Research Interests

Erik Oerter is an Earth Scientist whose research focuses on the use of stable and radiogenic isotopes coupled to geochemical data to elucidate process and function in the surface and shallow subsurface environments of our planet. He joined the team at LLNL in 2016 and has since worked on projects exploring stable isotope signatures of uranium mineral surface oxidation and the nuclear fuel cycle.

Ph.D., Environmental Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2015

M.Sc., Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2005

B.A., Geological Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2003

(40) Min, K, E Nuccio, E Slessarev, M Kan, K McFarlane, E Oerter, J Pett-Ridge, A Jurasik, A Berhe, 2025, Distribution, composition, and isotopes of carbon in density fractions are different under shallow- and deep-rooted plants in agricultural soils, Geoderma, 455, 117202, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117202.

(39) Azar, A., I. Chakraborty, A. Visser, Y. Liu, J. Lerback, E. Oerter, 2025, Machine Learning Prediction of Tritium-Helium Groundwater Ages in the Central Valley, California, USA, Water Resources Research, 61, 1, e2024WR038031, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038031

(38) Wharton, S, A Hidy, T Ehrmann, W Zhu, S Skinner, H Beydoun, P Cameron-Smith, M Repasch, N Gunawardena, J Lee, A Visser, M Griffin, S Maddren, E Oerter, 2024, The BIRDIES Experiment: Measuring Beryllium Isotopes to Resolve Dynamics in the Stratosphere, Atmosphere 15(12) 1502, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15121502.

(37) Oerter, E., A. Garenne, M. Cisneros, G. Cody, M. Singleton, C. Alexander, 2025, Triple Oxygen and Hydrogen Stable Isotope Composition of Water in Murchison Carbonaceous Chondrite Accessed by Thermogravimetry-Enabled Laser Spectroscopy, Chemical Geology, 673, 122557, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2024.122557

(36) Lerback, J., Bibby, R., Danielsen, J., Garguilo, M., Grande, E., Harm, A.J., Minn, K., Moran, J., E. Oerter, Visser, A., 2024, How Rains and Floods Become Groundwater: Understanding Reacharge Pathways with Stable and Cosmogenic Isotopes, Hydrological Processes, 38(12) e70020, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70020.

(35) Chalifoux, A. C. Nizinski, M. Cisneros, T. Tenner, B. Naes, K. Wurth, E. Oerter, M. Singleton, G. Bowen, L. McDonald, 2024, Oxygen Isotope and Fluorine Impurity Signatures During Conversion of Uranium Ore Concentrates to Nuclear Fuel, ACS Omega, 9, 12135−12145, doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.

(34) Kim, Sung Ho, A. Visser, N. Catarineu, A. Bantung, S. Pang, A. Garenne, E. Oerter, T. Baumann, M. Heffner, S. Sangiorgio, 2023, High yield, large-scale synthesis of calcium-based microporous metal-organic framework and examination of the long-term stability for xenon adsorption applications, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 366, 112915, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2023.112915

(33) Kelson, J, T Huth, B Passey, N Levin, S Peterson, P Ballato, E Beverly, D Breecker, G Hoke, A Hudson, J Haoyuan, A Licht, E Oerter, J Quade, 2023, Triple oxygen isotope compositions of globally distributed soil carbonates record widespread evaporation in soil water, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 355, p. 138-160, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2023.06.034

(32) Grande, E, A Visser, E Oerter, B Arora, E Seybold, C Tatariw, A Braswell, M Montalvo, M Zimmer, 2023, Flow directions and ages of subsurface water in a salt marsh system constrained by isotope tracing, Estuaries and Coasts, 46, p.1417-1437, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-023-01237-3

(31) Chalifoux, A., M Singleton, M. Cisneros, E. Oerter, A. Hanson, L. McDonald, 2023, Challenges in correlating oxygen stable isotope ratios of hydrates on uranium ore concentrates to process waters, Radiochimica Acta, https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2023-0154

(30) Oerter, E, M Singleton, E Pili, M Klosterman, A Shemesh, P Agrinier, A Deinhart, R Yam, M Assulin, E Elish, L McDonald, T Tenner, R Kips, 2022, The oxygen stable isotope composition of CRM 125-A UO₂ standard reference material, Applied Geochemistry, 146, 105470, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105470

