Geologic and Hydrologic Controls on Subsurface Redox Conditions

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Virginia Tech are co-sponsoring the special session "Geologic and Hydrologic Controls on Subsurface Redox Conditions (H36)" at the 2007 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 10-14, 2007. In the subsurface, the redox state of water strongly affects reactions of contaminants particularly nitrate, pesticides, arsenic, and chlorinated ethenes. This session will examine physical and chemical factors that control subsurface redox conditions. These factors may include one or more of the following:

1. The transport and exchange of dissolved and gaseous chemicals in the unsaturated zone
2. The abundance and reactivity of reduced mineral species and organic carbon that vary with the geologic formation
3. Chemistry of paleo and modern recharge waters
4. Increased modern recharge and vertical mixing due to irrigation and ground-water pumping
5. Anthropogenic fluxes of redox sensitive solutes such as NO₃ and dissolved organic carbon
6. The activity of microbes that facilitate redox reactions

The session will have presentations describing the redox conditions of the subsurface and how these are related to geology, paleohydrology, and modern hydrology. Modeling studies that examine redox evolution and studies that show how the fate of contaminants is tied to the hydrology and geology will also be presented.

Conveners

• Barbara Bekins, USGS,
• Chris Green, USGS,
• Madeline Schreiber, Virginia Tech,

General Conference Information

• Conference Home Page
• Session Information

USGS Research on Subsurface Redox Conditions

• Contaminant Plume Geochemistry and Microbiology, Crosscutting information on the geochemical and microbiological characterization of processes related to contaminant plume migration and evolution
• Application of Molecular Methods in Microbial Ecology to Understand the Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents
• Bacteria - Contaminant Interactions
• Biogeochemistry of Carbon and Nitrogen in Aquatic Environments
• Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rock, Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Research Site, West Trenton, NJ
• Comparative Study of Organic Degradation in Selected Hydrologic Environments
• Hydrogeochemical and Microbiological Investigations of Radionuclides, Nutrients, and Environmental Contaminants
• Microbial Degradation of Chloroethenes in Ground Water Systems
• Microbiology and Molecular Ecology of Biogeochemical Cycles in Aquatic Environments
• Multiphase Contaminant Transport, Reaction, and Biodegradation Project
• Organic Compounds in Near-Surface Environments: Understanding Fate in a Changing Biogeochemical Landscape
• Processes Affecting the Natural Attenuation of Fuel Oxygenates in Ground Water Fuel, Laurel Bay, South Carolina
• Processes Affecting the Natural Attenuation of Gasoline in Ground Water, Galloway Township, New Jersey
• Transport and Biogeochemical Fate of Organic Substances in Aquatic Environments

Related Headlines

• New Report Presents a Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Monitored Natural Attenuation
• RDX Biodegradation Under Metal-Reducing Conditions
• New Information on the Long-Term Fate of Ammonium in Ground Water
• Microorganisms Degrade MTBE Even at Winter Ground-Water Temperatures
• Ground-Water Recharge Affects Fate of Petroleum Contaminant Plumes
• History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation--A Review
• USGS Scientists Contribute to the Landmark "Treatise on Geochemistry"
• A Unique Approach to Evaluating Natural Attenuation is Applied Worldwide
• Landmark Book Published on the Fate of Contaminants in the Environment: Partition and Adsorption of Organic Contaminants in Environmental Systems
• MTBE Can Degrade Naturally Without Oxygen
• How Do You Clean Up Gasoline Spills Naturally?
• Relying on Nature to Clean Up Contaminated Ground Water
• Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation
• Can a Sewage-Contaminated Aquifer Naturally Clean Itself?
• Natural Attenuation of MTBE at Laurel Bay, South Carolina

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