Terry, N. and Slater, L. ( 2017), Gas bubble size estimation in peat soils from EM wave scattering observed with ground penetrating radar, Water Resour. Res., 53, 2755– 2769, doi:10.1002/2016WR019783.
Neil C Terry, PhD
Biography
I am a research hydrologist at the USGS New York Water Science Center, where I specialize in near-surface geophysics, modeling, and water-related projects. Particular focus areas include groundwater quality monitoring, hydrogeological characterization, contaminant detection, and groundwater-surface water interactions. I also lead and support software/methods development efforts, specifically focusing on linking electrical geophysical measurements with soil and hydrogeological properties.
Prior to joining the USGS, my PhD work at Rutgers University centered around hydrogeophysical approaches to characterize and study processes occurring in wetlands - particularly carbon gas cycling in peatlands. During this time, I also participated in critical zone characterization and archaeological studies, among other projects. My MS work at the University at Buffalo primarily involved linking geophysical data to soil moisture distributions through coupled geophysical and unsaturated flow models in a Bayesian framework.
Science and Products
Date published: February 24, 2019
Status: Active 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.
Contacts: Martin A Briggs
Attribution: Water Resources
Date published: January 1, 2019
2016-2017 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. Gro...
Attribution: Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
Date published: January 1, 2019
Geophysical data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming
This data release contains geophysical data collected at the Little Wind River site near Riverton, Wyoming in 2015 and 2017. The dataset contains:[1] Fiber Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing data (FO-DTS, August-September 2015) collected in the water along the river bank, [2] Electrical Resistivity Tomography data (ERT, August 2017) collected on land near the river b
Attribution: Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
Date published: January 1, 2019
Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River, Riverton, WY, USA
The electrical conductivity of the earth is used to help infer lithological and pore fluid properties. Various geophysical methods can provide estimates of the distribution of below ground electrical conductivity, with each method having certain limitations. This data release presents raw and processed results from 9 electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) transects collected from August 2...
Attribution: Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
Date published: January 1, 2019
Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) data collected in the Little Wind River, Riverton, WY, USA
Natural heat is used as a tracer for a variety of physical hydrogeological process, including zones of preferential exchange between groundwater and surface water. Several types of instruments are used to measure the temperature of surface water and saturated sediments. This data release presents the results of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) using temperature sensitiv...
Attribution: Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
Date published: January 1, 2019
Frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River, Riverton, WY, USA
The electrical conductivity of the earth is used to help infer lithological and pore fluid properties. Various geophysical methods can provide estimates of the distribution of below ground electrical conductivity, with each method having certain limitations. This data release presents raw and processed results from land-based and water-based frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI)...
Attribution: Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
Date published: January 1, 2019
Geophysical data from the unnamed lake at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site, Bemidji, MN
The National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site is located near Bemidji, MN, USA. A high pressure oil pipeline ruptured in 1979 releasing ~1.7 million liters of light crude oil, which sprayed over an area of ~6500 square meters and collected in topographic depressions. Approximately 75% of the spilled oil was recovered. Much of the remainder reached the water t
Attribution: Water Resources
Date published: January 1, 2019
Hydrologic, biogeochemical, and radon data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming (ver. 1.1, January 2019)
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, University of Montana, Northern Arapaho Tribe, and Liverpool John Moores University, is studying the interaction of a contaminated groundwater plume enriched in uranium and other trace elements with water, sediment, and biota along a 3 km reach of the Little Wind River in central Wyoming. The source of the c
Attribution: Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
Date published: January 1, 2019
Continuous resistivity profiling, direct current resistivity, and frequency domain electromagnetic data for the Dolores River, Paradox Valley, Colorado, 2017
This data release includes raw and processed (inverted) data for three different geophysical methods, continuous resistivity profiles (CRP), direct current electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and frequency domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM) data. These surface geophysical methods were used as a proxy for groundwater salinity in the Paradox Valley in western Colorad
Attribution: Colorado Water Science Center
Date published: January 1, 2017
Example data from MoisturEC: a new R program for moisture content estimation from electrical conductivity data
This dataset includes example data used for demonstration of the moisturEC program. This includes inverted electrical resistivity data, model resolution from the inversion, point moisture information, and conductivity-saturation calibration information. The data are from a field site in Coventry, CT outfitted with five, Decagon 5TE moisture probes, arranged along a 28 m transect at
Year Published: 2021
Beware of spatial autocorrelation when applying machine learning algorithms to borehole geophysical logs
Although many of the algorithms now considered to be machine learning algorithms (MLAs) have existed for nearly a century (e.g., Rosenblatt 1958), interest in MLAs has recently increased exponentially for solving data-driven problems across a variety of fields due to the expanded availability of large, complex datasets that may be difficult...
