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Michael N. Fienen

Research Hydrologist, Groundwater Specialist

Contact Information

U.S. Geological Survey
Wisconsin Water Science Center
8505 Research Way
Middleton, Wisconsin 53562
Phone: 608-821-3894
Fax: 608-821-3817
Email: mnfienen@usgs.gov

Education

• Ph.D. Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology, Stanford University, 2006 - Dissertation: "Inverse methods for nearfield hydrogeologic characterization"
• M.S. Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology, Stanford University, 2001
• B.A. Geology, Macalester College, 1993

Research Interests

• My research mission is to provide decision-making support for environmental managers that considers uncertainty in all aspects of decisions and strives to extract the most information from the data. This mission is expressed through the main research threads of model calibration and inference of environmental systems. Specific applications include groundwater quantity and quality; statistical inference and prediction of recreational water quality on beaches; mercury in water and fish; and the groundwater and habitat impacts of sea-level rise. In support of these threads, aspects of computational efficiency, statistical analysis, and data management also play important roles.

Professional Experience

Selected Publications

Journal articles, reports, and other publications

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES

Fienen, M. N., Kunicki, T. C., and Kester, D. E., 2011, cloudPEST – A Python Module for Cloud-Computing Deployment of PEST, a Program for Parameter Estimation: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011–1062, 22 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1062]

D’Oria, M.* and Fienen, M. N., 2011—in press, MODFLOW-Style Parameters in Underdetermined Parameter Estimation. Ground Water, doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2011.00803.x.

Fienen, M. N., Doherty, J. E., Hunt, R. J., and Reeves, H. W., 2010, Using Prediction Uncertainty Analysis to Design Hydrologic Monitoring Networks: Example Applications from the Great Lakes Water Availability Pilot Project: U. S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5159, 44 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5159]

Stanton, J. S., Peterson, S. M., and Fienen, M. N., 2010, Simulation of groundwater flow and effects of groundwater irrigation on stream base flow in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, Nebraska, 1895–2055—Phase Two: U. S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5149, 78 p. with app. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5149]

Doherty, J. E., Fienen, M. N., and Hunt, R. J., 2010, Approaches to highly parameterized inversion: Pilot-point theory, guidelines, and research directions: U. S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5168, 44 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5168 ]

Fienen, M. N., Muffels, C. T., and Hunt, R. J., 2009, On constraining pilot point calibration with regularization in PEST: Ground Water, v. 47, issue 6, p. 835-844. doi:10. 1111/j. 1745-6584. 2009. 00579. x.

Fienen, M. N., Hunt, R. J., Krabbenhoft, D. P., and Clemo, T., 2009, Obtaining Parsimonious Hydraulic Conductivity Fields Using Head and Transport Observations: A Bayesian Geostatistical Parameter Estimation Approach: Water Resources Research, v. 45, article no. W08405, doi:10. 1029/2008WR007431.

Fienen, M. N., Clemo, T. and Kitanidis, P. K., 2008, An Interactive Bayesian Geostatistical Inverse Protocol for Hydraulic Tomography: Water Resources Research. doi:10. 1029/2007WR006730.

Luo, J., Wu, W. -M., Carley, J., Fienen, M. N., Cheng, H., Watson, D., C. S. Criddle, C. S., Jardine, P. M., Kitanidis, P. K., 2008, Estimating first-order reaction rate coefficient for transport with nonequilibrium linear mass transfer in heterogeneous media: Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 98, p. 50-60. 10. 1016/j. jconhyd. 2008. 03. 002.

Oliver, L. D., and Fienen, M. N., 2008, Importance of Teammate Fit: Frescoball Example: Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, v. 5, issue 1.

Fienen, M. N., 2007, Inverse Methods for Nearfield Hydrogoeologic Characterization. Ph. D. Dissertation, Stanford University.

Cirpka, O. A., Fienen, M. N., Hofer, M., Hoehn, E.,Tessarini, A., Kipfer, R., and Kitanidis, P. K., 2007, Deconvoluting times series of electric conductivity for the analysis of bank filtration: Ground Water, v. 45, issue 3, p. 318-328 doi: 10. 1111/j. 1745-6584. 2006. 00293. x.

Fienen, M. N., Luo, J., Kitanidis, P. K., 2006, A Bayesian Geostatistical Transfer Function Approach to Tracer Test Analysis: Water Resources Research v. 42, article no. W07426. doi:10. 1029/2005WR004576.

