Michael N Fienen
Mike Fienen is a Research Hydrologist with the Upper Midwest Water Science Center.
RESEARCH SUMMARY
My research mission is to provide decision-making support for environmental managers that considers uncertainty in all aspects of decisions and strives to extract the most information from the data. This mission is expressed through the main research threads of model calibration and inference of environmental systems. Specific applications include groundwater quantity and quality; statistical inference and prediction of recreational water quality on beaches; mercury in water and fish; and the groundwater and habitat impacts of sea-level rise. In support of these threads, aspects of computational efficiency, statistical analysis, and data management also play important roles.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
M.Sc. Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
B.A. Geology, Macalester College Spring Semester in the Rockies, National Outdoor Leadership School
Science and Products
Prioritizing river basins for intensive monitoring and assessment by the US Geological Survey
Simulation of the probabilistic plume extent for a potential replacement wastewater-infiltration lagoon, and probabilistic contributing areas for supply wells for the Town of Lac du Flambeau, Vilas County, Wisconsin
Towards reproducible environmental modeling for decision support: A worked example
A non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support
A non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support
Groundwater model simulations of stakeholder-identified scenarios in a high-conflict irrigated area
Cross-scale interactions dictate regional lake carbon flux and productivity response to future climate
Growing pains of crowdsourced stream stage monitoring using mobile phones: The development of CrowdHydrology
Revisiting “An Exercise in Groundwater Model Calibration and Prediction” after 30 years: Insights and New Directions
Use of a Numerical Model to Simulate the Hydrologic System and Transport of Contaminants Near Joint Base Cape Cod, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Adjudicating groundwater: A judge’s guide to understanding groundwater and modeling
Groundwater flow model for Western Chippewa County–Including analysis of water resources related to industrial sand mining and irrigated agriculture
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 87
Prioritizing river basins for intensive monitoring and assessment by the US Geological Survey
The US Geological Survey (USGS) is currently (2020) integrating its water science programs to better address the nation’s greatest water resource challenges now and into the future. This integration will rely, in part, on data from 10 or more intensively monitored river basins from across the USA. A team of USGS scientists was convened to develop a systematic, quantitative approach to prioritize cAuthorsPeter C. Van Metre, Sharon L. Qi, Jeffrey R. Deacon, Cheryl A. Dieter, Jessica M. Driscoll, Michael N. Fienen, Terry A. Kenney, Patrick M. Lambert, David P. Lesmes, Christopher Allen Mason, Anke Mueller-Solger, MaryLynn Musgrove, Jaime A. Painter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Lori A. Sprague, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, David M. WolockSimulation of the probabilistic plume extent for a potential replacement wastewater-infiltration lagoon, and probabilistic contributing areas for supply wells for the Town of Lac du Flambeau, Vilas County, Wisconsin
An existing two-dimensional, steady-state groundwater-flow model of the shallow groundwater-flow system of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in Vilas County, Wisconsin, originally developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, was used to simulate the potential for wastewater from a proposed relocation of a wastewater lagoon to contaminate the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s drinking-wateAuthorsPaul F. Juckem, Michael N. FienenTowards reproducible environmental modeling for decision support: A worked example
A fully worked example of decision-support-scale uncertainty quantification (UQ) and parameter estimation (PE) is presented. The analyses are implemented for an existing groundwater flow model of the Edwards aquifer, Texas, USA, and are completed in a script-based workflow that strives to be transparent and reproducible. High-dimensional PE is used to history-match simulated outputs to correspondiAuthorsJeremy T. White, Linzy K. Foster, Michael N. Fienen, Matthew J. Knowling, Brioch Hemmings, James R. WinterleA non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support
Use of physically-motivated numerical models like groundwater flow-and-transport models for probabilistic impact assessments and optimization under uncertainty (OUU) typically incurs such a computational burdensome that these tools cannot be used during decision making. The computational challenges associated with these models can be addressed through emulation. In the land-use/water-quality conteAuthorsJeremy T. White, Matthew Knowling, Michael N. Fienen, Daniel T. Feinstein, Garry W. McDonald, Catherine R. MooreA non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support
