Hydrogeologist
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension | Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
Hometown: Boyd, Wisconsin
Amy Wiersma is a hydrogeologist with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. She studies and maps groundwater resources at local and county scales, helping communities and decision-makers understand and use the results. She earned her PhD in Environmental Chemistry and Technology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her interests include investigating groundwater contamination (naturally occurring and human-derived) and long-term trends in groundwater quality.
Talks:
The natural radioactivity of Wisconsin’s groundwater
Wisconsin’s groundwater contains naturally occurring uranium and radium due to their presence in the rocks that form Wisconsin’s aquifers. This talk gives an introduction to the geologic sources of uranium and radium, how they are released from rocks to groundwater, and where they occur at elevated levels in Wisconsin’s groundwater.
Mapping Wisconsin’s groundwater resources
This talk gives an introduction to groundwater, Wisconsin’s major aquifers, and how maps can tell us what direction groundwater is moving and where it is vulnerable to contamination.