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Professor Mark Cuthbert
Teams and roles for Mark Cuthbert
Overview
I work on a broad range of topics related to Earth's Water with a primary specialism in groundwater sustainability, and particular interests in groundwater's interconnections to other Earth and socio-cultural systems. Please get in touch for more information about my research, for copies of papers, or if you are interested in collaborating.
Publication
2025
- Blake, G. et al., 2025. The impact of convection-permitting model rainfall on the dryland water balance. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 29 , pp.7098-7125. (10.5194/hess-29-7093-2025)
- Bourke, S. A. et al., 2025. Hydrogeology, European colonialism, local communities and First Peoples: moving beyond business as usual. Hydrogeology Journal (10.1007/s10040-025-02955-7)
- Cuthbert, M. O. 2025. What is groundwater?. Hydrogeology Journal
- Gnann, S. et al., 2025. The influence of topography on the global terrestrial water cycle. Reviews of Geophysics 63 (1) e2023RG000810. (10.1029/2023rg000810)
- Huggins, X. et al., 2025. A review of open data for studying global groundwater in social–ecological systems. Environmental Research Letters 20 (9) 093002. (10.1088/1748-9326/adf127)
- Patton, A. M. , Cleall, P. J. and Cuthbert, M. O. 2025. Using groundwater temperature time-series to reveal subsurface thermal and hydraulic processes. Hydrogeology Journal 33 , pp.1259-1277. (10.1007/s10040-025-02930-2)
- Zamrsky, D. et al., 2025. Current trends and biases in groundwater modelling using the community-driven Groundwater Model Portal (GroMoPo). Hydrogeology Journal 33 (2), pp.355-366. (10.1007/s10040-025-02882-7)
- Zarate, E. et al. 2025. How alluvial storage controls spatiotemporal water balance partitioning in intermittent and ephemeral stream systems. Water Resources Research 61 (4) e2024WR037256. (10.1029/2024WR037256)
2024
- Cocking, K. et al. 2024. Locally defined seasonal rainfall characteristics within the Horn of Africa drylands from rain gauge observations. Journal of Hydrometeorology 25 (12), pp.1845-1861. (10.1175/jhm-d-23-0228.1)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2024. Concerns regarding proposed groundwater Earth system boundary. Nature 635 (8039), pp.E4-E5. (10.1038/s41586-024-08082-9)
2023
- Asfaw, D. T. et al., 2023. stoPET v1.0: a stochastic potential evapotranspiration generator for simulation of climate change impacts. Geoscientific Model Development 16 (2), pp.557-571. (10.5194/gmd-16-557-2023)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2023. Defining renewable groundwater use and its relevance to sustainable groundwater management. Water Resources Research 59 (9) e2022WR032831. (10.1029/2022WR032831)
- Macleod, D. et al. 2023. Translating seasonal climate forecasts into water balance forecasts for decision making. PLOS Climate 2 (3) e0000138. (10.1371/journal.pclm.0000138)
- Quichimbo Miguitama, E. A. et al. 2023. Assessing the sensitivity of modelled water partitioning to global precipitation datasets in a data‐scarce dryland region. Hydrological Processes 37 (12) e15047. (10.1002/hyp.15047)
- Warter, M. M. et al. 2023. Modeling seasonal vegetation phenology from hydroclimatic drivers for contrasting plant functional groups within drylands of the Southwestern USA. Environmental Research: Ecology 2 (2) 025001. (10.1088/2752-664X/acb9a0)
- West, C. et al., 2023. Ground truthing global-scale model estimates of groundwater recharge across Africa. Science of the Total Environment 858 159765. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159765)
- Zipper, S. et al., 2023. GroMoPo: A groundwater model portal for findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) modeling. Groundwater 61 (6), pp.764-767. (10.1111/gwat.13343)
2022
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2022. Global climate-driven trade-offs between the water retention and cooling benefits of urban greening. Nature Communications 13 (1) 518. (10.1038/s41467-022-28160-8)
- Lowry, C. S. et al., 2022. Groundwater origami: folding paper models to visualize groundwater flow. Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 876853. (10.3389/fenvs.2022.876853)
- MacLeod, D. et al. 2022. Translating seasonal climate forecasts into decision-relevant water security forecasts. Presented at: EGU General Assembly 2022 23–27 May 2022. (10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2804)
- Patton, A. M. et al. 2022. Hydro-geomechanical characterisation of a coastal urban aquifer using multiscalar time and frequency domain groundwater-level responses. Hydrogeology Journal 29 , pp.2751-2771. (10.1007/s10040-021-02400-5)
- Rust, W. et al., 2022. The importance of non-stationary multiannual periodicities in the North Atlantic Oscillation index for forecasting water resource drought. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 26 (9), pp.2449–2467. (10.5194/hess-26-2449-2022)
- West, C. et al., 2022. Understanding process controls on groundwater recharge variability across Africa through recharge landscapes. Journal of Hydrology 612 (A) 127967. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.127967)
2021
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2021. Runoff and focused groundwater-recharge response to flooding rains in the arid zone of Australia. Hydrogeology Journal 29 , pp.737-764. (10.1007/s10040-020-02284-x)
- Baker, A. et al., 2021. Quantifying temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity in rainfall recharge thresholds in a montane karst environment. Journal of Hydrology 594 125965. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.125965)
- Gleeson, T. et al., 2021. GMD perspective: the quest to improve the evaluation of groundwater representation in continental- to global-scale models. Geoscientific Model Development 14 (12), pp.7545–7571. (10.5194/gmd-14-7545-2021)
- Quichimbo, E. A. et al. 2021. DRYP 1.0: A parsimonious hydrological model of DRYland Partitioning of the water balance. Geoscientific Model Development 14 , pp.6893-6917. (10.5194/gmd-14-6893-2021)
- Rust, W. et al., 2021. Non-stationary control of the NAO on European rainfall and its implications for water resource management. Hydrological Processes 35 (3) e14099. (10.1002/hyp.14099)
- Rust, W. et al., 2021. Exploring the role of hydrological pathways in modulating multi-annual climate teleconnection periodicities from UK rainfall to streamflow. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 25 (4), pp.2223-2237. (10.5194/hess-25-2223-2021)