Luo, J., Cirpka, O. A., Fienen, M. N., Wu, W. -M., Mehlhorn, T. L., Carley, J., Jardine, P. M., Criddle, C. S., and Kitanidis, P. K., 2006, A parametric transfer function methodology for analyzing reactive transport in nonuniform flow: Journal of Contaminant Hydrology v. 83 issue 1-2, p. 27-41, doi: 10. 1016/j. jconhyd. 2005. 11. 001.

Luo, J., Wu, W-M., Fienen, M. N., Jardine, P. M., Mehlhorn, T. L., Watson, D. B., Cirpka, O. A., Criddle, C. S., and Kitanidis, P. K., 2006, A Nested-Cell Approach for In Situ Remediation: Ground Water, v. 44, issue 2, p. 266-274.

Chen, J., Peterson, J., Fienen, M. N., Jardine, P. M., Watson, D., and Hubbard, S., 2006, Development of a joint hydrogeophysical inversion approach and application to a contaminated fractured aquifer. Water Resources Research, v. 42, article no. W06425, doi:10. 1029/2005WR004694.

Wu, W-M., Carley, J., Fienen, M. N., Mehlhorn, T., Lowe, K., Nyman, J., Luo, J., Gentile, M. E., Rajan, R., Wagner, D., Hickey, R. F., Gu, B., Watson, D., Cirpka, O., Kitanidis, P., Jardine, P. M., and Criddle, C. S., 2006, Field-scale bioremediation of uranium in a highly contaminated aquifer I: conditioning of a treatment zone: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 40, issue 12, p. 3978-3985.

Wu, W-M., Carley, J., Gentry, T., Ginder-Vogel, M. A., Fienen, M. N., Mehlhorn, T., Yan, H., Caroll, S., Nyman, J., Luo, J., Gentile, M. E., Fields, M. W., Hickey, R. F., Watson, D., Fendorf, S., Zhou, J., Kitanidis, P. K., Jardine, P. M., and Criddle, C. S., 2006, Field-scale bioremediation of uranium in a highly contaminated aquifer II: geochemical control of U(VI) bioavailability and evidence of U(VI) reduction. Environmental Science and Technology, v. 40, issue 12, p. 3986-3995.

Fienen, M. N., Luo, J., Kitanidis, P. K., 2005, Semi-Analytical, Homogeneous, Anisotropic Capture Zone Delineation. Journal of Hydrology: v. 312, issue 1-4, p. 39-50. doi:10. 1016/j. jhydrol. 2005. 02. 008.

Fienen, M. N., 2005, The Three-Point Problem, Vector Analysis and the Extension to the N-Point Problem: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, issue 3, p. 357-362.

Luo, J., Cirpka, O. A., Wu, W-M., Fienen, M. N., Jardine, P. M., Mehlhorn, T. L., Watson, D. B., Criddle, C. S., and Kitanidis, P. K., 2005, Mass-Transfer Limitations for Nitrate Removal in a Uranium-Contaminated Aquifer: Environmental Science and Technology v. 39, issue 21, p. 8453-8459.

Fienen, M. N., Kitanidis, P. K., Watson, D. B., and Jardine, P. M., 2004, An Application of Inverse Methods to Vertical Deconvolution of Hydraulic Conductivity in a Heterogeneous Aquifer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Mathematical Geology v. 36, issue 1, p. 101-126.

(*) indicates student author.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Fienen, M. N., Brooks, W. R.*, and Corsi, S. R., 2011, A Partial Least Squares Approach to Beach Water Quality Modeling. Coastal Management 2011, Chicago IL, July 17-21, 2011. (PRESENTED)

Stanton, J. S., Peterson, S. M., and Fienen, M. N., 2011, Using a simulation-optimization model to evaluate effects of groundwater withdrawals for irrigation on stream base flow in the Elkhorn River, Nebraska. MODFLOW and More: Integrated Hydrologic Modeling, Golden, CO, June 5-8, 2011.

Carter, J. T. V., Fienen, M. N., and Dahlstrom, D. J., 2011, Automated launching of remote processors for highly parameterized inverse modeling on a heterogeneous system of Cloud-based and local computers. MODFLOW and More: Integrated Hydrologic Modeling. Golden, CO, June 5-8, 2011.

Fienen, M. N. and Clemo, T., 2011, Accuracy and Efficiency of Adjoint-State In MODFLOW-2005. 2011 Ground Water Summit, Baltimore, MD, May 1-5, 2011. (PRESENTED)

Masterson, J. P., Banks, W. S., Johnson, C. D., Gutierrez, B., and Fienen, M. N., 2011, Hydrologic Assessment of the Potential Effects of Sea-Level Rise on Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland. 2011 Ground Water Summit, Baltimore, MD, May 1-5, 2011.

