Brendan Moran

I am a hydrogeologist interested in large-scale groundwater system dynamics in Arid regions. I study connections between modern and paleao hydroclimate as it relates to groundwater transport and groundwater age distribution. Groundwater in these arid aquifers is critical to human society and ecosystems but has seen increasing extractive demand from irrigation, mining and other development causing significant stress on these systems. As precipitation in these dry areas is projected decrease and become more erratic in the future due to the effects of climate change, these resources will need to be carefully managed to avoid serious impacts to ecosystems and communities. By improving our understanding of fundamental hydrologic mechanisms in these aquifers extending 10 to 20 thousand years in the past, we can manage these water resources more effectively.

Recent Publications (not NE CASC sponsored)

• Moran, B. J., Boutt, D. F., Munk, L. A. & Hynek, S. A (2019). Water Isotope Systematics and Modern Meteoric Inputs in an Arid Orogenic-Scale Groundwater System. Submitted for publication to Water Resources Research.
• Munk, L. A., Boutt, D. F., Hynek, S. A., & Moran, B. J. (2018). Hydrogeochemical fluxes and processes contributing to the formation of lithium-enriched brines in a hyper-arid continental basin. Chemical Geology, 493, 37–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.05.013.