- Seddon, D. et al., 2021. Focused groundwater recharge in a tropical dryland: Empirical evidence from central, semi-arid Tanzania. Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies 37 100919. (10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100919)
- Singer, M. B. et al. 2021. Hourly potential evapotranspiration at 0.1˚ resolution for the global land surface from 1981-present. Scientific Data 8 224. (10.1038/s41597-021-01003-9)
- Sorensen, J. P. R. et al., 2021. The influence of groundwater abstraction on interpreting climate controls and extreme recharge events from well hydrographs in semi-arid South Africa. Hydrogeology Journal 29 , pp.2773-2787. (10.1007/s10040-021-02391-3)
- Warter, M. M. et al. 2021. Drought onset and propagation into soil moisture and grassland vegetation responses during the 2012–2019 major drought in Southern California. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 25 (6), pp.3713–3729. (10.5194/hess-25-3713-2021)
- Zarate, E. et al. 2021. The role of superficial geology in controlling groundwater recharge in the weathered crystalline basement of semi-arid Tanzania. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 36 100833. (10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100833)
2020
- Baker, A. et al., 2020. Rainfall recharge thresholds in a subtropical climate determined using a regional cave drip water monitoring network. Journal of Hydrology 587 125001. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125001)
- Ferguson, G. et al., 2020. Rethinking groundwater age. Nature Geoscience 13 (9), pp.592-594. (10.1038/s41561-020-0629-7)
- Gleeson, T. et al., 2020. Global groundwater sustainability, resources and systems in the Anthropocene. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 48 , pp.431-463. (10.1146/annurev-earth-071719-055251)
- Markowska, M. et al., 2020. Modern speleothem oxygen isotope hydroclimate records in water-limited SE Australia. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 270 , pp.431-448. (10.1016/j.gca.2019.12.007)
- Opie, S. et al., 2020. Climate-groundwater dynamics inferred from GRACE and the role of hydraulic memory. Earth System Dynamics 11 (3), pp.775-791. (10.5194/esd-11-775-2020)
- Quichimbo Miguitama, E. A. , Singer, M. B. and Cuthbert, M. O. 2020. Characterizing groundwater-surface water interactions in idealized ephemeral stream systems. Hydrological Processes 34 (18), pp.3792-3806. (10.1002/hyp.13847)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2020. Technical Note: Disentangling the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides to improve subsurface characterisation. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 24 , pp.6033-6046. (10.5194/hess-24-6033-2020)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2020. Future-proofing hydrogeology by revising groundwater monitoring practice. Hydrogeology Journal 28 , pp.2963-2969. (10.1007/s10040-020-02242-7)
2019
- Barker, A. et al., 2019. Global analysis reveals climatic controls on the oxygen isotope composition of cave drip water. Nature Communications 10 2984. (10.1038/s41467-019-11027-w)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2019. Global patterns and dynamics of climate-groundwater interactions. Nature Climate Change 9 , pp.137-141. (10.1038/s41558-018-0386-4)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2019. Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa. Nature 572 , pp.230-234. (10.1038/s41586-019-1441-7)
- Jones, M. D. et al., 2019. 20,000 years of societal vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in southwest Asia. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water 6 (2) e1330. (10.1002/wat2.1330)
- Kolusu, S. R. et al., 2019. The El Niño event of 2015-2016: climate anomalies and their impact on groundwater resources in East and Southern Africa. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences and Discussions 23 (3), pp.1751-1762. (10.5194/hess-23-1751-2019)
- Patton, A. et al. 2019. Observed controls on the seasonal variability of urban groundwater thermal regimes. Presented at: European Geosciences Union Annual General Meeting Vienna, Austria 7-12 Apr 2019. , pp.-.
- Rust, W. et al., 2019. Understanding the potential of climate teleconnections to project future groundwater drought. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences and Discussions 23 (8), pp.3233-3245. (10.5194/hess-23-3233-2019)
2018
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2018. Quantifying compressible groundwater storage by combining cross-hole seismic surveys and head response to atmospheric tides. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 123 (8), pp.1910-1930. (10.1029/2018JF004660)
- Rust, W. et al., 2018. A conceptual model for climatic teleconnection signal control on groundwater variability in the UK and Europe. Earth-Science Reviews 177 , pp.164-174. (10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.09.017)
- Timms, W. A. et al., 2018. The influence of syndepositional macropores on the hydraulic integrity of thick alluvial clay aquitards. Water Resources Research 54 (4), pp.3122-3138. (10.1029/2017WR021681)
2017
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2017. Modelling the role of groundwater hydro-refugia in East African hominin evolution and dispersal. Nature Communications 8 15696. (10.1038/ncomms15696)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2017. Characterising the dynamics of surface water-groundwater interactions in intermittent and ephemeral streams using streambed thermal signatures. Advances in Water Resources 107 , pp.354-369. (10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.07.005)
- Schmidt, S. I. , Cuthbert, M. and Schwientek, M. 2017. Towards an integrated understanding of how micro scale processes shape groundwater ecosystem functions. Science of the Total Environment 592 , pp.215-227. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.047)
2016
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2016. An objective frequency domain method for quantifying confined aquifer compressible storage using Earth and atmospheric tides. Geophysical Research Letters 43 (22), pp.11671-11678. (10.1002/2016GL071328)
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2016. Long-term spatio-temporal precipitation variability in arid-zone Australia and implications for groundwater recharge. Hydrogeology Journal 24 (4), pp.905-921.
