David Boutt

Professor of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Amherst MA

David Boutt's research focuses on the interplay of surface water and groundwater, and on sub-surface processes that impact it on its journey

Contact

University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Expertise

Drought
Hydrogeology
Groundwater Recharge Processes
Groundwater
Water
Paleo Hydrology
Groundwater Hydrology
Watershed Hydrology

Biography

David Boutt provides expert commentary on issues related to groundwater and hydrology. He is especially interested in how lithium mining affects water quality. He has been featured in publication including the Boston Globe and ScienceNews.

Boutt's work focuses on how water becomes groundwater and the sub-surface processes that impact it along its journey. This includes understanding how groundwater contributes to streamflow generation and springs. He also works to understand how much water is available for a region at a given time in geologic history and where the source the source of this water is located.

He is also a member of the Climate Science Advisory Panel through the new Massachusetts Office of Climate Science, charged with providing expertise on statewide climate science and future projections used to inform state and local climate adaptation planning and projects.

Social Media

Video

Education

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology,

Ph.D.

Hydrology

Michigan State University

M.S.

Hydrogeology

Michigan State University

B.S.

Geosciences

Select Recent Media Coverage

Yes, New England is still in a drought. But December delivered a big helping of rainfall

The Boston Globe  online

2025-01-03

David Boutt is quoted in an article about drought conditions in New England following recent precipitation. “If you look at the groundwater observation locations that are in the uplands or the recharge areas, the headwater streams, those areas have recovered pretty well,” he says.

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What Makes the Eastern U.S. Drought Different from the West’s

Scientific American  online

2024-11-27

David Boutt says that, unlike in the Western U.S., drought can develop very quickly in the East and last week’s rain and snow is not enough to restore water levels. Boutt says the soils are so dry that it will probably take precipitation amounts of 10 inches distributed over the next few months to get water levels back to normal.

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Could Pennsylvania’s fracking wastewater hold the key to the country’s energy transition?

WHYY  radio

2024-05-21

David Boutt comments on research into fracking wastewater containing lithium from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. “These are very high lithium concentrations. And some of them are approaching concentrations of lithium that we see in [South America],” says Boutt, who was not involved in the study. “So having a source of lithium in what is essentially a waste product is a really important step.”

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