2009 Medals & Awards O.E. Meinzer Award

2009 MEDALS & AWARDS O.E. MEINZER AWARD and paleohydrology in semi-arid regions. Walton (1983) complemented the 1982 paper Since the mid-1990s, he has coordinated by highlighting hydrochemical evolution in a Presented to W. Mike Edmunds several major projects sponsored by the regional carbonate aquifer and documenting European Commission, including baseline how water quality changed in the upgradient groundwater quality and paleohydrology of part of the system as a result of agrichemical aquifers across Europe. He retired from an inputs. This paper may have been the first Individual Merit position at the BGS in 2001 to identify the potential significance of but retains an appointment there as Honorary natural attenuation of contaminants (in this Research Associate. In 2002, Mike became case, nitrate reduction) at the regional scale. Research Director of the Oxford Centre for As noted by Bridget Scanlon (University Water Research. He holds the title of Visiting of Texas), Mike’s “use of major and trace Professor of Hydrogeology in the Oxford element concentrations as indicators of University Centre for the Environment, where redox sequence in an aquifer … with age he coordinates the MSc program in Water indicators and palaeo-recharge temperature Science, Policy, and Management. proxies provided a sophisticated look at the Mike has been a remarkably prolific and relationships between water/rock interaction, influential researcher in hydrogeology. He climate and abstraction.” has more than 140 externally peer-reviewed Using numerical modeling, Cook and publications; according to Science Citation others (1992) demonstrated how chloride W. Mike Edmunds Index, at least nine of his papers have been and stable-isotope profiles in the unsaturated Oxford Centre for Water Research cited more than 30 times each. He was a zone can preserve sub-decadal to century- founder of the International Association of scale fluctuations in recharge. Yousif Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry’s Water- Kharaka commented that Mike “was the Rock Interaction Group, which he chaired first to show how (vadose-zone) tracer based Citation by Alan E. Fryar from 1986 to 1997. His contributions have approaches may be used to resolve recharge been recognized with the Ineson Lectureship rates and … history. The results have had I am honored to introduce Mike (1998) and Whitaker Medal (1999) of profound implications to recognizing the Edmunds as the recipient of the 2009 O.E. the Geological Society of London, the limits of renewable groundwater, especially Meinzer Award. During a career of more Ingerson Lectureship (2004) of the IAGC, in semi-arid regions.” Bridget Scanlon added, than four decades, Prof. Edmunds has and lectureships at Trinity College Dublin, “Mike’s vadose zone chloride investigations made seminal contributions to multiple Oxford, and Waterloo. He has received the introduced the hydrogeological community topics in groundwater chemistry. These Meinzer Award for four publications that to one of its most valuable approaches to include controls on water quality in regional represent the depth, breadth, and sustained recharge estimation…. The approach has aquifers, recharge over a variety of time and productivity of his research: become an indispensible tool for recharge and space scales, and the origin of mineral and Edmunds, W.M., Bath, A.H., and Miles, palaeo-recharge studies worldwide and makes thermal waters. His research exemplifies D.L., 1982, Hydrochemical evolution of the recharge assessment broadly accessible to how combining scientific insight with East Midlands Triassic sandstone aquifer, developing countries and remote locations.” technical innovation can yield an improved England: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Edmunds and Milne (2001) drew understanding of groundwater quality and 46, 2069-2081; together studies demonstrating the availability. Edmunds, W.M., and Walton, N.R.G., emplacement of paleowaters in coastal Mike earned an Honours BSc in 1983, The Lincolnshire Limestone— aquifers across northern and western Europe. Geology (1964) and his PhD in geochemistry Hydrogeochemical evolution over a ten-year In addition to being the book’s senior editor, (1968), focusing on the genesis of garnet in period: Journal of Hydrology, 61, 201-211; Mike authored or co-authored seven of its 17 polymetamorphic rocks, at the University Cook, P.G., Edmunds, W.M., and Gaye, papers. Yousif Kharaka highlighted Mike’s of Liverpool. In 1966, he began a 35-year C.B., 1992, Estimating paleorecharge and work as “instrumental in the recognition of career at the British Geological Survey, paleoclimate from unsaturated zone profiles: off-shore palaeowaters as an important new where, to quote Willy Burgess of University Water Resources Research, 