- Baker, A. et al., 2016. An irrigation experiment to compare soil, water and speleothem tetraether membrane lipid distributions. Organic Geochemistry 94 , pp.12-20. (10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.01.005)
- Coleborn, K. et al., 2016. Solar-forced diurnal regulation of cave drip rates via phreatophyte evapotranspiration. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 20 (11), pp.4439-4455. (10.5194/hess-20-4439-2016)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2016. Understanding and quantifying focused, indirect groundwater recharge from ephemeral streams using water table fluctuations. Water Resources Research 52 (2), pp.827-840. (10.1002/2015WR017503)
- Jones, M. D. et al., 2016. Comparisons of observed and modelled lake delta O-18 variability. Quaternary Science Reviews 131 , pp.329-340. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.09.012)
- Markowska, M. et al., 2016. Semi-arid zone caves: evaporation and hydrological controls on delta δ18O drip water composition and implications for speleothem paleoclimate reconstructions. Quaternary Science Reviews 131 (Part B), pp.285-301. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.024)
- Rivett, M. O. et al., 2016. Highway deicing salt dynamic runoff to surface water and subsequent infiltration to groundwater during severe UK winters. Science of the Total Environment 565 , pp.324-338. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.095)
2015
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2015. Understanding connected surface-water/groundwater systems using Fourier analysis of daily and sub-daily head fluctuations. Hydrogeology Journal 23 (1), pp.143-159. (10.1007/s10040-014-1182-5)
- Crane, R. A. , Cuthbert, M. and Timms, W. 2015. Technical note: the use of an interrupted-flow centrifugation method to characterise preferential flow in low permeability media. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19 (9), pp.3991-4000. (10.5194/hess-19-3991-2015)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2015. Controls on cave drip water temperature and implications for speleothem-based paleoclimate reconstructions. Quaternary Science Reviews 127 , pp.19-36. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.03.026)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2015. Assessing the accuracy of 1-D analytical heat tracing for estimating near-surface sediment thermal diffusivity and water flux under transient conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface 120 (8), pp.1551-1573. (10.1002/2015JF003466)
- Rutlidge, H. et al., 2015. Organic characterisation of cave drip water by LC-OCD and fluorescence analysis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 166 , pp.15-28. (10.1016/j.gca.2015.05.042)
2014
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2014. Evaporative cooling of speleothem drip water. Scientific Reports 4 5162. (10.1038/srep05162)
- Cuthbert, M. O. 2014. Straight thinking about groundwater recession. Water Resources Research 50 (3), pp.2407-2424. (10.1002/2013WR014060)
- Cuthbert, M. O. and Ashley, G. M. 2014. A spring forward for hominin evolution in East Africa. PLoS ONE 9 (9) e107358. (10.1371/journal.pone.0107358)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2014. Drip water isotopes in semi-arid karst: implications for speleothem paleoclimatology. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 395 , pp.194-204. (10.1016/j.epsl.2014.03.034)
- Handley-Sidhu, S. et al., 2014. Bacterially produced calcium phosphate Nanobiominerals: sorption capacity, site preferences, and stability of captured radionuclides. Environmental Science & Technology 48 (12), pp.6891-6898. (10.1021/es500734n)
- Krause, S. et al., 2014. Understanding process dynamics at aquifer-surface water interfaces: an introduction to the special section on new modeling approaches and novel experimental technologies. Water Resources Research 50 (2), pp.1847-1855. (10.1002/2013WR014755)
- Roshan, H. et al., 2014. Local thermal non-equilibrium in sediments: implications for temperature dynamics and the use of heat as a tracer. Advances in Water Resources 73 , pp.176-184. (10.1016/j.advwatres.2014.08.002)
- Rutlidge, H. et al., 2014. Dripwater organic matter and trace element geochemistry in a semi-arid karst environment: Implications for speleothem paleoclimatology. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 135 , pp.217-230. (10.1016/j.gca.2014.03.036)
- Tobler, D. J. , Cuthbert, M. O. and Phoenix, V. R. 2014. Transport of Sporosarcina pasteurii in sandstone and its significance for subsurface engineering technologies. Applied Geochemistry 42 , pp.38-44. (10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.01.004)
2013
- Cuthbert, M. O. , Mackay, R. and Nimmo, J. R. 2013. Linking soil moisture balance and source-responsive models to estimate diffuse and preferential components of groundwater recharge. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences and Discussions 17 (3), pp.1003-1019. (10.5194/hess-17-1003-2013)
- Cuthbert, M. O. and Mackay, R. 2013. Impacts of nonuniform flow on estimates of vertical streambed flux. Water Resources Research 49 (1), pp.19-28. (10.1029/2011WR011587)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2013. A field and modeling study of fractured rock permeability reduction using microbially induced calcite precipitation. Environmental Science and Technology 47 (23), pp.13637-13643. (10.1021/es402601g)
