Richard L. Smith, Ph.D.
Dr. Richard L. Smith is an Emeritus Microbial Ecologist with expertise in biogeochemistry with the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Dr. Richard L. Smith is a microbial ecologist with expertise in biogeochemistry. His research interests have focused upon quantifying in situ rates of microbial processes within aquatic environments and the factors controlling these processes, particularly within the context of the ecosystem. One major study topic has been carbon and nitrogen cycling in groundwater and at the groundwater-surface water interface. These studies have also included characterizing the physiological state of groundwater bacteria, the effect bacteria have upon aquifer geochemistry, developing techniques to assess microbial processes in situ, nitrogen cycling, and bioremediation. Other research areas include biogeochemical processes in freshwater lakes and rivers, agricultural drainages, and in an amictic Antarctic lake.
Education
- BS (Biology) Western Michigan University, 1974
- MS (Biology) Western Michigan University, 1976
- PhD (Microbial Ecology) Michigan State University, 1981
Work Experience
- Postdoc. NRC Postdoctoral Fellow, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA 1981-1983
- Research Hydrologist. USGS, Arvada, CO, 1983-1988
- Research Hydrologist. USGS, Boulder, CO, 1988-2016
- Research Hydrologist. Earth System Processes Division, USGS, Boulder, CO, 2016-2019
- Emeritus Scientist. Earth System Processes Division, USGS, Boulder, CO, 2019-present
Professional affiliations or activities
- American Society for Microbiology
- American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
- American Geophysical Union
- International Society for Microbial Ecology
- Geological Society of America
- International Committee of the Symposium for Subsurface Microbiology, 1999-present
- Executive Committee AGU Biogeosciences Section, 1999-2004
- AGU Award Committee for Excellence in Science Journalism Features, 2000-2004
- AGU Award Committee for Excellence in Science Journalism News, 2000-2004
- USGS Water Resour. Div. Ecology Research Advisor, 1998-2000; Assistant Ecology Research Advisor, 1994-1997
- Co-chair, 1999 International Symposium on Subsurface Microbiology
Honors, awards
- 2020: Geologic Society of America Fellowship
- 2011-2018: USGS, Performance Awards
- 2005: USGS, Superior Service Award
- 2002: USGS, Meritorious Service Award
- 1999 & 2001: USGS, STAR Award
- 1998: AGU Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Refereering
- 1981: National Acad. Sci. Postdoctoral Fellowship
Patents
- U.S. Patent, Small-Scale Hydrogen Oxidizing Denitrifying Bioreactor for Treatment of Nitrate-Contaminated Drinking Water
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 98
Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard Smith, J. Harris
Isotopic analysis of N and O in nitrite and nitrate by sequential selective bacterial reduction to N2O Isotopic analysis of N and O in nitrite and nitrate by sequential selective bacterial reduction to N2O
Nitrite is an important intermediate species in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, but its role in natural aquatic systems is poorly understood. Isotopic data can be used to study the sources and transformations of NO2- in the environment, but methods for independent isotopic analyses of NO2- in the presence of other N species are still new and evolving. This study demonstrates that...
Authors
John Bohlke, Richard Smith, Janet Hannon
In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity
There are few methods available for broadly assessing microbial community metabolism directly within a groundwater environment. In this study, hydrogen consumption rates were estimated from in situ injection/withdrawal tests conducted in two geochemically varying, contaminated aquifers as an approach towards developing such a method. The hydrogen consumption first-order rates varied from...
Authors
S.H. Harris, Richard Smith, Joseph Suflita
Ground-water-quality data for a treated-wastewater plume undergoing natural restoration, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Ground-water-quality data for a treated-wastewater plume undergoing natural restoration, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A plume of contaminated ground water extends from former disposal beds at the Massachusetts Military Reservation wastewater-treatment plant toward Ashumet Pond, and farther southward toward coastal ponds and Vineyard Sound, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Treated sewage-derived wastewater was discharged to the rapid-infiltration beds for nearly 60 years before the disposal site was moved to a...
Authors
Jennifer G. Savoie, Richard Smith, Douglas Kent, Kathryn Hess, Denis LeBlanc, Larry Barber
Ammonium transport and reaction in contaminated groundwater: Application of isotope tracers and isotope fractionation studies Ammonium transport and reaction in contaminated groundwater: Application of isotope tracers and isotope fractionation studies
Ammonium (NH4+) is a major constituent of many contaminated groundwaters, but its movement through aquifers is complex and poorly documented. In this study, processes affecting NH4+ movement in a treated wastewater plume were studied by a combination of techniques including large‐scale monitoring of NH4+ distribution; isotopic analyses of coexisting aqueous NH4+, NO3−, N2, and sorbed NH4...
