Dr. William P. Anderson Jr.

Dr. William P. Anderson Jr. is a hydrogeologist. He uses groundwater modeling techniques and field data collection to quantify the controls on groundwater flow and solute and heat transport through unconfined aquifers. In general, this water begins as recharge and flows through an unconfined aquifer until it returns to the surface through some form of groundwater discharge (submarine groundwater discharge in marine settings, baseflow in riparian settings). He studies this general problem in a variety of settings, from coastal barrier and barrier-island aquifers of the Outer Banks and southwestern England and Wales to the alluvial aquifers adjacent to mountain streams in northwestern North Carolina. Climate controls on water availability to the groundwater system also are a component of his research. Field-data collections and laboratory experiments (numerical and analytical simulations) are the tools that he uses to conduct experiments with field data or to generate synthetic data for analysis.

Anderson has been a member of the Appalachian geology faculty since 2004 and is former chair of the Department of Geology, now called the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. He teaches courses in introductory hydrology, advanced hydrogeology and engineering geology. Previously, he was tenure-track faculty member at Illinois State University and Radford University.

Areas of Expertise

• Groundwater-surface-water interactions
• Groundwater modeling
• Long-term environmental impacts of coastal flooding and sea-level change on underground freshwater aquifers
• Impacts of road salt and heated runoff on freshwater stream systems
• Urban hydrology and hydrogeology
• Drought-related impacts on groundwater and stream levels