Michael Cardiff

Michael Cardiff

Assistant Research Professor

Department of Geosciences

Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface (CGISS)

**Update**:

In Fall 2012, I will be moving to Wisconsin and taking a position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Geosciences. I will be filling the position vacated by hydrogeologist Mary Anderson.

Biography

Mike Cardiff received his B.A. in Geology and Mathematics (with a Religion minor) from Oberlin College in 2001, where he received High Honors for his project “Ant-Colony Optimization of Computer Keyboard Layouts.” After graduating, he worked for PPC, a small environmental/IT consulting firm in the DC-area, where among other projects he served as database administrator for IPABS, a large central DOE database used to store information about nuclear waste cleanup efforts. In 2004, he returned to school this time for a M.Sc. degree from Stanford University in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He continued his research at Stanford, obtaining a PhD in 2010 for his work with Professor Peter K. Kitanidis, with a thesis that focused on inverse methods and data integration (i.e., methods for imaging aquifer heterogeneity). Mike was hired as a postdoctoral researcher and adjunct professor by the Department of Geosciences, working under the direction of Professor Warren Barrash. He has since been promoted to the rank of Assistant Research Professor.

Educational History

• Ph.D. 2010. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
• M.Sc. 2005. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology Program, Stanford University
• B. A. 2001. Geology And Mathematics, Oberlin College

Research Interests

• Applications of optimization methodologies and heuristics to large, complex environmental problems
• Aquifer imaging with hydrologic and geophysical methods
• Spatial data analysis and geostatistics
• Decision making under uncertainty

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Thoma, M., W. Barrash, M. Cardiff, J.H. Bradford, and J. Mead. 2012-in review. Estimation of in-situ unsaturated hydraulic properties of a stony sediment sequence from an infiltration experiment, Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. Water Resources Research.

Cardiff, M., T. Bakhos, P.K. Kitanidis, and W. Barrash. 2012-in review. Oscillatory Hydraulic Tomography: A new concept for aquifer imaging and long-term monitoring with periodic signals. Water Resources Research.

Bakhos, T., M. Cardiff, W. Barrash, and P.K. Kitanidis. 2012-in review. Signal processing for oscillatory hydraulic tomography. Water Resources Research.

Cardiff, M., W. Barrash, and P. K. Kitanidis. 2012-in press. A field proof-of-concept of aquifer imaging using 3D transient hydraulic tomography with modular, temporarily-emplaced equipment. Water Resources Research.

Parker, J., U. Kim, P. K. Kitanidis, M. Cardiff, X. Liu and G. Beyke. 2012-accepted. Stochastic cost optimization of DNAPL site remediation. 1. Method description and sensitivity studies. Environmental Modeling and Software.

Kim, U., J. Parker, P. K. Kitanidis, M. Cardiff, X. Liu and J. Gillie. 2012-accepted. Stochastic cost optimization of DNAPL site remediation. 2. Field application.  Environmental Modeling and Software.

Cardiff, M., and W. Barrash. 2011. 3D Transient hydraulic tomography in unconfined aquifers with fast drainage response. Water Resources Research 47, W12518.

Dafflon, B., W. Barrash, M. Cardiff, and T. Johnson. 2011. Hydrological parameter estimations from a conservative tracer test with variable-density effects at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. Water Resources Research, 47(12).

Malama, B., W. Barrash, M. Cardiff and M. Thoma. 2011. Modeling slug tests in unconfined aquifers taking into account source well skin and inertial effects. Journal of Hydrology 408 (1-2) 113-126.

Straface, S. F. Chidichimo, E. Rizzo, M. Riva, W. Barrash, A. Revil, M. Cardiff, and A. Guadagnini. 2011. Joint inversion of hydrogeophysical data at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. Journal of Hydrology 407, 115-128.

Cardiff, M., W. Barrash, B. Malama and M. Thoma. 2011. Information content of slug tests for estimating hydraulic properties in realistic, high-conductivity aquifer scenarios. Journal of Hydrology. 403 (1-2) 66-82.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2010. Fitting data under omnidirectional noise: A probabilistic method for inferring petrophysical and hydrologic relations. Mathematical Geosciences 42 (8) 877-909.

Cardiff, M. X. Liu, P.K. Kitanidis, J. Parker, and U. Kim. 2010. Cost optimization of DNAPL source and plume remediation under uncertainty using a semi-analytic model. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 113 (1-4) 25-43.

Parker, J., U. Kim, P.K. Kitanidis, M. Cardiff, and X. Liu. 2010. Stochastic cost optimization of multi-strategy DNAPL site remediation. Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation 30 (3) 65-78.

Liu, X., M. Cardiff, and P.K. Kitanidis. 2010. Parameter estimation in nonlinear environmental problems. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 24 (7) 1003-1022.

Cai, Z., R.D. Wilson, M. Cardiff, and P.K. Kitanidis. 2010. Increasing confidence in mass discharge estimates using geostatistical methods. Ground Water 49 (2) 197-208.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2009. Bayesian inversion for facies detection: An extensible level set framework. Water Resources Research 45, W10416.

Cardiff, M., W. Barrash, P.K. Kitanidis, A. Revil, S. Straface, E. Rizzo, and T. Johnson. 2009. A potential-based inversion of unconfined steady-state hydraulic tomography. Ground Water 47 (2) 259-270.

Jardani, A., A. Revil, W. Barrash, A. Crespy, E. Rizzo, S. Straface, M. Cardiff, B. Malama, C. Miller, and T. Johnson. 2009. Reconstruction of the water table from self-potential data: A Bayesian approach. Ground Water 47 (2) 213-227.

