Kevin M. Befus

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

High Impact

Associate Professor

University of Arkansas

Also affiliated: University of Wyoming (2017–2023); United States Geological Survey (2021–2024); National Park Service (2024); University of Colorado Boulder (2011); The University of Texas at Arlington (2024); University of Colorado System (2011); Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (2024); Wheaton College - Illinois (2007–2010); University of Tennessee at Knoxville (2021); The University of Texas at Austin (2012–2018)

23 h-index 145 pubs 3,256 cited

Research Areas

Biomedical Subjects

Links

ORCID Lab Website

OverviewAI-generated summary

Kevin M. Befus's research investigates global groundwater dynamics, focusing on its volume, distribution, and interactions with climate change. His work has explored the long-term feedback mechanisms between groundwater, surface water, and land elevations, particularly in managed settings experiencing sea-level rise. Befus has published extensively on the global prevalence of fossil groundwater and its vulnerability to modern contamination, as well as the specific threats posed by events like storm surges to aquifer systems. He also studies the seismic constraints on critical zone architecture, contributing to a broader understanding of Earth's near-surface systems.

His research network includes frequent collaborators from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, such as Clinton M. Wood and Mohammadyar Rahimi. Befus holds a strong publication record, with 145 total publications and over 3,200 citations, reflected in his h-index of 23. He has received federal funding, including a $359,210 award from the Department of the Army as a Co-PI for research on groundwater and sea-level rise trajectories. Befus also engages with broader scientific community issues, having published on balancing open science and data privacy in the water sciences.

Metrics

h-index: 23
Publications: 145
Citations: 3,256

Positions

University of Arkansas 2020–present

Geosciences ORCID
Associate Professor publications 2020–2026

University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Institution web page
University of Wyoming 2016–2020

Civil & Architectural Engineering ORCID

Selected Publications

Ecogeomorphologic Response of a Tidally Restricted Salt Marsh to Tidal Restoration and Sea-Level Rise (2026)

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) DOI OpenAlex
Ecogeomorphologic Response of a Tidally Restricted Salt Marsh to Tidal Restoration and Sea-Level Rise (2026)

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) DOI OpenAlex
Ecogeomorphologic Response of a Tidally Restricted Salt Marsh to Tidal Restoration and Sea‐Level Rise (2026)

Water Resources Research DOI OpenAlex
The impact of sea-level and groundwater rise on indoor exposure to volatile organic compounds near contaminated sites in socially vulnerable communities in the San Francisco Bay Area (2026)

DRYAD 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Sea-level and groundwater rise increase the potential for indoor exposure to volatile organic compounds near contaminated sites (2026)

Environmental Research Communications DOI OpenAlex
Assessing the Impact of Reservoir Management on Surrounding Groundwater: Causality, Modeling, and Future Hypothetical Scenarios (2026)

JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association DOI OpenAlex
Integration of ERT and Geotechnical Investigation for River Restoration: A Case Study of Dam Removal Site Characterization (2026)

Environmental Management 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Seeing Below the Surface: Electrical Geophysics Applications in Dam Safety (2025)

GEOSTRATA Magazine DOI OpenAlex
Explainable machine learning surrogate modeling for exit gradient prediction in hydraulic structures using numerical simulations (2025)

Journal of Hydroinformatics 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
Over, Under, and Through: Hydrologic Connectivity and the Future of Coastal Landscape Salinization (2025)

Water Resources Research 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
Enhanced submarine groundwater discharge and freshening of a subterranean estuary from rain (2025)

Journal of Hydrology 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
Current trends and biases in groundwater modelling using the community-driven groundwater model portal (GroMoPo) (2025)

Hydrogeology Journal 6 citations DOI OpenAlex
Investigating Seepage through Earthen Dams Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography: Case Studies from Hindsville Lake Dam and Elmdale Lake Dam, Arkansas (2025)

2 citations DOI OpenAlex
Projections of multiple climate-related coastal hazards for the US Southeast Atlantic (2024)

Nature Climate Change 21 citations DOI OpenAlex
Hydrogeophysical inversion using a physics-based catchment model with hydrological and electromagnetic induction data (2024)

Journal of Hydrology 1 citation DOI OpenAlex