Terry, Neil; Johnson, Carole D.; Day-Lewis, Frederick; Parker, Beth L.; Slater, Lee D.Attribution: New York Water Science Center, Water Resources
Year Published: 2021
Aufeis fields as novel groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the arctic cryosphere
River aufeis (ow′ fīse) are widespread features of the arctic cryosphere. They form when river channels become locally restricted by ice, resulting in cycles of water overflow and freezing and the accumulation of ice, with some aufeis attaining areas of ~ 25 + km2 and thicknesses of 6+ m. During winter, unfrozen sediments...
Huryn, Alexander D.; Gooseff, M.; Hendrickson, P.; Briggs, Martin A.; Tape, K.; Terry, NeilAttribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2020
Exploring the potential of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to measure the extent of chronic disturbance in peatlands: Examples from acid mine drainage and peat fire
Peatlands are accumulations of partially decayed organic soil that cover approximately 3% of Earth’s surface and have been shown to serve essential environmental and ecological functions such as sequestering carbon, purifying water, and providing habitat for organisms. However, peatlands are threatened by pressures from agriculture, urban...
Terry, Neil; Runkel, Robert L.; Werkema, Dale D.; Rutila, Elizabeth; Comas, Xavier; Warren, Matthew; Kristiyono, Agus; Murdiyarso, DanielAttribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2020
Characterizing 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...
Lane, John W.; Briggs, Martin; Maurya, PK; White, Eric A.; Pedersen, JB; Auken, Esben; Terry, Neil; Minsley, Burke J; Kress, Wade; LeBlanc, Denis R.; Adams, Ryan F.; Johnson, Carole D.Attribution: New England Water Science Center, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
Year Published: 2020
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...
Terry, Neil; Grunewald, Elliot; Briggs, Martin A.; Gooseff, Michael; Huryn, Alexander D.; Kass, M. Andy; Tape, Ken; Hendrickson, Patrick; Lane, Jr., John W.Attribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2019
Controls on spatial and temporal variations of brine discharge to the Dolores River in the Paradox Valley, Colorado, 2016–18
The Paradox Valley in southwestern Colorado is a collapsed anticline formed by movement of the salt-rich Paradox Formation at the core of the anticline. The salinity of the Dolores River, a tributary of the Colorado River, increases substantially as it crosses the valley because of discharge of brine-rich groundwater derived from the underlying...
Mast, Alisa; Terry, NeilView Citation
Mast, M.A., and Terry, N., 2019, Controls on spatial and temporal variations of brine discharge to the Dolores River in the Paradox Valley, Colorado, 2016–18: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5058, 25 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195058.
Year Published: 2019
Geophysical mapping of plume discharge to surface water at a crude oil spill site: Inversion versus machine learning
The interpretation of geophysical survey results to answer hydrologic, engineering, and geologic questions is critical to diverse problems for management of water, energy, and mineral resources. Although geophysical images provide valuable qualitative insight into subsurface architecture and conditions, translating geophysical images into...
Terry, Neil; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Lane, Jr., John W.; Trost, Jared J.; Bekins, Barbara A.Attribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2019
Geophysical assessment of a proposed landfill site in Fredericktown, Missouri
In June 2018, U.S. Geological Survey 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, MO. The geophysical investigation included electromagnetic induction, electrical resistivity...