Cardiff, M., and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008.  Efficient solution of nonlinear, underdetermined inverse problems with a generalized PDE model. Computers and Geosciences 34, 1480-1491.

Cardiff, M., G. Hughes and R. Bosch.   Maximizing fun in a theme park: The M⁷TP. The UMAP Journal

Conference Presentations & Papers

Cardiff, M., W. Barrash, B. Dafflon, and B. Malama. 2010. (invited) Non-uniqueness in relationships between geophysical and hydrologic parameters: Existence, implications, and improving methods of data integration. AGU Fall Meeting.

Dafflon, B., W. Barrash and M. Cardiff. 2010. Benefit of using geophysical information to estimate the distribution of hydrological properties for prediction of solute transport: Evaluation based on a field tracer test experiment and crosshole GPR data. AGU Fall Meeting.

Barrash, W., J.H. Bradford, M. Cardiff, B. Dafflon, B.A. Johnson, B. Malama and M.J. Thoma. 2010. (invited) Integrated Site Investigation Methods and Modeling: Recent Developments at the BHRS. AGU Fall Meeting.

Cardiff, M. 2009. Bayesian inference of site-specific petrophysical relations from noisy data. Eos. Trans. AGU 90 (52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H53B-0917.

Cardiff, M. 2009 (invited). Mapping interfaces and facies with indirect, noisy data. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Earth Science Division Meeting, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008. New frontiers in inversion and data integration. Banff International Research Station Conference on Integrated Hydrogeophysical Inversion.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008. A Bayesian level-set inversion protocol (BLIP) for structural zonation. Eos Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H41A-0834.

Liu, X., M. Cardiff, J. Parker and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008. NAPL remediation cost optimization under uncertainty using a semi-analytic model. Eos Trans. AGU 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H31D-0889.

Hughes, G., M. Cardiff and Steven Wojtal. Application of Bezier splines to the analysis of folds. Geological Society of America Joint Meeting 2008. Houston, TX USA.

Cardiff, M. 2008. Imaging the subsurface with sparse, noisy data: Methods and case studies in hydrogeology. Invited talk, University of Sheffield Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group, Sheffield, UK.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008. New frontiers in inversion and data integration. Banff International Research Station Conference on Integrated Hydrogeophysical Inversion, Banff, Alberta Canada.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008. Joint inversion for hydrogeophysical facies zonation through level set methods. Computational Methods in Water Resources International Conference  2008, San Francisco, CA USA.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2008. Multiphysics models as a platform for environmental modeling and inverse modeling. Computational Methods in Water Resources International Conference  2008, San Francisco, CA USA.

Barrash, W., A. Revil, M. Cardiff, T. Johnson, B. Malama, E. Rizzo, C. Miller, and S. Straface. 2007. Combined hydraulic tomography – self potential – electrical resistivity tomography for parameter estimation in the unconfined aquifer at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. Eos Trans. AGU 88(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H33M-04.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2006. Use of COMSOL Multiphysics for efficient, automatic inverse modeling of PDE-based systems: applications to aquifer characterization. COMSOL User’s Conference 2006 Boston Conference Proceedings, 247-253.

Cardiff, M. and P.K. Kitanidis. 2005.   Semivariogram Estimation Using Ant Colony Optimization and Ensemble Kriging Accounting for Parameter Uncertainty. EOS Trans. AGU, 86(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H13D-1354.

Cardiff, M. A., Y. Shen, and the ICEMELT and HOTSPOT teams. 1999.   Azimuthal dependence of mantle discontinuities near 220 and 300 km depth beneath Iceland. EOS Trans. AGU, 80, S218.

Cardiff, M., and G. Hughes. 2000. Maximizing fun at an amusement park: The M⁷TP. International Symposium on Mathematical Programming 2000.

Teaching Experience

• Lecturer – GEOS-624: Applied Hydrogeology – Estimation and Prediction (Spring 2010, Boise State University)
  • Topics covered: Statistical inference, linear covariance propagation, Monte Carlo methods, Markov Chain Monte Carlo, estimation for ill-posed problems, geostatistics
• Lecturer – GEOS-623: Advanced Hydrogeology (Fall 2010, Boise State University)
  • Topics covered: Stokes flow, Darcy’s law, Analytic modeling methods, Numerical modeling of flow and transport using MODFLOW
• Lecturer – CEE-268: Groundwater Flow (Summer 2009, Stanford University)
  • Topics covered: Origins of Darcy’s law, Analytic modeling methods, Numerical modeling of flow and transport using COMSOL Multiphysics
• Graduate Teaching Consultant – Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning (2008-2010, Stanford University)
• Award: Stanford University Centennial Teaching Assistant Award (2008, Stanford University)
• Teaching Assistant – CEE-268: Groundwater Flow (2005-2008, Stanford University)
  • Prepared and delivered lectures for 33% of classes
  • Homework Grading and Solution Sets for 8 Problem Sets, 12 to 30 students
  • Held regular problem sessions and office hours
  • Produced all materials and lectures for 2-week long mini-course on COMSOL Multiphysics Modeling Environment
• Lecturer – CEE-201D: Mathematics Laboratory Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering (2007, Stanford University)
  • Prepared and delivered lectures for 20% of classes

Reviewer

• Computers & Geosciences

• Environmental Science & Technology

• Ground Water

• Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation

• Hydrogeology Journal

• Journal of Applied Geophysics

• Journal of Contaminant Hydrology

• Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment

• Water Resources Management

• Water Resources Research