School of Earth and Environment
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Jared West Dr Jared West

Senior Lecturer: Hydrogeology

Telephone number: +44(0) 113 34 35253
Email address: L.J.West@leeds.ac.uk
Room: 9.151

Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology Group

Consultancy Services

Biography

Research

My research has concerned the development and application of physical and geophysical approaches to the characterization of groundwater processes. Groundwater is an important source of drinking water throughout the world but is also used for irrigation and industrial purposes; it requires protection from pollution by over-abstraction, agrochemicals and wastes, including radioactive wastes. Protecting groundwater requires a good understanding of the processes of flow and pollutant transport within aquifers; my research has focussed on the development of direct, borehole-based physical measurement techniques, such as borehole dilution testing, and indirect geophysical techniques such as resistivity imaging and ground penetrating radar, and use of such techniques to inform numerical modelling of groundwater processes. Work has involved field scale geophysical experiments and monitoring of the Chalk and Sherwood Sandstone aquifers and overlying glacial deposits. It has also involved development of laboratory-based approaches for measuring the geophysical properties of aquifer materials and establishing the relationships between these properties and hydrologically important variables such as porosity, water content and permeability. In recent years my research has taken on an increasingly applied emphasis, working with end-users (Water Companies, Government Agencies) to use scientific understanding developed to inform management of ground and surface-water resources, and land-use planning. In summary, my research interests are concerned with the quantification of water flows in the subsurface, and the associated impacts upon pollutant transport rates and groundwater vulnerability, including:

  1. quantification of unsaturated (vadose) zone processes;
  2. development of methods for collecting and processing geophysical data;
  3. development of methods for measuring aquifer properties, especially in fractured aquifers;
  4. application of knowledge of aquifer processes to predict the impacts of human activities on groundwater quality, especially with reference to questions regarding land management and agricultural practice.

Biography

University of Cambridge, UK; B.A. in Geological Sciences.

University of Leeds, UK: PhD in Applied Geology

University of Leeds, UK: Senior Lecturer in Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology.

Current Research Projects

Publications