Fienen, M. N., Brooks, W. R.*, and Corsi, S. R. A Partial Least Squares Approach to Great Lakes Beach Water Quality Modeling. USEPA National Beach Conference, Miami, FL, March 15-17, 2011. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., Halford, K., and Hart, D., 2011, Integrated Interpretation of Borehole Flow, Aquifer-Test Results, and Spring Discharge—Culver Springs, Wisconsin. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Appleton, WI, March 3-4, 2011.(PRESENTED)

Brooks, W. R.*, Fienen, M. N., Corsi, S. R., 2011, Modern statistical methods for predicting bacterial exceedances in beach water. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Appleton, WI, March 3-4, 2011.

Corsi, S. R. and Fienen, M. N., 2011, Identifying Tributary Influence on Beach Water Quality using Specific Conductance and Recursive Partitioning. USEPA National Beach Conference, Miami, FL, March 15-17, 2011.

Krabbenhoft, D. P., Lutz, M. A., Booth, N. L., and Fienen, M. N., 2011, Mapping Mercury Vulnerability of Aquatic Ecosystems across NPS I&M Program Parks. George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites, New Orleans, LA, March 14-18, 2011.

Fienen, M. N., Hunt, R. J., and Walker, J. F., 2010, The Value of Natural Tracers for Parameter Estimation in a Creek-Wetland Complex. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 13-17, 2010. (PRESENTED by R. J. Hunt)

Brooks, W. R.*, Fienen, M. N., Corsi, S. R., Sibley, D. M., Emmanuelli, C. M., 2010, Web-Based Tools to Expand Access to Beach Water Quality Modeling. Great Lakes Beach Conference, Presque Isle, PA. October 19-21, 2010.

D’Oria, M.* and Fienen, M. N., 2010, Hydraulic Tomography: a well field application, the Boretto Research Site, Italy. IAHR Groundwater Symposium, Valencia, SPAIN, September 22-24, 2010.

Fienen, M. N., 2010, Putting the parameters in parameter estimation. The Third USGS Modeling Conference, Denver, CO, June 7-11, 2010. (INVITED)

Hoard, C. J., Reeves, H. W., Feinstein, D. T., Haitjema, H., Fienen, M. N., and Hunt, R. J., 2010, Lake Michigan Basin Groundwater Flow Model: Potential Approaches and Challenges in Applying a Basin-Scale Model to Local-Scale Questions. 2010 NGWA Ground Water Summit, Boulder, CO, April 12-14, 2010.

Fienen, M. N., Hunt, R. J., and Walker, J. F., 2010, Evaluating the Relative Benefits of Natural Environmental Tracers in a Wetland-Stream Complex, Trout Lake, Wisconsin. Wisconsin Section of AWRA Annual Meeting, Middleton, WI, March 4-5, 2010. (PRESENTED)

Krabbenhoft, D. P., Booth, N. L., Lutz, M., Fienen, M. N., and Saltman, T., 2009, A Methylmercury Prediction Tool For Surface Waters Across The Contiguous United States. GSA Northeastern Section (45th Annual) and Southeastern Section (59th Annual) Joint Meeting, Baltimore, MD, March 13-16 , 2010.

Fienen, M. N., Doherty, J. E., Reeves, H. W., and Hunt, R. J., 2009, Parameterization Impacts on Linear Uncertainty Calculation. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 14-18, 2009. (PRESENTED)

Krabbenhoft, D. P., Booth, N. L., Lutz, M., Fienen, M. N., and Saltman, T., 2009, A Methylmercury Prediction Tool For Surface Waters Across The Contiguous United States. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 14-18, 2009. (INVITED)

Fienen, M. N., Hunt, R. J., and Doherty, J. E., 2009, Prediction Uncertainty Tools Evaluated. PEST Conference, Potomac, MD, November 2-4, 2009. (PRESENTED)

Dunkle, K. M.*, D. M. Mickelson, M. P. Anderson, and Fienen, M. N., 2009, Hydrostratigraphic and Groundwater Flow Models: Troy Valley Glacial Aquifer, Southeastern Wisconsin. GSA Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, October 18-21, 2009.

Krabbenhoft, D. P., Booth, N. L., Fienen, M. N., and Lutz, M., 2009, Mapping Vulnerability of Aquatic Ecosystems Across the Continguous United States. GSA Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, October 18-21, 2009.

