RONALD L. HERSHEY

Associate Research Hydrogeologist
Division of Hydrologic Sciences

EMail:Ron.Hershey@dri.edu

EDUCATION:

M.S., Hydrogeology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
B.S., Geology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
B.A., Journalism, Drake University, Des Moines

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

Mr. Hershey is presently enrolled in the Hydrogeology Program at the University of Nevada, Reno and is pursing his Ph. D. while continuing his professional career at the Desert Research Institute. His dissertation research addresses limnological and geochemical processes in pit-mine lakes associated with precious-metal mining in Nevada. He has extensive experience in ground-water sampling, ground-water monitoring network design and evaluation, and the use of aqueous thermodynamic geochemical models including PHREEQE, WATEQ, and NETPATH. Other research interests include the use of environmental isotopes and aqueous geochemistry in hydrogeologic studies of local and regional scale. He has used isotopic ratios of carbon to trace the movement of water through the hydrologic cycle and to delineate recharge zones in mountainous carbonate terrain. Mr. Hershey is also interested in the transport of radionuclides and hazardous materials in ground water.

RESEARCH AREAS: Hydrology of the Unsaturated Zone; Contaminant Transport; Hydrogeological Controls on Availability and Quality of Ground Water; Global Environmental Hydrology; Integrated Watershed System

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Hershey, R.L.; Mizell, S.A.; Earman, S., 2009 (in press).

Identification of Regional Springs in the Carbonate-Rock Province of the Great Basin using chemical, physical, and isotopic data.

Carroll, Rosemary W.H.; Pohll, Greg; Hershey, Ronald L., 2009.

An unconfined groundwater model of the Death Valley Regional flow system and a comparison to its confined predecessor. Journal of Hydrology. v.373. pp.316-328.

Carroll, R. W. H.; Pohll, G.; Earman, S.; Hershey, R. L., 2008.

A comparison of groundwater fluxes computed with MODFLOW and a mixing model using deuterium: application to the eastern Nevada Test Site and vicinity. Journal of Hydrology. v.361. n.3-4. pp.371-385. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.08.005.

Carroll, R.W.; Pohll, G.M.; Earman, S.; Hershey, R.L., 2007.

Global optimization of a deuterium calibrated, discrete-state compartment model (DSCM): Application to the eastern Nevada Test Site. Journal of Hydrology. v.345. n.3-4. pp.237-253.

Earman, S.; Hershey, R.L., 2004.

Water quality impacts from waste rock at a Carlin-type gold mine, Elko County, Nevada. Environmental Geology. v.8. s.45. pp.1043-1053.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

Michalski, G.; Dahman, C.; Earman, S.; Hershey, R., 2008.

Mutiple isotope forensics on nitrate in the poisoning of wild horses in 2007. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.

Carroll, R W H; Pohll, G M; Earman, S; Hershey, R L, 2007.

A comparison of groundwater fluxes computed with MODFLOW and a stable isotope mixing model: Application to the eastern Nevada Test Site and vicinity. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco.

Garcia, E.S., Jr.; Reimus, P.W.; Hershey, R.L.; Decker, D.L.; Earman, S., 2007.

Laboratory experiments of carbon-14 uptake and release from calcite. The 233rd American Chemical Society National Meeting. Chicago.

Decker, D L; Earman, S; Hershey, R L; Ryu, J H ; Garcia, E; Reimus, P, 2007.

Reactive transport of ¹⁴C through a carbonate aquifer: Implications for contaminant migration. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting. Denver.

Hershey, R.L.; Decker, D.L. ; Earman, S.; Ryu, J. ; Reimus, P.; Garcia, E.S. Jr., 2007.

Laboratory experiments of carbon-14 uptake on calcite and dolomite. The 233rd American Chemical Society National Meeting. Chicago.

Hershey, R.L.; Earman, S., 2005.

Estimating groundwater recharge via a deuterium-calibrated discrete-state compartment model. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Francisco.

Decker, D.L.; Hershey, R.L., 2005.

Coupling a discrete-state compartment model and a water-rock reaction model with application to a large-scale hydrologic system in southern Nevada. AGU. San Francisco, CA.

Hershey, R.L.; Papelis, C.; Decker, D.L.; Miller, G., 2003.

Laboratory experiments of As(V) and As(III) sorption onto pit-lake sediments from three different orebody types. The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Cairns, Queensland, Australia.