Earth Sciences Division Staff: Michael Kowalsky

Summary

Development of approaches for the integrated characterization, modeling, and monitoring of subsurface processes using hydrological and geophysical data for applications including environmental remediation, CO₂ sequestration, nuclear waste disposal, gas hydrates, and water resources. Experience in applying numerical, geostatistical, and inverse modeling techniques to a variety of problems in hydrology and geophysics

Education

• PhD, University of California, Berkeley, Civil and Environmental Engineering (2003)
• MS, University of California, Berkeley, Civil and Environmental Engineering (1999)
• BS, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Engineering and Environmental Science (1997)

Research Interests

• Hydrogeophysics
• Coupled hydrogeophysical inversion (joint inversion of hydrological and geophysical data)
• Aquifer characterization using inverse modeling and data integration approaches
• Simulation of gas hydrate behavior and geophysical response
• Geostatistical and numerical methods in hydrogeology and geophysics

Experience

• Since 2006, Research Scientist, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, California 
• 2004 – 2005, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Earth Sciences Division, LBNL, Berkeley, California
• 2000 – 2003, Graduate Student Researcher, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
• 1999 – 2000, Annual Research Grant Recipient (DAAD), Dept. of Applied Geology, University of Tübingen, Germany
• 1997 – 1999, Graduate Student Researcher, Earth Sciences Division, LBNL, Berkeley, California
• 1995 – 1997, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
• Summer 1995, Software Development Internship, Information Technology Dept., Forest Hospital, Des Plaines, Illinois       

Recognitions

• Member of teams receiving Technology Transfer Award (2005), Outstanding Performance Award (2006), and
  Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement (2012) at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
• Author of 6^th most requested article in Advances in Water Resources  (Apr. 2004 – Mar. 2005)

Sample Publications (Go here for complete list)

• Kowalsky, M.B., S. Finsterle, M. Commer, K.H. Williams, C. Murray, D. Newcomer, A. Englert, C.I. Steefel, and S.S. Hubbard, 2012. On parameterization of the inverse problem for estimating aquifer properties using tracer data, Water Resour. Res., 48, W06535, doi:10.1029/2011WR011203.
• Kowalsky, M. B., E. Gasperikova, S. Finsterle, D. Watson, G. Baker, and S. S. Hubbard, 2011. Coupled modeling of hydrogeochemical and electrical resistivity data for exploring the impact of recharge on subsurface contamination, Water Resour. Res., 47, W02509, doi:10.1029/2009WR008947.
• Kowalsky, M.B., S. Nakagawa, and G.J. Moridis, 2010. Feasibility of monitoring gas hydrate production with time-lapse vertical seismic profiling, SPE Journal, 15(3), 634-645. SPE-132508-PA. doi: 10.2118/132508-PA.
• Kowalsky, M.B., J. Birkholzer, J. Peterson, S. Finsterle, S. Mukhopadhyay, and Y. Tsang, 2008. Sensitivity analysis for joint inversion of GPR and thermal-hydrological data from a large-scale underground heater test,  Nuclear Technology, 164(2), 196-206.
• Kowalsky, M.B., and G. J. Moridis, 2007. Comparison of kinetic and equilibrium reactions in simulating the behavior of gas hydrates, Energy Conversion and Management, 48, 1850-1863, doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2007.01.017.
• Kowalsky, M.B., S. Finsterle, J. Peterson, S. Hubbard, Y. Rubin, E. Majer, A. Ward, and G. Gee, 2005. Estimation of field-scale soil hydraulic and dielectric parameters through joint inversion of GPR and hydrological data, Water Resour. Res., 41, W11425, doi:10.1029/2005WR004237.
• Kowalsky, M.B., S. Finsterle, and Y. Rubin, 2004. Estimating flow parameter distributions using ground-penetrating radar and hydrological measurements during transient flow in the vadose zone, Adv. in Water Res., 27(6), 583-599.
• Kowalsky, M.B., P. Dietrich, G. Teutsch, and Y. Rubin, 2001. Forward modeling of ground-penetrating radar data using digitized outcrop images and multiple scenarios of water saturation, Water Resour. Res., 37(6), 1615-1625 (2001WR900015).