- Handley-Sidhu, S. et al., 2013. Kinetics of urease mediated calcite precipitation and permeability reduction of porous media evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 10 (5), pp.881-890. (10.1007/s13762-013-0241-0)
2012
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2012. Controls on the rate of ureolysis and the morphology of carbonate precipitated by S. Pasteurii biofilms and limits due to bacterial encapsulation. Ecological Engineering 41 , pp.32-40. (10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.01.008)
- Rivett, M. O. et al., 2012. The legacy of chlorinated solvents in the Birmingham aquifer, UK: Observations spanning three decades and the challenge of future urban groundwater development. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 140-14 , pp.107-123. (10.1016/j.jconhyd.2012.08.006)
2011
- Cuthbert, M. O. , Greswell, R. B. and Mackay, R. 2011. A Wet/Wet differential pressure sensor for measuring vertical hydraulic gradient. Ground Water 49 (6), pp.781-782. (10.1111/j.1745-6584.2011.00789.x)
- Holman, I. P. et al., 2011. Towards best practice for assessing the impacts of climate change on groundwater. Hydrogeology Journal 20 (1), pp.1-4. (10.1007/s10040-011-0805-3)
- Tobler, D. J. et al., 2011. Comparison of rates of ureolysis between Sporosarcina pasteurii and an indigenous groundwater community under conditions required to precipitate large volumes of calcite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 75 (11), pp.3290-3301. (10.1016/j.gca.2011.03.023)
2010
- Cuthbert, M. 2010. An improved time series approach for estimating groundwater recharge from groundwater level fluctuations. Water Resources Research 46 (9)(10.1029/2009WR008572)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2010. Combining unsaturated and saturated hydraulic observations to understand and estimate groundwater recharge through glacial till. Journal of Hydrology 391 (3-4), pp.263-276. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.025)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2010. Reply to discussion of 'The use of electrical resistivity tomography in deriving local-scale models of recharge through superficial deposits', by M.O. Cuthbert, R. MacKay, J.H. Tellam, R.D. Barker, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 42, 199-209, by M.G. Shepley & K.J. Voyce. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology 43 (3), pp.364-209. (10.1144/1470-9236/10-010)
- Cuthbert, M. O. and Tindimugaya, C. 2010. The importance of preferential flow in controlling groundwater recharge in tropical Africa and implications for modelling the impact of climate change on groundwater resources. Journal of Water and Climate Change 1 (4), pp.234-245. (10.2166/wcc.2010.040)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2010. Impacts of river bed gas on the hydraulic and thermal dynamics of the hyporheic zone. Advances in Water Resources 33 (11), pp.1347-1658. (10.1016/j.advwatres.2010.09.014)
- Greswell, R. B. et al., 2010. An inexpensive flow-through laser nephelometer for the detection of natural colloids and manufactured nanoparticles. Journal of Hydrology 388 (1-2), pp.112-120. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.04.033)
2009
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2009. The use of electrical resistivity tomography in deriving local-scale models of recharge through superficial deposits. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology 42 (2), pp.199-209. (10.1144/1470-9236/08-023)
- Greswell, R. et al., 2009. The design and application of an inexpensive pressure monitoring system for shallow water level measurement, tensiometry and piezometry. Journal of Hydrology 373 (3-4), pp.416-425. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.05.001)
2007
- Burgess, W. et al., 2007. Trends in arsenic concentration at tubewells in Bangladesh: conceptual models, numerical models, and monitoring proxies. Trace Metals and other Contaminants in the Environment 9 , pp.63-83. (10.1016/S0927-5215(06)09002-3)
2002
- Cuthbert, M. , Burgess, W. G. and Connell, L. 2002. Constraints on sustainable development of arsenic-bearing aquifers in southern Bangladesh. Part 2: Preliminary models of arsenic variability in pumped groundwater. Geological Society, Special Publications 193 (1), pp.165-179. (10.1144/GSL.SP.2002.193.01.13)
Articles
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2015. Understanding connected surface-water/groundwater systems using Fourier analysis of daily and sub-daily head fluctuations. Hydrogeology Journal 23 (1), pp.143-159. (10.1007/s10040-014-1182-5)
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2016. An objective frequency domain method for quantifying confined aquifer compressible storage using Earth and atmospheric tides. Geophysical Research Letters 43 (22), pp.11671-11678. (10.1002/2016GL071328)
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2016. Long-term spatio-temporal precipitation variability in arid-zone Australia and implications for groundwater recharge. Hydrogeology Journal 24 (4), pp.905-921.