Fienen, M. N. and Hunt, R. J., 2009, A Distributed Approach to Model Calibration-The Model Center Concept. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Stevens Point, WI, March 6-7, 2009. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N. and Hunt, R. J., 2008, Coping with Many Parameters in Ground Water Models: A Bayesian Approach. USGS National Groundwater Meeting, Denver, CO, August 5, 2008. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., Clemo, T. and Hunt, R. J., 2008, Parameter Estimation in MODFLOW Using a Bayesian Inverse Approach. MODFLOW and More: Ground Water and Public Policy, Golden, CO, May 19-21, 2008. (PRESENTED)

Fienen M. N. and Hunt, R. J., 2008, If Thomas Bayes had met Thomas Chamberlin. 2008 NGWA Ground Water Summit, Memphis, TN, March 30-April 3, 2008. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., 2008, Hydraulic Tomography for Characterizing Heterogeneity. AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Brookfield, WI, March 6-7, 2008. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., Hunt, R. J., Clemo, T., Nowak, W., and Doherty, J. E., 2008, Implementation of a Bayesian Geostatistical Parameter Estimation Module into PEST. 2008 USGS Modeling Conference, Orange Beach, AL, February, 10-14, 2008. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., Hunt, R. J., Krabbenhoft, D. P., and Clemo, T., 2007, Coupled Flow and Transport Parameter Estimation at Trout Lake, Wisconsin: A Bayesian Approach. GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, October 28-31, 2007. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., and Hunt, R. J., 2007, Looking for a Silt Layer on the Crystal-Big Muskellunge Lake Isthmus, AWRA – Wisconsin Section Annual Meeting, Wisconsin Dells, WI, March 2, 2007. (PRESENTED)

Fienen, M. N., Clemo, T., and Kitanidis, P. K. , 2006, An Interactive Bayesian Geostatistical Inverse Protocol for Hydraulic Tomography, Eos Trans. AGU, 87(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H44B-03, San Francisco, CA, December 11-15, 2006. (PRESENTED, Recipiant of Outstanding Student Presentation Award).

Luo, J., Fienen, M. N., Cirpka, O. A., and Kitanidis, P. K. Advective travel-time distribution and a local mixing streamtube approach. AGU Fall Conference, San Francisco, CA. December 11-15, 2006.

Wu, W.-M., Carley, J, Ginder-Vogel, M. A., Hwang, C., Kelly, S. D., Gentile, M., Gentry, T., Leigh, M. B., Cardanans, E., Nyman, J., Fienen, M. N., Carroll, S., Yan, H., Lowe, K., Luo, J., Melhourne, T., Marsh, T. L., Watson, D., Fields, M. W., Gu, B., Zhou, J., Kemner, K. M., Jardine, P., Fendorf, S., Kitanidis, P., Tiedje, J., Criddle, C. S., 2006, Characterization of in situ Biological Uranium (VI) Reduction/immobilization at the ERSP Field Research Center, Oak Ridge, TN. 106th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, Orlando, FL, May 21-25, 2006.

Fienen, M. N., Carley, J., Criddle, C. S., Jardine, P. M., Kitanidis, P. K., Mehlhorn, T. L., Watson, D. B. and Wu, W.-M., 2005, Tracer Test Analysis Using a Baysian Geostatistical Inverse Approach to Solve for Transfer Functions, Eos Trans. AGU, 86(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H21G-05, San Francisco, CA, December 5-9, 2005. (PRESENTED)

Ginder-Vogel, M., Wu, W.-M., Carley, J., Gentry, T., Fienen, M. N., Nyman, J., Tsai, E., Caroll, S., Yan, H., Luo, J., Gentile, M., Mehlhorn, T., Fields, M., Gu, B., Watson, D., Zhou, J., Jardine, P., Fendorf, S., Kitanidis, P. K., and Criddle, C. S., 2005, Field-Scale Demonstration of in situ Uranium (VI) Reduction at the NABIR Field Research Center, Oak Ridge, TN. 105th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, Atlanta, GA, June 5-9, 2005.

Wu, W.-M., Carley, J., Ginder-Vogel, M. A., Gentry, T., Yan, H., Luo, J, Carell, S., Fienen, M. N., Nyman, J., Gentile, M., Mehlhorn, T., Lowe, K., Fields, M., Fendorf, S., Watson, D., Gu, B., Zhou, J., Kitanidis, P. Jardine, P., and Criddle, C.S., 2005, Field-scale demonstration of in situ bioremediation of uranium contaminated sediments. Annual NABIR-FRC Conference, Oak Ridge, TN, May, 2005.

