Riley Gannon
Riley began his career with the USGS in 2015 at the California Water Science Center in San Diego.
His main research interests include isotope geochemistry, paleoclimate reconstructions, and groundwater contamination. He has primarily worked on the San Diego Hydrogeology (SDH) project and the California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) program. Topics have included:
- mapping paleo river channels using acoustic and geologic data (SDH)
- reconstructing paleo precipitation records using groundwater chemistry, model output, and speleothems (SDH)
- calculating natural streamflow by removing reservoirs and other anthropogenic effects (SDH)
- database management (COGG)
- physical and chemical characterization of hydraulically fractured wells (COGG)
- study unit analysis of oilfield activities and their possible influence on groundwater resources (COGG)
Education and Certifications
B.S. Geology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2009
M.S. Earth Sciences, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, 2012
Ph.D. Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, 2016
Science and Products
Produced water chemistry data collected from the Poso Creek, Midway-Sunset, and Buena Vista Oil Fields, 2020-21, Kern County, California Produced water chemistry data collected from the Poso Creek, Midway-Sunset, and Buena Vista Oil Fields, 2020-21, Kern County, California
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board collected produced water and gas samples in the Midway-Sunset, Poso Creek, and Buena Vista Oil Fields in Kern County in 2020 and 2021. Sampled sites included oil wells; injectate from tanks, pipelines, and injection wells where produced water from many wells, after removal of oil, is...
Produced water disposal at percolation and evaporation ponds in and near oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, California (ver. 2.0, October 2024) Produced water disposal at percolation and evaporation ponds in and near oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, California (ver. 2.0, October 2024)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board compiled and analyzed data on water production and produced water disposal on land at oil and gas fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Vallley, Kern County, California. Data were compiled from information in state and local agencies’ databases and cover a period of record ranging...
Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA
Contamination of groundwater by oil-field fluids in proximity to oil and gas development has been an issue of concern to water users and regulators given long histories of development and legacy disposal practices. A robust set of geochemical tracers including petroleum hydrocarbon compounds, thermogenic gases, inorganic ion concentrations, stable isotopes, radioactive isotopes, and...
Authors
Riley Gannon, Matthew Landon, Justin Kulongoski, Michael Stephens, Lyndsay Ball, John Warden, Tracy Davis, Janice Gillespie, Isabelle Cozzarelli
Assessing potential effects of oil and gas development activities on groundwater quality near and overlying the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California Assessing potential effects of oil and gas development activities on groundwater quality near and overlying the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Groundwater resources are utilized near areas of intensive oil and gas development in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In this study, we examined chemical and isotopic data to assess if thermogenic gas or saline water from oil producing formations have mixed with groundwater near the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley. Major ion...
Authors
John Warden, Matthew Landon, Michael Stephens, Tracy Davis, Janice Gillespie, Peter McMahon, Justin Kulongoski, Andrew G. Hunt, David Shimabukuro, Riley Gannon, Lyndsay Ball
Deglacial water-table decline in Southern California recorded by noble gas isotopes Deglacial water-table decline in Southern California recorded by noble gas isotopes
Constraining the magnitude of past hydrological change may improve understanding and predictions of future shifts in water availability. Here we demonstrate that water-table depth, a sensitive indicator of hydroclimate, can be quantitatively reconstructed using Kr and Xe isotopes in groundwater. We present the first-ever measurements of these dissolved noble gas isotopes in groundwater...
Authors
Alan Seltzer, Jessica Ng, Wesley Danskin, Justin Kulongoski, Riley Gannon, Martin Stute, Jeffery Severinghaus
Science and Products
Produced water chemistry data collected from the Poso Creek, Midway-Sunset, and Buena Vista Oil Fields, 2020-21, Kern County, California Produced water chemistry data collected from the Poso Creek, Midway-Sunset, and Buena Vista Oil Fields, 2020-21, Kern County, California
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board collected produced water and gas samples in the Midway-Sunset, Poso Creek, and Buena Vista Oil Fields in Kern County in 2020 and 2021. Sampled sites included oil wells; injectate from tanks, pipelines, and injection wells where produced water from many wells, after removal of oil, is...
Produced water disposal at percolation and evaporation ponds in and near oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, California (ver. 2.0, October 2024) Produced water disposal at percolation and evaporation ponds in and near oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, California (ver. 2.0, October 2024)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board compiled and analyzed data on water production and produced water disposal on land at oil and gas fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Vallley, Kern County, California. Data were compiled from information in state and local agencies’ databases and cover a period of record ranging...
Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA
Contamination of groundwater by oil-field fluids in proximity to oil and gas development has been an issue of concern to water users and regulators given long histories of development and legacy disposal practices. A robust set of geochemical tracers including petroleum hydrocarbon compounds, thermogenic gases, inorganic ion concentrations, stable isotopes, radioactive isotopes, and...
Authors
Riley Gannon, Matthew Landon, Justin Kulongoski, Michael Stephens, Lyndsay Ball, John Warden, Tracy Davis, Janice Gillespie, Isabelle Cozzarelli
Assessing potential effects of oil and gas development activities on groundwater quality near and overlying the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California Assessing potential effects of oil and gas development activities on groundwater quality near and overlying the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Groundwater resources are utilized near areas of intensive oil and gas development in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In this study, we examined chemical and isotopic data to assess if thermogenic gas or saline water from oil producing formations have mixed with groundwater near the Elk Hills and North Coles Levee Oil Fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley. Major ion...
Authors
John Warden, Matthew Landon, Michael Stephens, Tracy Davis, Janice Gillespie, Peter McMahon, Justin Kulongoski, Andrew G. Hunt, David Shimabukuro, Riley Gannon, Lyndsay Ball
Deglacial water-table decline in Southern California recorded by noble gas isotopes Deglacial water-table decline in Southern California recorded by noble gas isotopes
Constraining the magnitude of past hydrological change may improve understanding and predictions of future shifts in water availability. Here we demonstrate that water-table depth, a sensitive indicator of hydroclimate, can be quantitatively reconstructed using Kr and Xe isotopes in groundwater. We present the first-ever measurements of these dissolved noble gas isotopes in groundwater...
Authors
Alan Seltzer, Jessica Ng, Wesley Danskin, Justin Kulongoski, Riley Gannon, Martin Stute, Jeffery Severinghaus