Authors
J.K. Böhlke, Richard Smith, Daniel Miller
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: III. biweekly data, 2000-2002 Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: III. biweekly data, 2000-2002
No abstract available.
Authors
Ronald Antweiler, Richard Smith, Mary Voytek, John Karl Bohlke, David Dupre
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: II. diel data, 1999-2001 Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: II. diel data, 1999-2001
No abstract available.
Authors
Ronald Antweiler, Richard Smith, Mary Voytek, John Karl Bohlke
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: I. Lagrangian and synoptic data, 1999-2002 Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: I. Lagrangian and synoptic data, 1999-2002
Methods of data collection and results of analyses are presented for Lagrangian and synoptic water-quality data collected from two agricultural drainages, the Iroquois River in northwestern Indiana and Sugar Creek in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois. During six separate sampling trips, in April, June and September 1999, May 2000, September 2001 and April 2002, 152 discrete...
Authors
Ronald Antweiler, Richard Smith, Mary Voytek, John Karl Bohlke, Kevin Richards
River chemistry as a monitor of Yosemite Park mountain hydroclimates River chemistry as a monitor of Yosemite Park mountain hydroclimates
High-frequency, high-altitude measurements of water chemistry provide insights into processes relating to the hydrology, climate, and geochemistry of mountain catchments. When such observations are combined with stream stage, temperature, snow, weather, and other surface hydroclimate measurements, they are particularly useful in allowing connections between climate, river discharge...
Authors
David Peterson, Richard Smith, Stephen Hager, Jeffrey Hicke, Michael Dettinger, Huber
Snowmelt discharge characteristics Sierra Nevada, California Snowmelt discharge characteristics Sierra Nevada, California
Alpine snow is an important water resource in California and the western U.S. Three major features of alpine snowmelt are the spring pulse (the first surge in snowmelt-driven river discharge in spring), maximum snowmelt discharge, and base flow (low river discharge supported by groundwater in fall). A long term data set of hydrologic measurements at 24 gage locations in 20 watersheds in...
Authors
David Peterson, Richard Smith, Iris Stewart, Noah Knowles, Chris Soulard, Stephen Hager
Bathychronology: reconstructing historical sedimentation from bathymetric data in a GIS Bathychronology: reconstructing historical sedimentation from bathymetric data in a GIS
No abstract available.
Authors
Shawn Higgins, Bruce Jaffe, Richard Smith
Changes in ground-water quality near two granular-iron permeable reactive barriers in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1997-2000 Changes in ground-water quality near two granular-iron permeable reactive barriers in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1997-2000
Two experimental permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) of granular zero-valent iron were emplaced in the path of a tetrachloroethene plume (the Chemical Spill-10 plume) at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in June 1998. The goal of the field experiment was to achieve emplacement of a granular-iron PRB deeper than attempted before. The PRBs were expected to...
Authors
Jennifer G. Savoie, Douglas Kent, Richard Smith, Denis LeBlanc, David Hubble
Non-USGS Publications**
Smith, R. L., Kent, D. B., Repert, D. A., and Böhlke, J.K., 2017, Anoxic nitrate reduction coupled with iron oxidation and attenuation of dissolved arsenic and phosphate in a sand and gravel aquifer, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 196:102-120, doi: http//dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.09.025.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 98
Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard Smith, J. Harris
Isotopic analysis of N and O in nitrite and nitrate by sequential selective bacterial reduction to N2O Isotopic analysis of N and O in nitrite and nitrate by sequential selective bacterial reduction to N2O
Nitrite is an important intermediate species in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, but its role in natural aquatic systems is poorly understood. Isotopic data can be used to study the sources and transformations of NO2- in the environment, but methods for independent isotopic analyses of NO2- in the presence of other N species are still new and evolving. This study demonstrates that...
Authors
John Bohlke, Richard Smith, Janet Hannon
In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity
There are few methods available for broadly assessing microbial community metabolism directly within a groundwater environment. In this study, hydrogen consumption rates were estimated from in situ injection/withdrawal tests conducted in two geochemically varying, contaminated aquifers as an approach towards developing such a method. The hydrogen consumption first-order rates varied from...