(29) Klosterman, M, E Oerter, M Singleton, L McDonald, 2022, Oxygen Isotope Fractionation in U3O8 During Thermal Processing in Humid Atmospheres, ACS Omega, 7, 4, 3462-3469, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c05838

(28) Klosterman, M, E Oerter, A Deinhart, S Chakraborty, M Singleton, L McDonald, 2021, Oxygen Kinetic Isotope Effects in the Thermal Decomposition and Reduction of Ammonium Diuranate, ACS Omega, 6, 45, 30856-30864, http://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c05388

(27) Oerter, E, E Slessarev, A Visser, K Min, M Kan, K McFarlane, M Saha, A A Berhe, J Pett-Ridge, E Nuccio, 2021, Hydraulic Redistribution by Deeply Rooted Grasses and its Ecohydrologic Implications in the Southern Great Plains of North America, Hydrological Processes, 35(9) e14366. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14366

(26) Min, K, E Slessarev, M Kan, K Mcfarlane, E Oerter, J Pett-Ridge, E Nuccio, A Berhe, E, 2021, Active microbial biomass decreases, but microbial growth potential remains similar across soil depth profiles under deeply- vs. shallow-rooted plants, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 162(108401), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108401

(25) Klosterman, M, E Oerter, S Chakraborty, M Singleton, L McDonald, 2021, Fractionation of Oxygen Isotopes in Uranium Oxides During Peroxide Precipitation and Dry Air Calcination, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 5(6) 1622-1630, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00112

(24) Thaw, M, A Visser, R Bibby, A Deinhart, E Oerter, M Conklin, 2021, Vegetation water sources in California’s Sierra Nevada (USA) are young and change over time, a multi-isotope (𝛿¹⁸O, 𝛿²H, ³H) tracer approach, Hydrological Processes 35(6) e14249, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14249

(23) Oerter, E, M Singleton, Z Dai, S Donald, M Thaw, L Davisson, 2021, Hydrogen and Oxygen Stable Isotope Composition of Hydration Water in Secondary Mineralization on UO₂, Talanta, 122096, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122096

(22) Oerter, E, M Singleton, Z Dai, M Thaw, L Davisson, 2020, Hydrogen and Oxygen Stable Isotope Composition of Water in Metaschoepite Mineralization on U₃O₈, Applied Geochemistry, v. 112, no. 104469, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2019.104469

(21) Gomez-Navarro, C, D Pataki, G Bowen, E Oerter, 2019, Spatiotemporal variability in water sources of urban soils and trees in the semiarid, irrigated Salt Lake Valley, Ecohydrology, e2154, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2154

(20) Oerter, E, G Bowen, 2019, Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in soil water stable isotopic composition and its ecohydrologic implications in semi-arid ecosystems, Hydrological Processes, v. 33, no. 12, p. 1724-1738, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13434

(19) Oerter, E, G Siebert, D Bowling, G Bowen, 2019, Soil water vapor isotopes identify missing water source for streamside trees, Ecohydrology, v. 12: e2083, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2083

(18) Oerter, E, M Singleton, M Thaw, L Davisson, 2019, Water vapor exposure chamber for constant humidity and hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope composition, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, v. 33, p.89-96. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8311

(17) Oerter, E, J Mills, G Maurer, L Lammers, R Amundson, 2018, Greenhouse gas production and transport in desert soils of the southwestern USA, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, v. 32, no. 11, p. 1703-1717, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB006035

(16) Oerter, E, M Singleton, L Davisson, 2018, Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope dynamics of hyper-saline and salt-saturated aqueous solutions, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 238, p. 316-328, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.07.009

(15) Bowen, G, A Putman, J R Brooks, D Bowling, E Oerter, S Good, 2018, Inferring the source of evaporated waters using stable H and O isotopes, Oecologia, v. 187, no. 4, p. 1025-1039, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4192-5

(14) Oerter, E, M Singleton, L Davisson, 2017, Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope signatures of goethite hydration waters by thermogravimetry-enabled laser spectroscopy, Chemical Geology, v. 475, p. 14-23, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.10.025

(13) Oerter, E, M Malone, A Putman, L Stark, D Drits, G Bowen, 2017 Every apple has a voice: Using stable isotopes to teach about food sourcing and the water cycle, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, v. 21, p. 3799-3810, doi: 105194/hess-2017-115. 

