John Halfman's Web Site:

John D. Halfman
Professor of Geolimnology & Hydrogeochemistry
Finger Lakes Institute Endowed Chair in Environmental Studies
Chair, Envirnmental Studies Program
Finger Lakes Institute, Environmental Studies Program, and Department of Geoscience at
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York 14456
halfman@hws.edu, (315) 781-3918, FAX (315) 781-3860

 

Finger Lakes Institute
Current Courses
Research Interests
Recent Publications
Special Interests

The JB Snow (our 25-ft pontoon boat), the RV William Scandling (our 65-ft research vessel), and
601 S Main St., home to the Finger Lakes Institute

Finger Lakes Institute

Is dedicated to the promotion of environmental research and education about the Finger Lakes and surrounding environments. In collaboration with regional environmental partners and state and local government offices, the Institute fosters environmentally-sound development practices throughout the region, and disseminates the accumulated knowledge to the general public. For more information, see its web site <FLI>

Current Courses

Energy - An introductory/interdisciplinary course for Env. Studies co-taught Tom Drennen, Econ.
Environmental Science - An introductory non-majors course on environmental science
Environmental Geology - An introductory non-majors course on environmental geology
The Fluid Earth - An introductory course for Geoscience & Env. Studies majors
Limnology - An advanced for majors course on the hydrogeochemistry of lakes
An Excel Primer - A tutorial and example environmental problem(s) for beginning Excel users.

Research Interests

Seneca Lake Buoy Data - Autonomous Water Quality and Meteorological Data from a Buoy
Seneca Lake Water Quality - Water Quality Report for Seneca Lake
Seneca Lake Major Ion Hydrogeochemistry - A Hydrogeochemistry Paper for Seneca Lake
Seneca Lake Zebra Mussels - Zebra Mussels in Seneca Lake
Owasco Lake Water Quality - Owasco Lake Water Quality Study
Finger Lakes Limnology, Water Quality Comparisons - Finger Lakes Water Quality
Atrazine in Seneca Lake & Its Watershed - The Concentration and Source of Atrazine
Nitrates in the Seneca Lake Watershed - A honors project by Lindsey Bowser, WS '02

Movie on Water Sampling - Summer, 2011 (smaller format)
Movie on Water Sampling - Summer, 2011 (larger format)
Movie on Water Sampling - Summer, 2011 (*.mov file for older computers)

Special Interests

Building an Energy Efficient House
 Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute - Their Environmental Data
Science on Seneca - A high school outreach program on Seneca Lake
++++++> Seneca Lake Chloride/Sodium Concentrations Power Point
++++++> Seneca Lake Zebra & Quagga Mussel Power Point
Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association - A revitalized citizen-based, environmental, watchdog group
Seneca Lake Area Partners in 5 Counties (SLAP-5) - A watershed plan development team
Horses Marie and Camille.

Recent Publications (*student co-authors)

