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USGS IN YOUR STATE

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Michael N. Fienen

Hydrologist

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

Areas of Expertise

• Geostatistical inverse methods for parameter estimation in hydrogeology.
• Hydraulic tomography.
• Numerical and analytic methods for modeling of groundwater flow considering prediction and measurement uncertainty.
• Nonparametric transfer functions, derived using geostatistical inverse methods, especially applied to tracer test analysis.

Current Projects

• Mike is currently working with Randy Hunt on the USGS WEBB project with a field component based at the Trout Lake North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Center.
• Anchored to applications at Trout Lake, Mike is also dedicated to providing practical tools for applications of Bayesian inverse methods to real-world hydrogeologic and other modeling problems.

Publishing

Reviewer for: Water Resources Research, Ground Water, Hydrogeology Journal, and Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment

Personal Website

http://www.talulat.com/mike/

Professional Experience

Selected Publications

Journal articles, reports, and other publications

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES

Fienen, M.N., J. Doherty, R. Hunt, and H. Reeves. (in review - 2009).  Prediction Uncertainty Analysis for Monitoring Network Design: Applications to the Great Lakes Water Availability Pilot Inset Model.  USGS Scientific Investigations Report

Fienen, M.N., C. Muffels, R. Hunt. (2009) On constraining pilot point calibration with regularization in PEST. Ground Water. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2009.00579.x.

Fienen, M.N., R. Hunt, D. Krabbenhoft, T. Clemo. (2009) Obtaining Parsimonious Hydraulic Conductivity Fields Using Head and Transport Observations: A Bayesian Geostatistical Parameter Estimation Approach. Water Resources Research. doi:10.1029/2008WR007431.

Fienen, M.N., T. Clemo and P.K. Kitanidis (2008). An Interactive Bayesian Geostatistical Inverse Protocol for Hydraulic Tomography. Water Resources Research. doi:10.1029/2007WR006730.

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

Fienen, M.N., J. Luo, P. K. Kitanidis (2006).  A Bayesian Geostatistical Transfer Function Approach to Tracer Test Analysis. Water Resources Research 42, doi:10.1029/2005WR004576.

Fienen, M.N., J. Luo, P. K. Kitanidis (2005).  Semi-Analytical, Homogeneous, Anisotropic Capture Zone Delineation. Journal of Hydrology.  312(1-4): 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 53(3): 357-362.

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

D’ Oria, M. and M. Fienen. (in review - 2009). Increasing the Efficiency of Lumped Parameters in MODFLOW_2005.  Computers and Geosciences.

Doherty, J., M.N. Fienen, and R. J. Hunt. (in review - 2009) Approached to Highly Parameterized Inversion: Pilot-point Theory, Guidelines and Research Directions. USGS Scientific Investigation Report.

Luo, J., W.-M. Wu, J. Carley, M.N. Fienen, H. Cheng D. Watson, C.S. Criddle, P.M. Jardine, P.K. Kitanidis. (2008) Estimating first-order reaction rate coefficient for transport with nonequilibrium linear mass transfer in heterogeneous media. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology. 98: 50-60. 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2008.03.002

Oliver, L. D., and M. N. Fienen. (2008). Importance of Teammate Fit: Frescoball Example. Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports.

Cirpka, O. A., M. N. Fienen, M. Hofer, E. Hoehn, A. Tessarini, R. Kipfer, P. K. Kitanidis (2007) Deconvoluting times series of electric conductivity for the analysis of bank filtration, Ground Water 45(3): 318-328 doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2006.00293.x

Luo, J., Cirpka, O. A., Fienen, M. N., Wu, W., 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 83(1-2): 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. 44(2), 266-274.

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 39(21): 8453-8459.

Chen, J., Peterson, J., Fienen, M., Jardine, P., Watson, D., and Hubbard, S. (2006) Development of a joint hydrogeophysical inversion approach and application to a contaminated fractured aquifer. Water Resources Research 42, 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 40(12), 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., 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 40(12), 3986-3995.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

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

Fienen, M., R. Hunt and J. Doherty. Prediction Uncertainty Tools Evaluated. PEST Conference November 2-4, 2009. Potomac, Maryland

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

Fienen, M. and R. Hunt. Coping with Many Parameters in Ground Water Models: A Bayesian Approach. USGS National Groundwater Meeting, August 5, 2008. Denver, Colorado.

Fienen, M. Tom Clemo, Randy Hunt. Parameter Estimation in MODFLOW Using a Bayesian Inverse Approach. MODFLOW and More: Ground Water and Public Policy. May 19-21, 2008. Golden, Colorado.

Fienen M., and Randall Hunt. If Thomas Bayes had met Thomas Chamberlin. 2008 NGWA Ground Water Summit. March 30-April 3, 2008. Memphis, TN.

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

Fienen, M., R. Hunt, T.  Clemo, W. Nowak, and J. Doherty. Implementation of a Bayesian Geostatistical Parameter Estimation Module into PEST. 2008 USGS Modeling Conference. Orange Beach, AL.

