Martin A. Briggs

Research Hydrologist

Professional Experience:

• Development of new heat tracing methodology and refinement of existing methods for location and quantifying groundwater/surface water exchanges over a range of scales including the development of several software tools to improve accessibility to such methods. These tools include: VFLUX2, DTS-GUI, 1DTempPro2, GW-SW MST
• Extensive characterization of groundwater preferential groundwater discharge zones and related physical processes across a range of headwater and mainstem river settings nationally
• Repeat expeditions to Alaska as field team leader to characterize discontinuous permafrost dynamics using seismic, electrical, radar, thermal and mechanical methods coupled with processed-based models
• Measuring and modeling dual-domain mass transfer of contaminated groundwater and natural anoxic microzones involving the novel use of combined electrical and chemical methods
• Installation of sea water intrusion monitoring network on a remote Pacific atoll to monitor the effects of climate change and sea level rise on atoll fresh water and identify controlling geologic processes that were tested in a numerical modeling framework
• Innovative characterization of endangered shellfish and native brook trout habitat in a variety of systems, particularly in the context of groundwater discharge to surface water

Education:

• PhD, 2012. Syracuse University, (Hydro) Geology
• MS, 2009. Colorado School of Mines. Hydrology

Honors and Awards:

• 2022 American Geophysical Union Edward A. Flinn III Award (group award)
• 2017 Geologic Society of America Hydrogeology Division Kohout Early Career Award
• Exceptional rating, USGS performance review 2013, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21
• Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences Doctoral Dissertation Prize, 2012