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MULTIPHASE CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT, REACTION AND BIODEGRADATION


ABOUT THE PROJECT

Toxic contaminants commonly found in the subsurface can exist in multiple phases, undergo complex reactions, and experience biodegradation. A comprehensive and quantitative understanding of the processes controlling the fate and transport of subsurface contaminants is necessary to develop policies and strategies for managing water-quality conditions in different land uses and environmental settings. Numerical models that simulate flow, transport, and reactions are useful tools for understanding the fate of these chemicals. This project develops and uses numerical models and conducts field studies and laboratory experiments, to:

  1. Quantify, and gain insight into the relative importance of the physical chemical, and biological processes controlling contaminant fate in the environment;
  2. Test competing hypotheses for explaining observed contaminant distribution and behavior;
  3. Help characterize the overall mass balance of a contaminant and its by-products in a system;
  4. Compare contaminant fate in different hydrologic settings; and,
  5. Test the impact of different management/remediation scenarios on water quality.

The processes of model application and data collection in the field and laboratory often conducted iteratively.

Our research efforts consider contaminant behavior in the saturated and unsaturated zone. We cover a broad range of contaminants including petroleum hydrocarbons, actinides, chlorinated solvents, and creosote compounds. We are expanding our efforts to include agricultural chemicals and ground water-surface water interactions.





 


This website designed and maintained by Carla Chamberlain. For information, comments, or suggestions about this website, please contact cchamber@usgs.gov.

The URL for this page is: http://wwwrcamnl.usgs.gov/transport.html
Last modification: August 21, 2003

 

DOI

Water Resources

National Research Program

Toxics Program