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

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

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

Fienen, M.N., J. Carley, C. S. Criddle, P. M. Jardine, P. K. Kitanidis, T. L. Mehlhorn, D. B. Watson, and W. Wu  (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

Fienen, M.N., C. S. Criddle, P. M. Jardine, P. K. Kitanidis, T. L. Mehlhorn, D. B. Watson, and W. Wu  (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 

Fienen, M.N. and P. K. Kitanidis (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

Fienen, M. N., G. G. Schaber, and K. L. Tanaka (1992).   Experimental Mapping of the V36 Quadrangle of Venus, Based on Magellan Data.  Abstracts of papers submitted to the 23rd Lunear and Planetary Science Conference, LPI, Houston, TX, p. 353-354.

Fienen, M.N., and G. Green (1990).  Determination of Deforestation History in Madagascar.  In the Pew Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium Undergraduate Scholar Research Reports, pp. 68-71.

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

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

Wu, W.-M., J. Carley, M. A. Ginder-Vogel, C. Hwang, S. D. Kelly, M. Gentile, T. Gentry, M. B. Leigh, E. Cardanans, J. Nyman, M. Fienen, S. Carroll, H. Yan, K. Lowe, J. Luo, T. Melhourne, T. L. Marsh, D. Watson, M. W. Fields, B. Gu, J. Zhou, K. M. Kemner, P. Jardine, S. Fendorf, P. Kitanidis, J. Tiedje, C. S. Criddle (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, May 21-25, 2006.

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

Wu, W., J. Carley, M. Ginder-Vogel, T. Gentry, M. Fienen, J. Nyman, E. Tsai, S. Caroll, H. Yan, J. Luo, M. Gentile, T. Mehlhorn, M. W. Fields, B. Gu, D. Watson, J. Zhou, P. Jardine, S. Fendorf, P. Kitanidis, C. Criddle  (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, June 5-9, 2005, Abstract 05-GM-A-2166-ASM.

J. Chen, S. Hubbard, M. Fienen, T. Mehlhorn, and D. Watson  (2003)  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.

C. Criddle, J. Carley, O. Cirpka, M. Fields, M. Fienen, M. Gentile, T. Gentry, B. Gu, R. Hickey, P. Jardine, P. Kitanidis, K. Lowe, J. Luo, T. Mehlhorn, B. Nourse, J. Nyman, R. Rajou, D. Watson, W. Wu, J. Zhou. (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, Mar. 2004, Warrenton, VA.

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

Criddle, C., Kitanidis, P.K., Wu, W., 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, Mar. 17-19, 2003, Warrenton, VA

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.

Kitanidis, P. K., C. S. Criddle, J. Luo, M. N. Fienen, J. Nyman, M. Gentile, P. Jardine, J. Zhou, B. Gu, M. Fields, D, Watson, O. A. Cirpka (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, August 19-20, 2002, Corvallis, OR.

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

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

INVITED PRESENTATIONS AND LECTURES

Instructor, Parameter Estimation for Water Availability Modeling, USGS Nebraska Water Science Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. August 25-27, 2009.

Guest Lecturer, GEOL 793 Geophysical Inverse Theory, University of Wisconsin, Madison. April 9, 2009.

Instructor, Model Sensitivity Analysis, Data Assessment, Calibration, and Uncertainty Evaluation. USGS National Training Center, Denver, Colorado. March 23-27, 2009.  Co-instructors: M. Hill and C. Tiedeman.

Invited Presenter, Thomas Bayes, Thomas Chamberlin, and Groundwater Inverse Modeling, GNS Science, Waireki, New Zealand. November 24, 2009

Invited Presenter, Thomas Bayes, Thomas Chamberlin, and Groundwater Inverse Modeling, Lincoln Ventures, Christchurch, New Zealand. December 15, 2009

Instructor, Regularized Inverse Theory, USGS Florida Integrated Science Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. October 8, 2008. Co-instructor: J. Doherty.

Instructor, Pilot Points: What they are and simple guidelines for use. USGS National Groundwater Meeting Short Course, Denver, Colorado. August 4, 2008. Part of a larger course with co-instructors R. Hunt, M. Hill, and S. Mehl.

Instructor, Regularized Inverse Theory, USGS Modeling Conference Short Course, Orange Beach, Alabama. February 10, 2008. Co-instructors: R. Hunt and A. Dausman.

Seminar Lecturer, If the Reverend Bayes Had Met Professor Chamberlin: Multiple Working Hypotheses in Ground Water Modeling. Gustavus Adolphus College Geology Department, May 12, 2008.

Guest Instructor, UW-La Crosse Wetlands Delineation Course, Hydrology Section. August 2007, Waukesha, WI.

Guest Lecturer, GEOL 793 Geophysical Inverse Theory, University of Wisconsin-Madison. April 26, 2007.

Seminar Lecturer, What Does the Reverend Bayes Have to Say About Goats and Groundwater? An Overview of Inverse Modeling. University of Wisconsin-Madison Hydrogeology Seminar. March 20, 2007.

Guest Lecturer, GEOL 627 Hydrogeology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. December 6, 2006.