Chen, J., Hubbard, S., Fienen, M. N., Mehlhorn, T., and Watson, D., 2004, Estimating Hydrogeological Zonation Using High-resolution Geophysical Data and Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods. Eos Trans. AGU , 84(46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H21F-04, San Francsico, CA, December 13-17, 2004.

Criddle, C., Carley, J., Cirpka, O., Fields, M., Fienen, M. N., Gentile, M., Gentry, T., Gu, B., Hickey, R., Jardine, P., Kitanidis, P., Lowe, K., Luo, J., Mehlhorn, T., Nourse, B., Nyman, J., Rajou, R., Watson, D., Wu, W., and Zhou, J., 2004, Biostimulation of in-situ uranium reduction at the NABIR Field Research Center using a nested recirculation scheme and aboveground ground water conditioning. DOE-NABIR workshop, Warrenton, VA, March 2004.

Fienen, M. N., Criddle, C. S., Jardine, P. M., Kitanidis, P. K., Mehlhorn, T. L., Watson, D. B. and Wu, W.-M., 2003, Elution of Nitrate at the NABIR Field Research Center, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, TN. Eos Trans. AGU, 84(46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H21D-087, San Francisco, CA, December 8-12, 2003. (PRESENTED)

Criddle, C., Kitanidis, P.K., Wu, W.-M., Nyman, J., Gentile, M., Luo, J., Fienen, M. N., Jardine, P., Zhou, J., Gu, B., Fields, M., Watson, D., Cirpka, O.A. and Weber, F.-A. , 2003, Biostimulation of uranium reduction in situ and coupled ex situ ground water treatment at the NABIR field research center. DOE-NABIR PI workshop, Warrenton, VA, March 17-19, 2003.

Luo, J., Fienen, M. N., Weber, F.-A., Cirpka, O.A., Jardine, P., Watson, D., Kitanidis, P.K. and Criddle, C. S., 2003, Mathematical modeling and analysis of test data at FRC. DOE-NABIR PI workshop, Warrenton, VA, March 17-19, 2003.

Kitanidis, P. K., Criddle, C. S., Luo, J., Fienen, M. N., Nyman, J., Gentile, M., Jardine, P., Zhou, J., Gu, B., Fields, M., Watson, D., and Cirpka, O. A., 2002, An Effective Delivery and Mixing System of Biostimulation for Remediation of Uranium Contaminated Ground Water at the NABIR Field Research Center at Oak Ridge, TN. Western Region Hazardous Substance Research Center Annual Meeting, Corvallis, OR, August 19-20, 2002.

Fienen, M. N. and Kitanidis, P. K., 2002, An Application of Bayesian Inverse Methods to Borehole Flowmeter Interpretation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. Presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Trest Castle, Czech Republic, July 17-27, 2002. (PRESENTED)

Kitanidis, P. K., Cirpka, O. A., Luo, J. and Fienen, M. N., 2002, Numerical Modeling for the FRC Site. NABIR P.I. Meeting, Warrenton, VA, May, 2002.

Luo, J., Fienen, M. N., and Kitanidis, P.K., 2002, 3-D Ground Water Flow Modeling For the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR): Finite-Volume Method on An Unstructured Grid System. Proceedings of the International Ground Water Symposium, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, March 25-28, 2002.

Karachewski J. A., Cox, R. E., Rice, S. and Fienen, M. N., 1996, Hydrogeology of hydrocarbon smear zones at Midway Atoll. Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America, vol. 28, no. 7, p. 393. Denver, CO., October 27, 1996.

Fienen, M. N., Schaber, G. G., and Tanaka, K. L., 1992, Experimental Mapping of the V36 Quadrangle of Venus, Based on Magellan Data. Abstracts of papers submitted to the 23rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, LPI, Houston, TX, March 16-20, 1992.

Fienen, M. N., and Green, G., 1990, Determination of Deforestation History in Madagascar. In the Pew Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium Undergraduate Scholar Research Reports, St. Louis, MO, November, 1990. (PRESENTED)

(*) indicates student author.

REVIEWER

Water Resources Research
Ground Water
Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation
Journal of Hydrology
Hydrogeology Journal
Hydrology and Earth Systems Science Discussions
Journal of Climatology
Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment
Journal of Environmental Informatics
American Geophysical Union Geophysical Monograph Series
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources—Groundwater Coordinating Council Joint Solicitation (2010)
United States Geological Survey/National Institutes for Water Resources Competitive Grants Program Panel (2010)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
National Science Foundation (NSF) Earth Sciences (EAR) - Hydrologic Sciences