Johnson, Carole D.; White, Eric A.; Werkema, Dale D.; Terry, Neil; Phillips, Stephanie N.; Ford, Robert; Lane, Jr., John W.Attribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2019
Geophysical assessment of a proposed landfill location in Fredericktown, Missouri
In June 2018, U.S. Geological Survey 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, MO. The geophysical investigation included electromagnetic induction, electrical resistivity...
Johnson, Carole D.; White, Eric A.; Werkema, Dale D.; Terry, Neil; Phillips, Stephanie N.; Ford, Robert; Lane, Jr., John W.Attribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2019
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.
Year Published: 2018
MoisturEC: a new R program for moisture content estimation from electrical conductivity data
Noninvasive geophysical estimation of soil moisture has potential to improve understanding of flow in the unsaturated zone for problems involving agricultural management, aquifer recharge, and optimization of landfill design and operations. In principle, several geophysical techniques (e.g., electrical resistivity, electromagnetic induction, and...
Terry, Neil; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Werkema, Dale D.; Lane, John W.
Year Published: 2017
Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity survey pre-modeling tool
Geophysical tools have much to offer users in environmental, water resource, and geotechnical fields; however, techniques such as electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) are often oversold and/or overinterpreted due to a lack of understanding of the limitations of the techniques, such as the appropriate depth intervals or resolution of the methods....
Terry, Neil; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Robinson, Judith L.; Slater, Lee D.; Halford, Keith J.; Binley, Andrew; Lane, John W.; Werkema, Dale D.View Citation
Terry, N., Day-Lewis, F. D., Robinson, J. L., Slater, L. D., Halford, K., Binley, A., Lane, J. W. and Werkema, D. (2017), Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity Survey Pre-modeling Tool. Groundwater. doi:10.1111/gwat.12522
Pre-USGS Publications
Day-Lewis, F. D., Slater, L. D., Robinson, J., Johnson, C. D., Terry, N., and Werkema, D. (2017), An overview of geophysical technologies appropriate for characterization and monitoring at fractured-rock sites, Journal of Environmental Management, 204, 709-720, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.033.
Comas, X., Terry, N., Hribljan, J. A., Lilleskov, E. A., Suarez, E., Chimner, R. A., and Kolka, R. K. ( 2017), Estimating belowground carbon stocks in peatlands of the Ecuadorian páramo using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR), J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci., 122, 370– 386, doi:10.1002/2016JG003550.
Terry, N., Slater, L., Comas, X., Reeve, A. S., Schäfer, K. V. R., and Yu, Z. ( 2016), Free phase gas processes in a northern peatland inferred from autonomous field‐scale resistivity imaging, Water Resour. Res., 52, 2996– 3018, doi:10.1002/2015WR018111.
Comas, X., Terry, N., Slater, L., Warren, M., Kolka, R., Kristiyono, A., Sudiana, N., Nurjaman, D., and Darusman, T.: Imaging tropical peatlands in Indonesia using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity imaging (ERI): implications for carbon stock estimates and peat soil characterization, Biogeosciences, 12, 2995–3007, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2995-2015, 2015.
Date published: January 20, 2020
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.
Attribution: Water Resources
Date published: February 28, 2018
MoisturEC: R-based GUI to combine electrical conductivity data with point moisture measurements
MoisturEC is an R-based GUI used to combine electrical conductivity (EC) data with point moisture measurements for an updated moisture estimate capitalizing on the accuracy of point moisture measurements and the spatial coverage of EC data.
Attribution: Water Resources
Date published: May 31, 2017
Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity (SEER) Survey Pre-Modeling Tool
The USGS Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity (SEER) is a quick and simple Excel-based decision support tool practitioners can use to assess the likely outcome of using two-dimensional (2D) electrical resistivity imaging for site characterization and remediation monitoring.
Attribution: Water Resources
Date published: October 4, 2021
Field Photo Friday Winner for September 2021
This is a video recording taken during a spatial mapping boat trip of about 50 miles on the Hudson River from New Hamburg to Yonkers, NY, passing through the Hudson Highlands, West Point, and the Tappan Zee. (Credit Elizabeth Nystorm, USGS NY WSC, Public Domain.)