James Berglund
Contact Info
Campuses and Colleges
- UW-Platteville
- College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science
Appointments and Roles
Biography
Educational Background
B.S., Geology, Minor: Aviation Science, Winona State University, Winona, MN, 2010
M.S., Geospatial Science in Geology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 2012
Ph.D., Geoscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 2019
Professional Background
Research Hydrogeologist, Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology/Montana Tech, Butte, MT, 2019-2022
Groundwater Protection Hydrologist, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN, 2012-2015
About
Dr. Berglund is an assistant professor of geology for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He teaches courses in geology and groundwater resources, including Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Environmental Geology, Geology for Engineers, Hydrogeology, and Groundwater Hydrology.
Dr. Berglund's research specialties are in karst, or carbonate bedrock regions noted for their caves, sinkholes, and springs, such as you'd find in the Driftless Area. His research methods focus on monitoring springs with dataloggers and water samplers, imaging the subsurface through electrical resistivity geophysical methods, and modeling groundwater flow through bedrock fractures and conduits. His past projects have included tracking groundwater flow paths between sinkholes and springs using dye tracing and near-surface geophysics in Missouri, modeling groundwater capture zones around municipal water supply wells throughout central and southern Minnesota, using water temperature and rare earth elements as natural tracers to model and quantify conduit geometry and water-rock interactions in the Appalachian karst of central Pennsylvania, and modelling transient groundwater recharge and usage dynamics within the Flathead Valley of northwest Montana. At Platteville, his recent research has focused on deploying temperature dataloggers to springs across the Driftless Area to search for seasonal- and short-scale variations in spring temperature to better understand groundwater recharge and flow in these delicate aquifer systems.
Outside of the classroom and research lab, Dr. Berglund is also the Secretary for the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America, and is a member of the Platteville Airport Commission. He also has his private pilot's license and enjoys flying drones for fun (or research!).
His favorite mineral is calcite, and his favorite rock is Morton Gneiss. Every rock pun is his favorite.