  1. Halfman, J.D., 2011. Water quality of Seneca Lake, New York: A 2011 Update (ver 2). Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  41 pg
  2. Halfman, J.D., E.G. Cummings* and M.M. Stewart*, 2011.  Owasco Lake, New York:  Water Quality and Nutrient Sources, A 2011 Update.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  44 pg
  3. Halfman, J.D., 2010. Owasco Lake: A 2010 Update. Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 24 pg.
  4. Halfman, J.D., and K.O. O’Neill*, 2010.  Water quality and nutrient sources in the Owasco Lake watershed:  A 2010 Update.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  22 pg
  5. Halfman, J.D., 2009. Wastewater Treatment: Where do Toilet & Sink Wastes Go?
  6. Halfman, J.D., 2009. Landfills:  Where Does Our Trash Go? 
  7. Burtch, N., 2009. Landfill and Wastewater Treatment Facilities in the Finger Lakes Region.
  8. Halfman, J.D., and P. Basnet*, 2009.  Bottom-water phsophates and suspended sediments in southern Cayuga Lake, New York.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  21 pg.
  9. Halfman, J.D., and K. O’Neill*, 2009.  Water quality of the Finger Lakes, New York:  2005 – 2008.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  33 pg.
  10. Halfman, J.D., T.F. Ware*, and K.A. O’Neill*. 2008.  The 2007 Progress Report: Phosphate and suspended sediment distribution and potential sources to southern Cayuga Lake.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  9 pg.
  11. Halfman, J.D., E.S. Brown*, T.F. Ware*, K.A. O’Neill*, C.K. Franklin* and R.E. Dye*, 2008.  Owasco Lake, New York:  Water Quality and Nutrient Sources.  In: Halfman, J.D., M.E. Balyszak and S.A. Meyer (eds.), A 2007 Water Quality Study of Owasco Lake, New York.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  37 pg.
  12. Halfman, J.D., and C.K. Franklin*, 2008.  Water Quality of Seneca Lake, New York: A 2007 Update.  Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
  13. Halfman, J.D., B.L. Holler*, and H.M. Philip*, 2006.  A preliminary water quality study of Owasco Lake, NY, and its watershed. Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 26 pg.
  14. Halfman, J.D., C.M. Caiazza*, R.J. Stewart*, S.M. Opalka*, and C.K. Morgan*. 2006., Major ion hydrogeochemical budgets and elevated chloride concentrations in Seneca Lake, New York.  Northeastern Geology and Environmental Sciences, v. 28, p. 324-333.
  15. Halfman, J.D., and K. F. Bush*, 2006. A Preliminary Water Quality Study of selected Finger Lakes, New York. Finger Lakes Institute Report, 15 pg.
  16. Halfman, J.D., I West*, T.M. Hintz*, and B.A. Beckingham* and many other undergraduate students, 2006. Water Quality and Pollution Sources to the Keuka Outlet, 2003-2005. Report to the Torrey Ad-Hoc Water Quality Committee. 12 pg text, 13 pg data & figures.
  17. Halfman, J.D., D.E. Dittman, R.W. Owens, and M.D. Etherington*, 2006. Storm induced redistribution of deepwater sediments in Lake Ontario. J of Great Lakes Research. 32: 348-360.
  18. Riley*, T.C., T.A. Endreny, and J.D. Halfman, 2006, Monitoring soil moisture and water table height with a low-cost data logger. Computers and Geoscience. 32: 135-140.
  19. Halfman, J.D., D. Wood*, and S. Strong*, 2004. Bathymetric Survey of Owasco Lake for the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT), Auburn, New York. In-House Report, Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
  20. Eyles, N., M Doughty, J.I. Boyce, H.T. Mullins, J.D. Halfman and B. Koseogulu*, 2002, Acoustic architecture of ice-contacted glaciolacustrine sediments deformed during zonal stagnation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet; Mazinaw Lake, Ontario, Canada. Sedimentary Geology. 157: 133-151.
  21. Halfman, J.D., S.M. Baldwin*, J.P. Rumpf* and M.B. Giancarlo*, 2001, The impact of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on the limnology, geochemistry and sedimentology of Seneca Lake, New York. Wagenet, L.P., D.A. Eckhardt, N.G. Hairston, D.E. Karig, and R. Yager, eds., A Symposium on the Environmental Research in the Cayuga Lake Watershed. October 12, 1999. Natural Resource, Agriculture and Engineering Service (NRAES), Cooperative Extension, Cornell University. P. 154-166.
  22. Mullins, H.T. and J.D. Halfman, 2001. High-resolution deglacial and post glacial seismic stratigraphy of Owasco Lake, New York. Quaternary Research, v. 55, p. 322-331.
  23. Dedrick*, R.R., J.D. Halfman & D.B. McKinney, 2000. An inexpensive, microprocessor-based, data logging system. Computers and Geosciences, v. 26, p. 1059-1066.
  24. Eyles, N., J.I. Boyce*, J.D. Halfman and B. Koseogulu*, 2000, Seismic-stratigraphy of Waterton Lake, a sediment starved glaciated basin in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada and Montana, USA. Sedimentary Geology. v. 130, p. 283-311.
  25. Halfman, J.D., 2000, Stratigraphy, sedimentology, and geochemistry of Seneca Lake, New York. New York State Geological Association Annual Meeting. NYSGA Field Trip Guidebook. p. 27-38.
  26. Halfman, J.D., and many undergraduate students*, 1999. Limnology and Water Quality. Chapter 6A. Setting the Course for Seneca Lake - The State of the Seneca Lake Watershed, 1999. Chap 6A, 28 p.
  27. Halfman, J.D., and many undergraduate students*, 1999, Seneca Lake Stream Water Quality. Chapter 6B, Setting the Course for Seneca Lake - The State of the Seneca Lake Watershed, 1999. Chap 6B, 16 p.
  28. Halfman, J.D., and D.T. Herrick*, 1998, Mass-movement and reworking of late glacial and postglacial sediments in northern Seneca Lake, New York. Northeastern Geology and Environmental Sciences, 20: 227-241.

Various earlier papers on paleoclimate and lake studies:

  1. Vollmer, M.K, H.A. Bootsma, R.E. Hecky, G. Patterson, J.D. Halfman, J.M. Edmond, D.H. Eccles, & R.F. Weiss, 2005, Deep-Water Warming Trend in Lake Malawi, East Africa.  Limnology & Oceanography.  50: 727-732.
  2. Halfman, J.D., T.C. Johnson and B.P. Finney, 1994, New AMS dates, stratigraphic correlations and decadal climatic cycles for the past 4 ka at Lake Turkana, Kenya.  Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 111: 83-98.
  3. Halfman, J.D., 1993, Water column characteristics from modern CTD data, Lake Malawi, Africa.  Journal of Great Lakes Research, 19: 512-520.
  4. Halfman, J.D. and C.A. Scholz, 1993, Suspended sediments in Lake Malawi, Africa: A reconnaissance study.  Journal of Great Lakes Research, 19: 449-511.
  5. Halfman, J.D., D.F. Jacobson, C.M Cannella, K.A. Haberyan & BP Finney, 1992, Fossil Diatoms and the mid to late Holocene paleolimnology of Lake Turkana, Kenya: A reconnaisance study. J Paleolimnology, 7: 23-35.
  6. Halfman, J.D. and T.C. Johnson, 1988, High-resolution record of cyclic climatic change during the past 4 Ka from Lake Turkana, Kenya.  Geology, 16: 496-500.
  7. Johnson, T.C., J.D. Halfman, W.H. Busch and R.D. Flood, 1984, Effects of bottom currents and fish on sedimentation in a deep-water, lacustrine environment.  Geological Society of America, Bulletin, 95: 1425-1436.
  8. Halfman, J.D., and T.C. Johnson, 1984, Enhanced atmospheric circulation over North America during the Early Holocene: Evidence from Lake Superior. Science, 224, 61-63.