- Acworth, R. I. et al., 2021. Runoff and focused groundwater-recharge response to flooding rains in the arid zone of Australia. Hydrogeology Journal 29 , pp.737-764. (10.1007/s10040-020-02284-x)
- Asfaw, D. T. et al., 2023. stoPET v1.0: a stochastic potential evapotranspiration generator for simulation of climate change impacts. Geoscientific Model Development 16 (2), pp.557-571. (10.5194/gmd-16-557-2023)
- Baker, A. et al., 2020. Rainfall recharge thresholds in a subtropical climate determined using a regional cave drip water monitoring network. Journal of Hydrology 587 125001. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125001)
- Baker, A. et al., 2016. An irrigation experiment to compare soil, water and speleothem tetraether membrane lipid distributions. Organic Geochemistry 94 , pp.12-20. (10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.01.005)
- Baker, A. et al., 2021. Quantifying temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity in rainfall recharge thresholds in a montane karst environment. Journal of Hydrology 594 125965. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.125965)
- Barker, A. et al., 2019. Global analysis reveals climatic controls on the oxygen isotope composition of cave drip water. Nature Communications 10 2984. (10.1038/s41467-019-11027-w)
- Blake, G. et al., 2025. The impact of convection-permitting model rainfall on the dryland water balance. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 29 , pp.7098-7125. (10.5194/hess-29-7093-2025)
- Bourke, S. A. et al., 2025. Hydrogeology, European colonialism, local communities and First Peoples: moving beyond business as usual. Hydrogeology Journal (10.1007/s10040-025-02955-7)
- Burgess, W. et al., 2007. Trends in arsenic concentration at tubewells in Bangladesh: conceptual models, numerical models, and monitoring proxies. Trace Metals and other Contaminants in the Environment 9 , pp.63-83. (10.1016/S0927-5215(06)09002-3)
- Cocking, K. et al. 2024. Locally defined seasonal rainfall characteristics within the Horn of Africa drylands from rain gauge observations. Journal of Hydrometeorology 25 (12), pp.1845-1861. (10.1175/jhm-d-23-0228.1)
- Coleborn, K. et al., 2016. Solar-forced diurnal regulation of cave drip rates via phreatophyte evapotranspiration. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 20 (11), pp.4439-4455. (10.5194/hess-20-4439-2016)
- Crane, R. A. , Cuthbert, M. and Timms, W. 2015. Technical note: the use of an interrupted-flow centrifugation method to characterise preferential flow in low permeability media. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19 (9), pp.3991-4000. (10.5194/hess-19-3991-2015)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2024. Concerns regarding proposed groundwater Earth system boundary. Nature 635 (8039), pp.E4-E5. (10.1038/s41586-024-08082-9)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2019. Global patterns and dynamics of climate-groundwater interactions. Nature Climate Change 9 , pp.137-141. (10.1038/s41558-018-0386-4)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2017. Modelling the role of groundwater hydro-refugia in East African hominin evolution and dispersal. Nature Communications 8 15696. (10.1038/ncomms15696)
- Cuthbert, M. O. , Mackay, R. and Nimmo, J. R. 2013. Linking soil moisture balance and source-responsive models to estimate diffuse and preferential components of groundwater recharge. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences and Discussions 17 (3), pp.1003-1019. (10.5194/hess-17-1003-2013)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2014. Evaporative cooling of speleothem drip water. Scientific Reports 4 5162. (10.1038/srep05162)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2022. Global climate-driven trade-offs between the water retention and cooling benefits of urban greening. Nature Communications 13 (1) 518. (10.1038/s41467-022-28160-8)
- Cuthbert, M. 2010. An improved time series approach for estimating groundwater recharge from groundwater level fluctuations. Water Resources Research 46 (9)(10.1029/2009WR008572)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2016. Understanding and quantifying focused, indirect groundwater recharge from ephemeral streams using water table fluctuations. Water Resources Research 52 (2), pp.827-840. (10.1002/2015WR017503)
- Cuthbert, M. , Burgess, W. G. and Connell, L. 2002. Constraints on sustainable development of arsenic-bearing aquifers in southern Bangladesh. Part 2: Preliminary models of arsenic variability in pumped groundwater. Geological Society, Special Publications 193 (1), pp.165-179. (10.1144/GSL.SP.2002.193.01.13)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2009. The use of electrical resistivity tomography in deriving local-scale models of recharge through superficial deposits. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology 42 (2), pp.199-209. (10.1144/1470-9236/08-023)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2010. Combining unsaturated and saturated hydraulic observations to understand and estimate groundwater recharge through glacial till. Journal of Hydrology 391 (3-4), pp.263-276. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.025)
- Cuthbert, M. O. 2014. Straight thinking about groundwater recession. Water Resources Research 50 (3), pp.2407-2424. (10.1002/2013WR014060)
- Cuthbert, M. O. 2025. What is groundwater?. Hydrogeology Journal
- Cuthbert, M. O. and Ashley, G. M. 2014. A spring forward for hominin evolution in East Africa. PLoS ONE 9 (9) e107358. (10.1371/journal.pone.0107358)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2014. Drip water isotopes in semi-arid karst: implications for speleothem paleoclimatology. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 395 , pp.194-204. (10.1016/j.epsl.2014.03.034)
- Cuthbert, M. O. , Greswell, R. B. and Mackay, R. 2011. A Wet/Wet differential pressure sensor for measuring vertical hydraulic gradient. Ground Water 49 (6), pp.781-782. (10.1111/j.1745-6584.2011.00789.x)
- Cuthbert, M. O. and Mackay, R. 2013. Impacts of nonuniform flow on estimates of vertical streambed flux. Water Resources Research 49 (1), pp.19-28. (10.1029/2011WR011587)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2010. Reply to discussion of 'The use of electrical resistivity tomography in deriving local-scale models of recharge through superficial deposits', by M.O. Cuthbert, R. MacKay, J.H. Tellam, R.D. Barker, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 42, 199-209, by M.G. Shepley & K.J. Voyce. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology 43 (3), pp.364-209. (10.1144/1470-9236/10-010)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2013. A field and modeling study of fractured rock permeability reduction using microbially induced calcite precipitation. Environmental Science and Technology 47 (23), pp.13637-13643. (10.1021/es402601g)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2012. Controls on the rate of ureolysis and the morphology of carbonate precipitated by S. Pasteurii biofilms and limits due to bacterial encapsulation. Ecological Engineering 41 , pp.32-40. (10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.01.008)
