Jean Bahr

Research

The interactions between physical and chemical processes that control mass transport in groundwater are of particular interest to me. My students and I employ a combination of field studies through which we can observe the effects of solute transport and transformation processes in real time, core and outcrop studies that provide data on hydrologic and geochemical properties of aquifer materials, and numerical modeling with which we can test our hypotheses about how groundwater systems operate. We have applied these techniques to questions related to groundwater/surface water interactions, naturally occurring and anthropogenic contaminants in shallow and deeper aquifers, and groundwater as a resource for both humans and ecosystems.

Teaching

I teach a variety of courses including Hydrogeology, Contaminant Hydrogeology, Field Applications in Hydrogeology, and Environmental Geology. In the 2011-2012 academic year I am teaching Hydrogeology (Geosci 627) in the fall semester, Contaminant Hydrogeology (Geosci 629) and Advanced Hydrogeology: Solute Transport Modeling (Geosci 727) in the Spring Semester, and co-teaching the Water Resources Management Practicum Seminar (Env. Studies 900/718) throughout the year. 

Departmental Responsibilities

I served a term as Department Chair from 2005-2008. I also participate in a number of University programs including the Geological Engineering Program and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where I served as the chair of the Water Resources Management Program from 1995-1999. I served as faculty co-director of the undergraduate Women in Science and Engineering Residential Learning Community from 2003-2005.

I also am involved in a variety of professional activities outside of the University. I served as President of the Geological Society of America in 2009-2010.

Recent Publications

Leaf, A.T., D.J. Hart and J.M. Bahr, 2012 (in press), Active thermal tracer tests for improved hydrostratigraphic characterization, Ground Water doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2012.00913.x

Craig, L., J. Bahr and E. Roden, 2010 Localized zones of denitrification in a floodplain aquifer in southern Wisconsin, Hydrogeology Journal, 18(8): 1867-1879

Root, T. L, M. B. Gotkowitz, J. M. Bahr, and J. W. Attig, 2010, Arsenic geochemistry and hydrostratigraphy in Midwestern U.S. glacial deposits, Ground Water 46(6): 903-912 doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2009.00637.x

Wilcox, J.D., M. B. Gotkowitz, K. R. Bradbury, and J. M. Bahr, 2010. Using groundwater models to evaluate strategies for drinking-water protection in rural subdivisions, J.  Am. Planning Assoc. 76: 3, 295-304.