28(10), 2721- water resource”. This volume is cited in a College London, Mike became “the father of 2731; paper just published on-line in Ground Water hydrogeochemistry in the UK”. His research Edmunds, W.M., and Milne, C.J. by Cohen and others, “Origin and extent of initially encompassed chemical processes in (eds.), 2001, Palaeowaters in Coastal fresh paleowaters on the Atlantic Continental aquifers in Great Britain, the impacts of acid Europe: evolution of groundwater since the Shelf, USA”. rain on shallow groundwater quality, and, as late Pleistocene: Special Publication 189, Mike Edmunds’ output has been not noted by Yousif Kharaka of USGS, “some Geological Society, London, 332 p. only meticulous and prolific, but of great of the earliest investigations of geothermal Edmunds and others (1982) was practical relevance. Perhaps more than any resources,” particularly the chemistry of among the first studies that integrated a broad other hydrogeologic researcher of our era, he hot, dry-rock reservoirs. Subsequent studies suite of analyses (major and minor solutes, has worked in multiple regions, developed in the Sahara and Sahel sparked Mike’s stable isotopes, 14C, and aquifer mineralogy) and developing, humid to arid, including sustained interest in groundwater recharge with geochemical modeling to delineate Europe, north Africa, the Middle East, regional-scale processes of hydrochemical China, Siberia, and Mexico. In its diversity * Citation publications noted in bold. evolution in a clastic aquifer. Edmunds and statement, GSA describes itself as “a global THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2009 MEDALS & AWARDS professional society”. It is thus fitting that the The first task was to set up new some of the geochemical recharge studies Hydrogeology Division recognizes Prof. Mike hydrogeochemical laboratories and take which owe much of their success to Australian Edmunds with the 2009 Meinzer Award. a fresh look at British aquifers and the connections. geochemical processes controlling their water It has proved exciting and challenging quality. The first two citations represent in the past two decades to discover Europe, Response by W. Mike Edmunds two of the papers from this period and working with colleagues in many European First let me thank you, the GSA exemplify the teamwork and productivity with countries (including Russia!), discovering Hydrogeology Division and especially the colleagues of our small group (Adrian Bath, new scientific and multidisciplinary avenues Awards Committee in this Golden Jubilee year Doug Miles and Nick Walton) that enabled us and enabling me to follow a less-insular for your generosity in having nominated me to apply the growing range of chemical and approach. Working with large teams in Europe for the prestigious O.E. Meinzer Award. isotopic tools to build our understanding of on geothermal energy, hydrogeochemical Secondly I owe special thanks to Alan for the British aquifers. exploration, palaeohydrology, and baseline his eloquent citation and hard work involved I would like to make special geochemistry has led to some highly for putting all this together and for the others acknowledgement at this point of the rewarding research, lasting friendships, and who have been involved in the process. encouragement offered by Bill Back (USGS) not least an improvement in my linguistic Thirdly I would like to acknowledge the in my early career on carbonate aquifers. If I skills - and an appreciation of good wine. The inspiration of many British hydrogeologists had accepted his offer to join him working on fourth citation exemplifies this work which and working colleagues who have been part of the Edwards Limestone my career might have provided an opportunity to apply a wide range my scientific career. I feel specially honoured taken a different course. of isotopic, geochemical knowledge working as the first British recipient of this award Sir Kingsley Dunham supported my with Quaternary geoscientists to understand and as a Fellow of your sister society — the application to attend the IAGC Symposium palaeo-groundwater evolution at a continental Geological Society of London on Hydrogeochemistry and Biogeochemistry scale. Like many hydrogeologists I entered in Tokyo (1970) where I first presented the There have been many privileges the subject from a hard rock background Lincolnshire work. In Tokyo I was present and learning experiences in working and was fired up wanting to work further at the birth of the IAGC Working Group on with peoples in rural and often remote on my electron probe studies of garnet in Water-Rock Interaction. This coincidence had areas, hearing water stories first hand and metamorphic rocks. Even as a hydrogeologist a strong influence on my career. I have kept appreciating

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