Randall J Hunt, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

The Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well was drilled in December 2018 to confirm that a seismically-identified location within the western Prudhoe Bay Unit might be suitable for extended-duration scientific production testing. The well tested two primary targets: the deeper Unit B is highly favorable due to optimal reservoir temperature and minimal observed risk for direct communication...

Glacial aquifers are an important source of groundwater in the United States and require accurate characterization to make informed management decisions. One parameter that is crucial for understanding the movement of groundwater is hydraulic conductivity, K. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging measures the NMR response associated with the water in geological materials. By utilizing...

This white paper provides the results of a survey by members of the NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel to assess the use of uncertainty analysis in groundwater modeling.The objective of the survey was to improve understanding of the use of uncertainty analysis in practical groundwater modeling projects subject to real-world constraints, such as limited budgets and tight deadlines.

Analytical methods that incorporate genetic data are increasingly used in monitoring and assessment programs for important rate functions of fish populations (e.g., recruitment). Because gear types vary in efficiencies and effective sampling areas, results from genetic‐based assessments likely differ depending on the sampling gear used to collect genotyped individuals; consequently...

Since 2004, seven spawning reefs have been constructed in the St. Clair–Detroit River system to remediate lost spawning habitat and increase recruitment of Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens . Assessment of management actions by collecting and enumerating eggs and larvae provided evidence of spawning Lake Sturgeon and survival of eggs until larval dispersal at constructed reef sites...

In December 2018, data acquired in a Stratigraphic Test Well drilled from the 7-11-12 pad in the western part of the Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope confirmed the occurrence of two high-quality reservoirs fully saturated with gas hydrate. The drilling was the initial phase of a planned, three-well program designed to conduct an extended duration test of the response to gas hydrate...

The St. Louis River Basin (SLRB) covers 3,600 square miles in northeastern Minnesota, with headwaters in the Mesabi Range and extensive wetlands and lakes throughout the basin. To better understand the regional groundwater system in the SLRB, a two-dimensional, steady-state groundwater-flow model of the SLRB was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Minnesota...

In 1988, an important publication moved model calibration and forecasting beyond case studies and theoretical analysis. It reported on a somewhat idyllic graduate student modeling exercise where many of the system properties were known; the primary forecasts of interest were heads in pumping wells after a river was modified. The model was calibrated using manual trial‐and‐error...

Environmental modelling is transitioning from the traditional paradigm that focuses on the model and its quantitative performance to a more holistic paradigm that recognises successful model-based outcomes are closely tied to undertaking modelling as a social process, not just as a technical procedure. This paper redefines evaluation as a multi-dimensional and multi-perspective concept...

The effectiveness of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) modeling hinges on the quality of practices employed through the process, starting from early problem definition all the way through to using the model in a way that serves its intended purpose. The adoption and implementation of effective modeling practices need to be guided by a practical understanding of the variety of...

Encapsulating almost 50 years of experience applying mathematics to groundwater flow problems, this latest textbook from Otto Strack (2017) is a tour de force for analytical groundwater approaches. It is comprised of 10 chapters, spanning topics from the basics of groundwater mechanics, to steady state, three‐dimensional, and transient flow, as well as particle tracking and solute...

Fecal contamination by human and animal pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, is a potential human health hazard, especially with regards to drinking water. Pathogen occurrence in groundwater varies considerably in space and time, which can be difficult to characterize as sampling typically requires hundreds of liters of water to be passed through a filter. Here we...