CLAY A. COOPER

EDUCATION:

Ph.D., Hydrology, University of Nevada, Reno
M.S., Hydrology/Hydrogeology, University of Nevada, Reno
B.S., Geology, Northern Arizona University

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

My research interests are in many aspects of transport phenomena and fluid dynamics in multiphase, multicomponent systems above and below the land surface. These include diffusion and dispersion in aquifers and reservoirs, gas flow in both porous media and fractures, density-driven flow due to unstable solute gradients, thermal convection and buoyancy-driven processes, and coupled (chemical, physical, biological) flow and transport, all operating over scales from millimeters to tens of kilometers. Some of these problems lend themselves well to laboratory study, and I am currently developing a research program that expands the use of this investigative tool. Laboratory experiments are currently under-utilized in the hydrologic sciences, although they fill a basic need to further our understanding of certain flow and transport processes. Laboratory investigation enhances our understanding primarily by allowing one to work with few assumptions, explore the physics and scaling properties of phenomena, and develop analytical models that explain correlations at full scale. The results can then be used to challenge and improve existing conceptual models, which in turn can be used to produce more refined numerical models.

RESEARCH AREAS:

Hydrology of the Unsaturated Zone; Contaminant Transport; Hydrogeological Controls on Availability and Quality of Ground Water

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Garcia, A.; Andraski, B.; M.J. Johnson; Cooper, C.A.; D.A. Stonestrom; 2008 (accepted).

Vertical tritium transport from the shallow unsaturated zone to the atmosphere. Vadose Zone Journal.

Ye, M.; Cooper, C.A.; Chapman, J.B.; Gillespie, D.; Zhang, Y.; 2008 (accepted).

Geologically based Markov chain model to simulate solute tracers in natural gas reservoirs with uncertain conditions. SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering.

Mayers, C.J.; Andraski, B.J.; Cooper, C.A.; Wheatcraft, S.W.; Stonestrom, D.A.; Michel, R.L.; 2005.

Modeling tritium transport through a deep unsaturated zone in an arid environment. Vadose Zone Journal. v.4. pp.967-976. doi:10.2136/vzj2004.0179.

Weisbrod, N.; Pillersdorf, M.; Dragila, M.; Graham, C.; Cassidy, J.; Cooper, C.A.; 2005.

Evaporation from fractures exposed at land surface: Impact of gas-phase convection on salt accumulation. Dynamics of Fluids and Transport in Fractured Rock, Geophysical Monograph Series 162. pp.151-164.

Pringle, S.; Glass, R.J.; Cooper, C.A.; 2002.

Double-diffusive finger convection in a Hele-Shaw cell: An experiment exploring the evolution of concentration fields, length scales and mass transfer. Transport in Porous Media. v.47. n.2. pp.195-214.

Cooper, C.A.; Glass, R.J.; Tyler, S.W.; 2001.

Effect of buoyancy ratio on the development of double-diffusive finger convection in a Hele-Shaw cell. Water Resources Research. v.37. pp.2323-2332.

Stockman, H.W.; Glass, R.J.; Cooper, C.A.; Rajaram, H.; 1998.

Accuracy and computational efficiency in 3D dispersion via lattice-Boltzmann: Models for dispersion in rough fractures and double-diffusive fingering. International Journal of Modern Physics C. v.9. n.8. pp.1-13.

Stockman, H.W; Li, C.; Cooper, C.; 1997.

Practical application of lattice-gas and lattice Boltzmann methods to dispersion problems. InterJournal of Complex Systems, manuscript no. 90. n.90.

Cooper, C.A.; Glass, R.J.; Tyler, S.W.; 1997.

Experimental investigation of the stability boundary for double-diffusive finger convection in a Hele-Shaw cell. Water Resources Research. v.33. n.4. pp.517-526.