- Cuthbert, M. O. et al. 2019. Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa. Nature 572 , pp.230-234. (10.1038/s41586-019-1441-7)
- Cuthbert, M. O. and Tindimugaya, C. 2010. The importance of preferential flow in controlling groundwater recharge in tropical Africa and implications for modelling the impact of climate change on groundwater resources. Journal of Water and Climate Change 1 (4), pp.234-245. (10.2166/wcc.2010.040)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2023. Defining renewable groundwater use and its relevance to sustainable groundwater management. Water Resources Research 59 (9) e2022WR032831. (10.1029/2022WR032831)
- Cuthbert, M. et al. 2010. Impacts of river bed gas on the hydraulic and thermal dynamics of the hyporheic zone. Advances in Water Resources 33 (11), pp.1347-1658. (10.1016/j.advwatres.2010.09.014)
- Ferguson, G. et al., 2020. Rethinking groundwater age. Nature Geoscience 13 (9), pp.592-594. (10.1038/s41561-020-0629-7)
- Gleeson, T. et al., 2020. Global groundwater sustainability, resources and systems in the Anthropocene. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 48 , pp.431-463. (10.1146/annurev-earth-071719-055251)
- Gleeson, T. et al., 2021. GMD perspective: the quest to improve the evaluation of groundwater representation in continental- to global-scale models. Geoscientific Model Development 14 (12), pp.7545–7571. (10.5194/gmd-14-7545-2021)
- Gnann, S. et al., 2025. The influence of topography on the global terrestrial water cycle. Reviews of Geophysics 63 (1) e2023RG000810. (10.1029/2023rg000810)
- Greswell, R. et al., 2009. The design and application of an inexpensive pressure monitoring system for shallow water level measurement, tensiometry and piezometry. Journal of Hydrology 373 (3-4), pp.416-425. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.05.001)
- Greswell, R. B. et al., 2010. An inexpensive flow-through laser nephelometer for the detection of natural colloids and manufactured nanoparticles. Journal of Hydrology 388 (1-2), pp.112-120. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.04.033)
- Handley-Sidhu, S. et al., 2014. Bacterially produced calcium phosphate Nanobiominerals: sorption capacity, site preferences, and stability of captured radionuclides. Environmental Science & Technology 48 (12), pp.6891-6898. (10.1021/es500734n)
- Handley-Sidhu, S. et al., 2013. Kinetics of urease mediated calcite precipitation and permeability reduction of porous media evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 10 (5), pp.881-890. (10.1007/s13762-013-0241-0)
- Holman, I. P. et al., 2011. Towards best practice for assessing the impacts of climate change on groundwater. Hydrogeology Journal 20 (1), pp.1-4. (10.1007/s10040-011-0805-3)
- Huggins, X. et al., 2025. A review of open data for studying global groundwater in social–ecological systems. Environmental Research Letters 20 (9) 093002. (10.1088/1748-9326/adf127)
- Jones, M. D. et al., 2019. 20,000 years of societal vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in southwest Asia. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water 6 (2) e1330. (10.1002/wat2.1330)
- Jones, M. D. et al., 2016. Comparisons of observed and modelled lake delta O-18 variability. Quaternary Science Reviews 131 , pp.329-340. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.09.012)
- Kolusu, S. R. et al., 2019. The El Niño event of 2015-2016: climate anomalies and their impact on groundwater resources in East and Southern Africa. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences and Discussions 23 (3), pp.1751-1762. (10.5194/hess-23-1751-2019)
- Krause, S. et al., 2014. Understanding process dynamics at aquifer-surface water interfaces: an introduction to the special section on new modeling approaches and novel experimental technologies. Water Resources Research 50 (2), pp.1847-1855. (10.1002/2013WR014755)
- Lowry, C. S. et al., 2022. Groundwater origami: folding paper models to visualize groundwater flow. Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 876853. (10.3389/fenvs.2022.876853)
- Macleod, D. et al. 2023. Translating seasonal climate forecasts into water balance forecasts for decision making. PLOS Climate 2 (3) e0000138. (10.1371/journal.pclm.0000138)
- Markowska, M. et al., 2016. Semi-arid zone caves: evaporation and hydrological controls on delta δ18O drip water composition and implications for speleothem paleoclimate reconstructions. Quaternary Science Reviews 131 (Part B), pp.285-301. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.024)
- Markowska, M. et al., 2020. Modern speleothem oxygen isotope hydroclimate records in water-limited SE Australia. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 270 , pp.431-448. (10.1016/j.gca.2019.12.007)
- Opie, S. et al., 2020. Climate-groundwater dynamics inferred from GRACE and the role of hydraulic memory. Earth System Dynamics 11 (3), pp.775-791. (10.5194/esd-11-775-2020)
- Patton, A. M. , Cleall, P. J. and Cuthbert, M. O. 2025. Using groundwater temperature time-series to reveal subsurface thermal and hydraulic processes. Hydrogeology Journal 33 , pp.1259-1277. (10.1007/s10040-025-02930-2)
- Patton, A. M. et al. 2022. Hydro-geomechanical characterisation of a coastal urban aquifer using multiscalar time and frequency domain groundwater-level responses. Hydrogeology Journal 29 , pp.2751-2771. (10.1007/s10040-021-02400-5)
- Quichimbo, E. A. et al. 2021. DRYP 1.0: A parsimonious hydrological model of DRYland Partitioning of the water balance. Geoscientific Model Development 14 , pp.6893-6917. (10.5194/gmd-14-6893-2021)
- Quichimbo Miguitama, E. A. , Singer, M. B. and Cuthbert, M. O. 2020. Characterizing groundwater-surface water interactions in idealized ephemeral stream systems. Hydrological Processes 34 (18), pp.3792-3806. (10.1002/hyp.13847)
- Quichimbo Miguitama, E. A. et al. 2023. Assessing the sensitivity of modelled water partitioning to global precipitation datasets in a data‐scarce dryland region. Hydrological Processes 37 (12) e15047. (10.1002/hyp.15047)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2018. Quantifying compressible groundwater storage by combining cross-hole seismic surveys and head response to atmospheric tides. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 123 (8), pp.1910-1930. (10.1029/2018JF004660)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2015. Controls on cave drip water temperature and implications for speleothem-based paleoclimate reconstructions. Quaternary Science Reviews 127 , pp.19-36. (10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.03.026)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2015. Assessing the accuracy of 1-D analytical heat tracing for estimating near-surface sediment thermal diffusivity and water flux under transient conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface 120 (8), pp.1551-1573. (10.1002/2015JF003466)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2020. Technical Note: Disentangling the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides to improve subsurface characterisation. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 24 , pp.6033-6046. (10.5194/hess-24-6033-2020)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2020. Future-proofing hydrogeology by revising groundwater monitoring practice. Hydrogeology Journal 28 , pp.2963-2969. (10.1007/s10040-020-02242-7)