Authors
S.H. Harris, Richard Smith, Joseph Suflita
Ground-water-quality data for a treated-wastewater plume undergoing natural restoration, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Ground-water-quality data for a treated-wastewater plume undergoing natural restoration, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A plume of contaminated ground water extends from former disposal beds at the Massachusetts Military Reservation wastewater-treatment plant toward Ashumet Pond, and farther southward toward coastal ponds and Vineyard Sound, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Treated sewage-derived wastewater was discharged to the rapid-infiltration beds for nearly 60 years before the disposal site was moved to a...
Authors
Jennifer G. Savoie, Richard Smith, Douglas Kent, Kathryn Hess, Denis LeBlanc, Larry Barber
Ammonium transport and reaction in contaminated groundwater: Application of isotope tracers and isotope fractionation studies Ammonium transport and reaction in contaminated groundwater: Application of isotope tracers and isotope fractionation studies
Ammonium (NH4+) is a major constituent of many contaminated groundwaters, but its movement through aquifers is complex and poorly documented. In this study, processes affecting NH4+ movement in a treated wastewater plume were studied by a combination of techniques including large‐scale monitoring of NH4+ distribution; isotopic analyses of coexisting aqueous NH4+, NO3−, N2, and sorbed NH4...
Authors
J.K. Böhlke, Richard Smith, Daniel Miller
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: III. biweekly data, 2000-2002 Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: III. biweekly data, 2000-2002
No abstract available.
Authors
Ronald Antweiler, Richard Smith, Mary Voytek, John Karl Bohlke, David Dupre
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: II. diel data, 1999-2001 Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: II. diel data, 1999-2001
No abstract available.
Authors
Ronald Antweiler, Richard Smith, Mary Voytek, John Karl Bohlke
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: I. Lagrangian and synoptic data, 1999-2002 Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: I. Lagrangian and synoptic data, 1999-2002
Methods of data collection and results of analyses are presented for Lagrangian and synoptic water-quality data collected from two agricultural drainages, the Iroquois River in northwestern Indiana and Sugar Creek in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois. During six separate sampling trips, in April, June and September 1999, May 2000, September 2001 and April 2002, 152 discrete...
Authors
Ronald Antweiler, Richard Smith, Mary Voytek, John Karl Bohlke, Kevin Richards
River chemistry as a monitor of Yosemite Park mountain hydroclimates River chemistry as a monitor of Yosemite Park mountain hydroclimates
High-frequency, high-altitude measurements of water chemistry provide insights into processes relating to the hydrology, climate, and geochemistry of mountain catchments. When such observations are combined with stream stage, temperature, snow, weather, and other surface hydroclimate measurements, they are particularly useful in allowing connections between climate, river discharge...
Authors
David Peterson, Richard Smith, Stephen Hager, Jeffrey Hicke, Michael Dettinger, Huber
Snowmelt discharge characteristics Sierra Nevada, California Snowmelt discharge characteristics Sierra Nevada, California
Alpine snow is an important water resource in California and the western U.S. Three major features of alpine snowmelt are the spring pulse (the first surge in snowmelt-driven river discharge in spring), maximum snowmelt discharge, and base flow (low river discharge supported by groundwater in fall). A long term data set of hydrologic measurements at 24 gage locations in 20 watersheds in...
Authors
David Peterson, Richard Smith, Iris Stewart, Noah Knowles, Chris Soulard, Stephen Hager
Bathychronology: reconstructing historical sedimentation from bathymetric data in a GIS Bathychronology: reconstructing historical sedimentation from bathymetric data in a GIS
No abstract available.
Authors
Shawn Higgins, Bruce Jaffe, Richard Smith
Changes in ground-water quality near two granular-iron permeable reactive barriers in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1997-2000 Changes in ground-water quality near two granular-iron permeable reactive barriers in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1997-2000
Two experimental permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) of granular zero-valent iron were emplaced in the path of a tetrachloroethene plume (the Chemical Spill-10 plume) at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in June 1998. The goal of the field experiment was to achieve emplacement of a granular-iron PRB deeper than attempted before. The PRBs were expected to...
Authors
Jennifer G. Savoie, Douglas Kent, Richard Smith, Denis LeBlanc, David Hubble
Non-USGS Publications**
Smith, R. L., Kent, D. B., Repert, D. A., and Böhlke, J.K., 2017, Anoxic nitrate reduction coupled with iron oxidation and attenuation of dissolved arsenic and phosphate in a sand and gravel aquifer, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 196:102-120, doi: http//dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.09.025.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.