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: 37
Linkages between denitrification and dissolved organicmatter quality, Boulder Creek watershed, Colorado
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) fuels the majority of in-stream microbial processes, including the removal of nitrate via denitrification. However, little is known about how the chemical composition of DOM influences denitrification rates. Water and sediment samples were collected across an ecosystem gradient, spanning the alpine to plains, in central Colorado to determine whether the chemical comp
Authors
Rebecca T. Barnes, Richard L. Smith, George R. Aiken
Effects of the antimicrobial sulfamethoxazole on groundwater bacterial enrichment
The effects of “trace” (environmentally relevant) concentrations of the antimicrobial agent sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on the growth, nitrate reduction activity, and bacterial composition of an enrichment culture prepared with groundwater from a pristine zone of a sandy drinking-water aquifer on Cape Cod, MA, were assessed by laboratory incubations. When the enrichments were grown under heterotrophic
Authors
Jennifer C. Underwood, Ronald W. Harvey, David W. Metge, Deborah A. Repert, Laura K. Baumgartner, Richard L. Smith, Timberly M. Roane, Larry B. Barber
Ecological distribution and population physiology defined by proteomics in a natural microbial community
An important challenge in microbial ecology is developing methods that simultaneously examine the physiology of organisms at the molecular level and their ecosystem level interactions in complex natural systems. We integrated extensive proteomic, geochemical, and biological information from 28 microbial communities collected from an acid mine drainage environment and representing a range of biofil
Authors
Ryan S. Mueller, Vincent J. Denef, Linda H. Kalnejais, K. Blake Suttle, Brian C. Thomas, Paul Wilmes, Richard L. Smith, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, Menesh B. Shah, Nathan C. VerBekmoes, Robert L. Hettich, Jillian F. Banfield
Multi-scale measurements and modeling of denitrification in streams with varying flow and nitrate concentration in the upper Mississippi River basin, USA
Denitrification is an important net sink for NO3− in streams, but direct measurements are limited and in situ controlling factors are not well known. We measured denitrification at multiple scales over a range of flow conditions and NO3− concentrations in streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River basin. Comparisons of reach-scale measurements (in-stream mass transport and t
Authors
John K. Böhlke, Ronald C. Antweiler, Judson W. Harvey, Andrew E. Laursen, Lesley K. Smith, Richard L. Smith, Mary A. Voytek
Geochemistry of inorganic nitrogen in waters released from coal-bed natural gas production wells in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming
Water originating from coal-bed natural gas (CBNG) production wells typically contains ammonium and is often disposed via discharge to ephemeral channels. A study conducted in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, documented downstream changes in CBNG water composition, emphasizing nitrogen-cycling processes and the fate of ammonium. Dissolved ammonium concentrations from 19 CBNG discharge points range
Authors
Richard L. Smith, Deborah A. Repert, Charles P. Hart
Microbial and chemical factors influencing methane production in laboratory incubations of low-rank subsurface coals
Lignite and subbituminous coals were investigated for their ability to support microbial methane production in laboratory incubations. Results show that naturally-occurring microorganisms associated with the coals produced substantial quantities of methane, although the factors influencing this process were variable among different samples tested. Methanogenic microbes in two coals from the Powder
Authors
Stephen H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Charles E. Barker
Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard L. Smith, J. Harris
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 isotopic
Authors
John Karl Böhlke, Richard L. Smith, Janet E. Hannon
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 0.002 nM
Authors
S.H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Joseph M. Suflita
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+; and in
Authors
J.K. Böhlke, Richard L. Smith, Daniel N. Miller
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 different l
Authors
Jennifer G. Savoie, Richard L. Smith, Douglas B. Kent, Kathryn M. Hess, Denis R. LeBlanc, Larry B. Barber
Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: III. biweekly data, 2000-2002
No abstract available.
Authors
Ronald C. Antweiler, Richard L. Smith, Mary A. Voytek, John Karl Bohlke, David H. Dupre
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.