- Rau, G. C. et al., 2017. Characterising the dynamics of surface water-groundwater interactions in intermittent and ephemeral streams using streambed thermal signatures. Advances in Water Resources 107 , pp.354-369. (10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.07.005)
- Rivett, M. O. et al., 2016. Highway deicing salt dynamic runoff to surface water and subsequent infiltration to groundwater during severe UK winters. Science of the Total Environment 565 , pp.324-338. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.095)
- Rivett, M. O. et al., 2012. The legacy of chlorinated solvents in the Birmingham aquifer, UK: Observations spanning three decades and the challenge of future urban groundwater development. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 140-14 , pp.107-123. (10.1016/j.jconhyd.2012.08.006)
- Roshan, H. et al., 2014. Local thermal non-equilibrium in sediments: implications for temperature dynamics and the use of heat as a tracer. Advances in Water Resources 73 , pp.176-184. (10.1016/j.advwatres.2014.08.002)
- Rust, W. et al., 2022. The importance of non-stationary multiannual periodicities in the North Atlantic Oscillation index for forecasting water resource drought. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 26 (9), pp.2449–2467. (10.5194/hess-26-2449-2022)
- Rust, W. et al., 2021. Non-stationary control of the NAO on European rainfall and its implications for water resource management. Hydrological Processes 35 (3) e14099. (10.1002/hyp.14099)
- Rust, W. et al., 2021. Exploring the role of hydrological pathways in modulating multi-annual climate teleconnection periodicities from UK rainfall to streamflow. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 25 (4), pp.2223-2237. (10.5194/hess-25-2223-2021)
- Rust, W. et al., 2019. Understanding the potential of climate teleconnections to project future groundwater drought. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences and Discussions 23 (8), pp.3233-3245. (10.5194/hess-23-3233-2019)
- Rust, W. et al., 2018. A conceptual model for climatic teleconnection signal control on groundwater variability in the UK and Europe. Earth-Science Reviews 177 , pp.164-174. (10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.09.017)
- Rutlidge, H. et al., 2015. Organic characterisation of cave drip water by LC-OCD and fluorescence analysis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 166 , pp.15-28. (10.1016/j.gca.2015.05.042)
- Rutlidge, H. et al., 2014. Dripwater organic matter and trace element geochemistry in a semi-arid karst environment: Implications for speleothem paleoclimatology. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 135 , pp.217-230. (10.1016/j.gca.2014.03.036)
- Schmidt, S. I. , Cuthbert, M. and Schwientek, M. 2017. Towards an integrated understanding of how micro scale processes shape groundwater ecosystem functions. Science of the Total Environment 592 , pp.215-227. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.047)
- Seddon, D. et al., 2021. Focused groundwater recharge in a tropical dryland: Empirical evidence from central, semi-arid Tanzania. Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies 37 100919. (10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100919)
- Singer, M. B. et al. 2021. Hourly potential evapotranspiration at 0.1˚ resolution for the global land surface from 1981-present. Scientific Data 8 224. (10.1038/s41597-021-01003-9)
- Sorensen, J. P. R. et al., 2021. The influence of groundwater abstraction on interpreting climate controls and extreme recharge events from well hydrographs in semi-arid South Africa. Hydrogeology Journal 29 , pp.2773-2787. (10.1007/s10040-021-02391-3)
- Timms, W. A. et al., 2018. The influence of syndepositional macropores on the hydraulic integrity of thick alluvial clay aquitards. Water Resources Research 54 (4), pp.3122-3138. (10.1029/2017WR021681)
- Tobler, D. J. et al., 2011. Comparison of rates of ureolysis between Sporosarcina pasteurii and an indigenous groundwater community under conditions required to precipitate large volumes of calcite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 75 (11), pp.3290-3301. (10.1016/j.gca.2011.03.023)
- Tobler, D. J. , Cuthbert, M. O. and Phoenix, V. R. 2014. Transport of Sporosarcina pasteurii in sandstone and its significance for subsurface engineering technologies. Applied Geochemistry 42 , pp.38-44. (10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.01.004)
- Warter, M. M. et al. 2021. Drought onset and propagation into soil moisture and grassland vegetation responses during the 2012–2019 major drought in Southern California. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 25 (6), pp.3713–3729. (10.5194/hess-25-3713-2021)
- Warter, M. M. et al. 2023. Modeling seasonal vegetation phenology from hydroclimatic drivers for contrasting plant functional groups within drylands of the Southwestern USA. Environmental Research: Ecology 2 (2) 025001. (10.1088/2752-664X/acb9a0)
- West, C. et al., 2023. Ground truthing global-scale model estimates of groundwater recharge across Africa. Science of the Total Environment 858 159765. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159765)
- West, C. et al., 2022. Understanding process controls on groundwater recharge variability across Africa through recharge landscapes. Journal of Hydrology 612 (A) 127967. (10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.127967)
- Zamrsky, D. et al., 2025. Current trends and biases in groundwater modelling using the community-driven Groundwater Model Portal (GroMoPo). Hydrogeology Journal 33 (2), pp.355-366. (10.1007/s10040-025-02882-7)
- Zarate, E. et al. 2025. How alluvial storage controls spatiotemporal water balance partitioning in intermittent and ephemeral stream systems. Water Resources Research 61 (4) e2024WR037256. (10.1029/2024WR037256)
- Zarate, E. et al. 2021. The role of superficial geology in controlling groundwater recharge in the weathered crystalline basement of semi-arid Tanzania. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 36 100833. (10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100833)
- Zipper, S. et al., 2023. GroMoPo: A groundwater model portal for findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) modeling. Groundwater 61 (6), pp.764-767. (10.1111/gwat.13343)
Conferences
- MacLeod, D. et al. 2022. Translating seasonal climate forecasts into decision-relevant water security forecasts. Presented at: EGU General Assembly 2022 23–27 May 2022. (10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2804)
- Patton, A. et al. 2019. Observed controls on the seasonal variability of urban groundwater thermal regimes. Presented at: European Geosciences Union Annual General Meeting Vienna, Austria 7-12 Apr 2019. , pp.-.
