzoglouThe 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 solute tracer injections at scales of meters to 100sAuthorsCourtney R. Scruggs, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Dale D. Werkema, John W. Lane