Use of physically-motivated numerical models like groundwater flow-and-transport models for probabilistic impact assessments and optimization under uncertainty (OUU) typically incurs such a computational burdensome that these tools cannot be used during decision making. The computational challenges associated with these models can be addressed through emulation. In the land-use/water-quality conteAuthorsJeremy T. White, Matthew J. Knowling, Michael N. Fienen, Daniel T. Feinstein, Garry W. McDonald, Catherine R. MooreGroundwater model simulations of stakeholder-identified scenarios in a high-conflict irrigated area
This study investigated collaborative groundwater‐flow modeling and scenario analysis in the Little Plover River basin, Wisconsin, USA where an unconfined aquifer supplies groundwater for agricultural irrigation, industrial processing, municipal water supply, and stream baseflow. We recruited stakeholders with diverse interests to identify, prioritize, and evaluate scenarios defined as managementAuthorsMaribeth Kniffin, Kenneth Bradbury, Michael N. Fienen, Kenneth GenskowCross-scale interactions dictate regional lake carbon flux and productivity response to future climate
Lakes support globally important food webs through algal productivity and contribute significantly to the global carbon cycle. However, predictions of how broad-scale lake carbon flux and productivity may respond to future climate are extremely limited. Here, we used an integrated modeling framework to project changes in lake-specific and regional primary productivity and carbon fluxes under 21stAuthorsJacob Aaron Zwart, Zachary J Hanson, Jordan Read, Michael N. Fienen, Alan F. Hamlet, Diogo Bolster, Stuart E. JonesGrowing pains of crowdsourced stream stage monitoring using mobile phones: The development of CrowdHydrology
Citizen science-based approaches to monitor the natural environment tend to be bimodal in maturity. Older and established programs such as the Audubon’s Christmas bird count and Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) have thousands of participants across decades of observations, while less mature citizen science projects have shorter lifespans often focused on local or regAuthorsChristopher Lowry, Michael N. Fienen, Damon M. Hall, Kristine StepenuckRevisiting “An Exercise in Groundwater Model Calibration and Prediction” after 30 years: Insights and New Directions
In 1988, an important publication moved model calibration and forecasting beyond case studies and theoretical analysis. It reported on a somewhat idyllic graduate student modeling exercise where many of the system properties were known; the primary forecasts of interest were heads in pumping wells after a river was modified. The model was calibrated using manual trial‐and‐error approaches where aAuthorsRandall J. Hunt, Michael N. Fienen, Jeremy T. WhiteUse of a Numerical Model to Simulate the Hydrologic System and Transport of Contaminants Near Joint Base Cape Cod, Western Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Historical training and operational activities at Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC) on western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, have resulted in the release of contaminants into an underlying glacial aquifer that is the sole source of water to the surrounding communities. Remedial systems have been installed to contain and remove contamination from the aquifer. Groundwater withdrawals for public supply are expecAuthorsDonald A. Walter, Timothy D. McCobb, Michael N. FienenAdjudicating groundwater: A judge’s guide to understanding groundwater and modeling
Dividing the Waters offers this groundwater science bench book that cannot be matched by any other scientific or judicial publication. Adjudicating Groundwater combines the expertise and experience of academic scientists (UC Davis/Stanford), federal scientists (U.S. Geological Survey), and judicial officers to create a resource that can fulfill the needs of judges tackling the most difficult grouAuthorsThomas Harter, Tara Moran, Eric WildmanGroundwater flow model for Western Chippewa County–Including analysis of water resources related to industrial sand mining and irrigated agriculture
A groundwater flow model for western Chippewa County, Wisconsin, was developed by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) using the computer program MODFLOW. The model is the result of a five-year groundwater study commissioned by Chippewa County in 2012 to evaluate the effects of industrial sand mining and irrigated agriculture on the counAuthorsMichael Parsen, Paul F. Juckem, Madeline Gotkowitz, Michael N. Fienen - Science
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