Research
Groundwater sustainability
What is the difference between renewability and sustainability when it comes to groundwater? How can we best develop strategies for sustainable groundwater management, a critical part of meeting our global food-water-energy needs while working with the rest of the natural world?
Key papers: Cuthbert et al. (2023); Gleeson et al. (2020) AREPS; Ferguson et al. (2020)
Groundwater recharge
How and why does groundwater recharge occur? How has recharge changed as the climate has varied, and how might it in the future? How can we best estimate groundwater recharge?
Key papers: Cuthbert et al. (2019) Nature; Cuthbert et al. (2016) WRR; Cuthbert et al. (2013) HESS; Cuthbert (2010) WRR; Cuthbert et al. (2010)a JoH; Cuthbert et al. (2010)b JoW&CC; Cuthbert et al. (2009) QJEG&H
Climate-Groundwater Interactions and Paleohydrology
How has groundwater availability varied with climate over Earth’s history? How has this influenced the evolution of humans and other species? How will future climate change affect groundwater availability?
A better understanding of climate-groundwater interactions in the past and present is crucial to developing strategies for future human resilience to climate change.
Key papers: Cuthbert et al. (2019) Nature Climate Change; Cuthbert et al. (2017) Nature Communications; Holman et al. (2012) HJ
Hydrological Controls on Paleoclimate Proxy Archive Geochemistry
How do features of the water chemistry that are preserved in speleothems vary along a flow path from ‘drop’ (rainfall) to ‘drip’ (cave exfiltration)? How do groundwater inputs to lakes influence the chemistry of lake carbonate deposits?
Improved processes understanding of the links between hydrology, climate and the geochemistry of terrestrial paleoclimate proxy archives in the present, can improve our understanding and models of past climates.
Key papers: Markowska et al. GCA (2020); Jones, Cuthbert et al. (2016) QSR; Rau, Cuthbert et al. (2015) QSR; Cuthbert et al. 2014 EPSL; Cuthbert et al. 2014 Sci. Rep.
Surface water-groundwater interactions
What are the fundamental controls on exchange fluxes between surface water and groundwater? How does human activity change these dynamics? How can we best estimate these fluxes?
Such interactions control catchment water quality and hydroecological health and are fundamental for underpinning sound integrated catchment management.
Key papers: Quichimbo et al. (2020) HP; Rau et al. (2017) AWR; Roshan et al. 2014 AWR; Krause et al. 2014 WRR; Cuthbert & Mackay 2013 WRR; Cuthbert et al. 2010 AWR
Groundwater flow and transport processes
What governs the form of groundwater recessions? How can we characterise preferential flow phenomena in porous media? How do bacteria move in the subsurface? How can biomineralisation be used for reducing the spread of groundwater contaminants?
Exploring fundamental groundwater flow and transport processes is critical to managing human impact on the natural environment.
Key papers: Rau et al. (2018) JGR; Cuthbert 2014 WRR; Tobler et al. 2014; Handley-Sidhu et al. 2014; Cuthbert et al 2013 ES&T
Teaching
Water in the Environment Module (EAT109) - Water in a Changing World MSc
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/water-in-a-changing-world-msc
Water in the Geological Environment Module (EAT117) - Applied Environmental Geology MSc
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/applied-environmental-geology
Advanced Environmental Geoscience Module (EA3306) - 2nd Year Undergraduate Programme in Environmental Geoscience
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2022/environmental-geoscience-bsc
Biography
Career overview
- 2024 - present: Professor, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, UK
- 2020 - 2024: Principal Research Fellow & Reader, Cardiff University, UK
- 2017 - 2020: NERC Independent Research Fellow & Lecturer, Cardiff University, UK
- 2017 - 2017: Research Fellow, Water Research Institute, Cardiff University, UK
- 2016 - 2017: Senior Research Associate, University College London, UK
- 2014 - 2016: Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, UK
- 2012 - 2014: Marie Curie Research Fellow: University of New South Wales, Australia
- 2008 - 2012: Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, UK
+ 6 years outside academia in Environmental Consultancy & the charitable sector
Education and qualifications
- 2006: PhD (Hydrogeology) University of Birmingham, UK
- 1999: MSc (Hydrogeology & Groundwater Resources), University College London, UK
- 1998: BA, MA (Earth Sciences), University of Oxford, UK
Supervisions
Current supervision
Impact
Recent Media Coverage
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50586868
Blogs and Articles
https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-o-cuthbert-202743/articles
https://blogs.egu.eu/network/water-underground/ or https://blogs.agu.org/waterunderground/
