Biography
The research focus in Dr. Mantha's group is water quality and environmental flow and transport processes. Recent questions addressed involve fate and transport of chemical and biological agents (e.g., nutrients, algae, bacteria, viruses) in different hydrologic units in the Great Lakes region of North America (watersheds, rivers and streams, lakes and groundwater). His research combines data from field observations with computational models to gain insights into complex biophysical processes, make predictions in managing natural resources and frame policy. Two general research themes of current interest are: (a) Coastal processes and water quality in the Great Lakes and (b) Integrated hydrologic modeling in large river basins.
Research Area
Awards
Elected Fellow, Geological Society of America, 2013
Lilly Teaching Fellow, Michigan State University, 2004
Project Member, Outstanding Remediation Project Award, NGWA, 2002
Professor C.V. Raman Young Scientist Award, India, 1996
Research Group
Education
Ph.D., Computational Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Sciences, Indian Institute of Science 1990
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Andhra University 1984
Publications
A. Safaie, C.J. Weiskerger, M.B. Nevers, M.N. Byappanahalli, and M.S. Phanikumar, Evaluating the impacts of foreshore sand and birds on microbiological contamination at a freshwater beach, Water Research, Volume 190, 15 February 2021, 116671, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116671, pp. 1-13 (2021)
A. Safaie, C.J. Weiskerger, T.D. Nguyen, B. Acrey, R.G. Zepp, M. Molina, M. Cyterski, G. Whelan, Y.A. Pachepsky, and M.S. Phanikumar, Modeling the photoinactivation and transport of somatic and F-specific coliphages at a Great Lakes beach, J. Environmental Quality, vol. 49(6), pp. 1612 - 1623, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20153 (2020)
G. Shen, J. Yuan and M.S. Phanikumar, Direct numerical simulations of turbulence and hyporheic mixing near sediment-water interfaces, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 892, A20, doi:10.1017/jfm.2020.173 (2020)
H. Qiu, P. Blaen, S. Comer‐Warner, D.M. Hannah, S. Krause, M.S. Phanikumar, Evaluating a coupled phenology – surface energy balance model to understand stream – subsurface temperature dynamics in a mixed‐use farmland catchment, Water Resources Research, vol. 55(2), pp. 1675 - 1697, doi: 10.1029 / 2018WR023644 (2019)
A. Safaie, E. Litchman and M.S. Phanikumar, Evaluating the role of groundwater in circulation and thermal structure within a deep, inland lake, Advances in Water Resources, vol. 108, pp. 310-327, doi: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2017.08.002 (2017)
T.D. Nguyen, N. Hawley and M.S. Phanikumar, Ice Cover, Winter Circulation and Exchange in Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron, Limnology and Oceanography, 62(1), pp. 376-393, doi: 10.1002 / lno.10431 (2017)
J. Niu and M.S. Phanikumar, Modeling watershed-scale solute transport using an integrated, process-based hydrologic model with applications to bacterial fate and transport, Journal of Hydrology, vol. 529(1), pp. 35-48, doi: 10.1016 / j.jhydrol.2015.07.013 (2015)
J. Niu, C. Shen, S.G. Li and M.S. Phanikumar, Quantifying storage changes in regional Great Lakes watersheds using a coupled subsurface - land surface process model and GRACE, MODIS products, Water Resources Research, vol. 50(9), pp. 7359-7377, doi: 10.1002/2014WR015589 (2014)
C. Shen, J. Niu, M.S. Phanikumar, Evaluating controls on coupled hydrologic and vegetation dynamics in a humid continental climate watershed using a subsurface - land surface processes model, Water Resources Research, vol. 49, pp. 2552 - 2572, doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20189 (2013)
C. Shen and M.S. Phanikumar, A process-based, distributed hydrologic model based on a large-scale method for surface - subsurface coupling, Advances in Water Resources, vol. 33(12), pp. 1524 - 1541, doi: 10.1016 / j.advwatres.2010.09.002 (2010)
Primary Department