(12) Oerter, E, G Bowen, 2017, In situ monitoring of H and O stable isotopes in soil water reveals ecohydrologic dynamics in managed soil systems. Ecohydrology, v. 10, e1841, doi: 10.1002/eco.1841

(11) Oerter, E, A Perelet, E Pardyjak, G Bowen, 2017, Membrane inlet laser spectroscopy to measure H and O stable isotope compositions of soil and sediment pore water with high sample throughput. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, v. 31, p. 75-84,          doi: 10.1002/rcm.7768

(10) Oerter, E, R Amundson, 2016, Climate controls on spatial and temporal variations in pedogenic carbonate formation timing in the western Great Basin of North America. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 128, no. 7-8, p. 1095-1104,                                                     doi: 10.1130/B31367.1

(9) Oerter, E, W Sharp, J Oster, A Ebeling, J Valley, R Kozdon, I Orland, J Hellstrom, J Woodhead, J Hergt, O Chadwick, R Amundson, 2016, Pedothem carbonates reveal anomalous North American atmospheric circulation 70,000 to 55,000 years ago. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, v. 113, no. 4, p. 919-924, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1515478113

(8) Ebeling, A, E Oerter, J Valley, R Amundson, 2016, Relict soil evidence for profound Quaternary aridification of the Atacama Desert, Chile. Geoderma, v. 267, p. 196-206, doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2015.12.010

(7) Oerter, E, R Amundson, A Heimsath, M Jungers, G Chong, P Renne, 2016, Early to middle Miocene climate in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 441, p. 890-900, doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.10.038

(6) Oerter, E, K Finstad, J Schaeffer, G Goldsmith, T Dawson, R Amundson, 2014, Oxygen isotope fractionation effects in soil water via interaction with cations (Mg, Ca, Na, K) adsorbed to phyllosilicate clay minerals. Journal of Hydrology, v. 515, p. 1-9, doi: 10.1016/j.hydrol.2014.04.029

(5) Oerter, E, 2011, Geothermometry of thermal springs in the Rico, Dunton, and West Fork Dolores River areas, Dolores County, Colorado. Colorado Geological Survey, Resource Series, 95 p.

(4) Barkmann, P, M Dechesne, M E Wickham, J Carlson, S Formolo, E Oerter, 2011.  Cross-sections of the freshwater bearing strata of the Denver Basin between Greeley and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Colorado Geological Survey, Open-file Report 11-03.

(3) Oerter, E, M Sares, 2010, Geothermometry of warm springs in the Rico Area, Colorado. Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, v. 34, p. 703-707.

(2) Oerter, E, G Brimhall, J Redmond, B Walker, 2007, A method for quantitative pyrite abundance in mine rock piles by powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement, Applied Geochemistry, v. 22, p. 2907-2925, doi: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2007.08.002

(1) Krosley, L, P Shaffner, E Oerter, T Ortiz, 2006, Digital ground-based photogrammetry for measuring discontinuity orientations in steep rock exposures, 41^st U.S. Symposium on Rock Mechanics, American Rock Mechanics Society, p. 1-13.

 

• Ecohydrology Journal Early Career Publication Award (paper #19 above), 2020

• Best Paper Award, Hydrology and Earth System Science, 2017

• NSF iUTAH EPSCoR Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Utah, 2015-2016
• Professor Earl Storie Memorial Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley, 2015
• Hans and Jean Jenny Graduate Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley, 2015
• Clay Minerals Society Research Grant, 2013
• Clay Minerals Society, Robert C. Reynolds, Jr. Award, Best Proposal, 2013
• Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Grant, 2012
• Environmental Forum Fellow, UC Berkeley, 2012
• Community Earth System Model Fellowship, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 2012