George Darling’s Biography
- 1996 : PhD Open University, Fluid Geochemistry in the East African Rift Valley
- 1992 – ongoing : Principal Researcher, British Geological Survey
- 1974 –1992 : Hydrogeochemist, British Geological Survey
- 1973 : BSc University of London, Geology (Hons)
Research interests
- Characterisation of palaeo-climate by isotopic and noble gas methods
- Dissolved gases as indicators of geochemical processes
- Evaluating surface water-groundwater interaction
- Geothermal resource characterisation
- Groundwater residence time assessment
- Stable isotopes as tracers of the hydrological cycle
Current projects and collaborations
- Collaboration with other NERC centres and university departments
- Consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on isotope hydrology
- Wide range from groundwater recharge to carbon capture and storage
Key papers
- DARLING W G AND BOWES M J. 2016. A long-term study of stable isotopes as tracers of processes governing water flow and quality in a lowland river basin: the upper Thames, UK. Hydrological Processes, Vol. 30, 2178–2195.
- ALLEN D J, DARLING W G, DAVIES J, NEWELL A J, GOODDY D C AND COLLINS A L. 2014. Groundwater conceptual models: implications for evaluating diffuse pollution mitigation measures. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Vol. 47, 65–80.
- EDMUNDS W M, DARLING W G, PURTSCHERT R AND CORCHO ALVARADO J A. 2014. Noble gas, CFC and other geochemical evidence for the age and origin of the Bath thermal waters, UK. Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 40, 155–163.
- DARLING, W G, GOODDY, D C, MORRIS, B L AND PEACH D W. 2012. The hydrochemistry of a Chalk aquifer during recovery from drought. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Vol. 45, 473–486.
- DARLING W G. 2011. The isotope hydrology of quaternary climate change. Journal of Human Evolution, Vol. 60, 417–427.
- GATES, J B, EDMUNDS, W M, DARLING, W G, MA, J, PANG, Z and YOUNG, A A. 2008. Conceptual model of recharge to southeastern Badain Jaran Desert groundwater and lakes from environmental tracers. Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 23, 3519-3534.
- DARLING, W G and GOODDY, D C. 2006. The hydrogeochemistry of methane: evidence from English groundwaters. Chemical Geology, Vol. 229, 293-12.
- DARLING, W G, BATH, A H, GIBSON, J J and ROZANSKI, K. 2005. Isotopes in water. Chapter 1 in: Isotopes in Palaeoenvironmental Research (ed M J Leng), Vol 10 in Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research Series, Springer, 1-66.
- DARLING, W G, BATH, A H and TALBOT, J C. 2003. The O & H stable isotopic composition of fresh waters in the British Isles. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, Vol. 7, 183-195.
Published outputs
Skills
- Analytical techniques for stable isotopes, reactive and noble gases
- Interpretation of hydrogeochemical data
- Specialist in a range of groundwater dating methods