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Filter Total Items: 37
Linkages between denitrification and dissolved organicmatter quality, Boulder Creek watershed, Colorado
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) fuels the majority of in-stream microbial processes, including the removal of nitrate via denitrification. However, little is known about how the chemical composition of DOM influences denitrification rates. Water and sediment samples were collected across an ecosystem gradient, spanning the alpine to plains, in central Colorado to determine whether the chemical compAuthorsRebecca T. Barnes, Richard L. Smith, George R. AikenEffects of the antimicrobial sulfamethoxazole on groundwater bacterial enrichment
The effects of “trace” (environmentally relevant) concentrations of the antimicrobial agent sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on the growth, nitrate reduction activity, and bacterial composition of an enrichment culture prepared with groundwater from a pristine zone of a sandy drinking-water aquifer on Cape Cod, MA, were assessed by laboratory incubations. When the enrichments were grown under heterotrophicAuthorsJennifer C. Underwood, Ronald W. Harvey, David W. Metge, Deborah A. Repert, Laura K. Baumgartner, Richard L. Smith, Timberly M. Roane, Larry B. BarberEcological distribution and population physiology defined by proteomics in a natural microbial community
An important challenge in microbial ecology is developing methods that simultaneously examine the physiology of organisms at the molecular level and their ecosystem level interactions in complex natural systems. We integrated extensive proteomic, geochemical, and biological information from 28 microbial communities collected from an acid mine drainage environment and representing a range of biofilAuthorsRyan S. Mueller, Vincent J. Denef, Linda H. Kalnejais, K. Blake Suttle, Brian C. Thomas, Paul Wilmes, Richard L. Smith, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, Menesh B. Shah, Nathan C. VerBekmoes, Robert L. Hettich, Jillian F. BanfieldMulti-scale measurements and modeling of denitrification in streams with varying flow and nitrate concentration in the upper Mississippi River basin, USA
Denitrification is an important net sink for NO3− in streams, but direct measurements are limited and in situ controlling factors are not well known. We measured denitrification at multiple scales over a range of flow conditions and NO3− concentrations in streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River basin. Comparisons of reach-scale measurements (in-stream mass transport and tAuthorsJohn K. Böhlke, Ronald C. Antweiler, Judson W. Harvey, Andrew E. Laursen, Lesley K. Smith, Richard L. Smith, Mary A. VoytekGeochemistry of inorganic nitrogen in waters released from coal-bed natural gas production wells in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming
Water originating from coal-bed natural gas (CBNG) production wells typically contains ammonium and is often disposed via discharge to ephemeral channels. A study conducted in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, documented downstream changes in CBNG water composition, emphasizing nitrogen-cycling processes and the fate of ammonium. Dissolved ammonium concentrations from 19 CBNG discharge points rangeAuthorsRichard L. Smith, Deborah A. Repert, Charles P. HartMicrobial and chemical factors influencing methane production in laboratory incubations of low-rank subsurface coals
Lignite and subbituminous coals were investigated for their ability to support microbial methane production in laboratory incubations. Results show that naturally-occurring microorganisms associated with the coals produced substantial quantities of methane, although the factors influencing this process were variable among different samples tested. Methanogenic microbes in two coals from the PowderAuthorsStephen H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Charles E. BarkerDetermining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface
No abstract available.AuthorsRichard L. Smith, J. HarrisIsotopic 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 isotopicAuthorsJohn Karl Böhlke, Richard L. Smith, Janet E. HannonIn 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 0.002 nMAuthorsS.H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Joseph M. SuflitaAmmonium 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+; and inAuthorsJ.K. Böhlke, Richard L. Smith, Daniel N. MillerGround-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 different lAuthorsJennifer G. Savoie, Richard L. Smith, Douglas B. Kent, Kathryn M. Hess, Denis R. LeBlanc, Larry B. BarberWater-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: III. biweekly data, 2000-2002
No abstract available.AuthorsRonald C. Antweiler, Richard L. Smith, Mary A. Voytek, John Karl Bohlke, David H. DupreNon-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.