Bridget R. Scanlon (born 1959) is an Irish and American

hydrogeologist Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aquif ...

known for her work on

groundwater depletion Overdrafting is the process of extracting groundwater beyond the equilibrium yield of an aquifer. Groundwater is one of the largest sources of fresh water and is found underground. Groundwater depletion is comparable to a bank account in which mor ...

and groundwater recharging, and of the

effects of climate change The effects of climate change impact the physical environment, ecosystems and human societies. The environmental effects of climate change are broad and far-reaching. They affect the water cycle, oceans, sea and land ice (glaciers), sea level ...

and land usage patterns on groundwater. She is a senior research scientist in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, where she is head of the Sustainable Water Resources Program. Her research has included the use of GRACE satellite data to compare drought conditions in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Education and career

Scanlon is originally from

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

in Ireland. She earned a bachelor's degree in geology at Trinity College Dublin in 1980, and worked with the Geological Survey of Ireland before moving to the US for graduate study. She earned a master's degree at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in 1983, with a master's thesis based on her field work in the basin of the River Maine in Ireland, and completed a Ph.D. at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

in 1985, studying the

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

landscape of the inner Bluegrass region of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. After briefly working at a consulting firm, she joined the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin in 1987. Since 2004 she has also held an adjunct faculty position at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

Recognition

Scanlon became a Fellow of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchco ...

in 2005, and a Fellow of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

in 2015. She was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2016 "for contributions to the evaluation of groundwater recharge and aquifer depletion". Scanlon was the 2007 Birdsall–Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer of the Geological Society of America, which also gave her their 2019 O. E. Meinzer Award. The National Ground Water Association gave Scanlon their 2016 M. King Hubbert Award. The International Association of Hydrogeologists gave her their 2018 Presidents’ Award. Scanlon holds the William L. Fisher Endowed Chair in Geological Sciences.

Selected publications

Scanlon's Meinzer Award citation selected the following four papers of Scanlon for particular attention, noting their high citations. It stated that the first two made Scanlon "the leading global expert on groundwater recharge", while the second two demonstrated her more recent interest in climate change and

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

, and included pioneering work in the water resources used by

hydraulic fracturing Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...

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References

External links

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, Bridget 1959 births Living people Scientists from County Kerry Irish emigrants to the United States Hydrogeologists 20th-century American geologists 21st-century American geologists American women geologists American hydrologists Women hydrologists 20th-century Irish geologists Irish women geologists Alumni of Trinity College Dublin University of Alabama alumni University of Kentucky alumni Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Fellows of the Geological Society of America Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists