Groundwater and soil moisture recharge processes

How does water make its way into the subsurface to become soil moisture/groundwater and how are these processes affected by environmental and climatic conditions?

Selection of representative publications

• Stahl M.O., *Mar T., Jameel Y. (2024). Seasonal groundwater level dynamics in unconfined aquifers across the United States. Groundwater

• Jameel Y., Stahl M.O., Michael H., Bostick B.C., Steckler M.S., Schlosser P., Van Geen A., Harvey C.F. (2023).  Shift in groundwater recharge of the Bengal Basin from rainfall to surface water.  Communications Earth & Environment

• Stahl, M.O., McColl, K.A. (2022). The seasonal cycle of surface soil moisture. Journal of Climate

• Stahl, M.O., *Gehring, J., Jameel, Y. (2020) Isotopic variation in groundwater across the conterminous US – insight into hydrologic processes, Hydrological Processes

Toxic metals in the environment

What are the hydrologic, geologic, and biologic processes that are responsible for:

• Extraordinarily high arsenic concentrations in the groundwaters of South and Southeast Asia

• High levels of arsenic and uranium in groundwater and surface water of the US Northern Plains

What are the environmental factors that control the uptake of arsenic into rice crops?

Selection of representative publications

• Connolly, C.T., Stahl, M.O., *DeYoung, B., Bostick, B.C. (2022). Surface Flooding as a Key Driver of Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in Southeast Asia. Environmental Science &Technology

• Stahl, M.O.,   Badruzzaman A. B. M., Tarek M. H., Harvey, C.F. (2020) Geochemical transformations beneath man-made ponds: Implications for arsenic mobilization in South Asian aquifers, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

• Stahl M. O., Harvey C. F., van Geen A., Sun J., Thi Kim Trang P., Mai Lan V., Mai Phuong T., Hung Viet P. and Bostick B. C. (2016) River bank geomorphology controls groundwater arsenic concentrations in aquifers adjacent to the Red River, Hanoi Vietnam. Water Resources. Research

Anthropogenic impacts to element cycles in the hydrosphere

How does human activity influence elemental cycles in surface water and groundwater systems?

Selection of representative publications

• Flint E.M., Ascott M.J., Gooddy D.C., Stahl M.O., Surridge BWJ. (2025). Anthropogenic water withdrawals modify freshwater inorganic carbon fluxes across the United States. Environmental Science & Technology

• Flint E.M., Ascott M.J., Gooddy D.C., Stahl M.O., Surridge BWJ. (2023).  Watermains leakage and outdoor water use are responsible for significant phosphorus fluxes to the environment across the United States. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 

• Stahl, M., *Wassik, J., *Gehring, J., *Horan, C.,  Wozniak, A. (2021). Connecting the Age and Reactivity of Organic Carbon to Watershed Geology and Land Use in Tributaries of the Hudson River. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences

• Stahl M. O. (2018) Groundwater Pumping is a Significant Unrecognized Contributor to Global Anthropogenic Element Cycles. Groundwater