Brian Stewart

My water-related research program focuses on (1) the interaction of ground and surface waters with potential pollutants, such as acid mine drainage and produced water from oil and gas wells; (2) understanding the geologic origin of dissolved constituents and potential resources (e.g., rare earth elements) in energy-related waters; and (3) aqueous weathering processes in the Earth’s critical zone, particularly the soil-vegetation system. Our scientific investigations involve field work and lab experiments combined with high-precision isotopic and geochemical analyses of rock, water and other environmental samples to track mass transfer among different lithologic and hydrologic reservoirs and to understand detailed processes of water-rock interaction.