Comparative Study of Organic Degradation in Selected Hydrologic Environments

Degradation of organic material produces organic compounds that both alter the quality of water and affect the inorganic reactions. The hydrogeologic controls on organic-inorganic reactions, their rate, and progress are not well understood. This project focuses on the occurrence and fate of organic compounds in (1) contaminant aquifers, (2) soils, and (3) lake sediments. Project objectives are to increase our understanding of reactions involving organic matter and to evaluate the significance of these reactions in geochemical studies. Of particular interest are: identifying organic and inorganic compounds that are present as a result of the degradation of organic material; studying the interaction of organic compounds with soil and aquifer materials; and using geochemical models to describe processes in organic-rich environments. For additional information about this project, see project page:
Organic Compounds in Near-Surface Environments: Understanding Fate in a Changing Biogechmical Landscape.

REPORTS PUBLISHED 1999-2004

Baedecker, M.J., 2003, Overview of Water, Energy, Biogeochemical Budgets Program of the US Geological Survey in The First Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, 27-30 October 2003, Benson, AZ, Proceedings, 6p. (on-line report, pdf format)

Bjerg, P.L., Albrechtsen, H.-J., Kjeldsen, P., Christensen, T.H., and Cozzarelli, I.M., 2003, The Geochemistry of waste disposal facilities in groundwater, in Lollar, B.S., ed., Environmental Geochemistry, Treatise on Geochemistry, v. 9: Elsevier, p. 579-612.

Christenson, S.C., and Cozzarelli, I.M., 2003, The Norman Landfill Environmental Research Site: What Happens to the Waste in Landfills?: US Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-040-03. (on-line fact sheet)

Cozzarelli, I.M., and Baehr, A.L., 2003, Volatile fuel hydrocarbons and MTBE in the environment, in Lollar, B.S., ed., Environmental Geochemistry, Treatise on Geochemistry, v. 9: Elsevier, p. 433-474.

Essaid, H.I., Cozzarelli, I.M., Eganhouse, R.P., Herkelrath, W.N., Bekins, B.A., and Delin, G.N., 2003, Inverse modeling of BTEX dissolution and biodegradation at the Bemidji, MN crude-oil spill site, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 67, pp 269-299. (on-line abstract)

Ulrich, G.A., Breit, G.N., Cozzarelli, I.M., Suflita, J.M., 2003, Sources of sulfate supporting anaerobic metabolism in a contaminated aquifer: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 37, p. 1,093-1,099. (on-line abstract)

Bekins, B.A., Cozzarelli, I.M., Warren, E., Godsy, E.M., 2002, Microbial ecology of a crude-oil contaminated aquifer, in Thornton, S.F., and Oswald, S.E., eds., Natural and Enhanced Restoration of Groundwater Pollution: International Association of Hydrological Sciences, IAHS Red Book Series no 275, p. 57-63. (on-line abstract)

Cozzarelli, I.M. 2002, Impact of organic contaminants on the evolution of ground-water geochemistry, in Aiken, G.R., and Kuniansky, E.L., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Artificial Recharge Workshop Proceedings, Sacramento, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02-89, p. 30-32. (on-line report)

Grossman, E.L., Cifuentes, L.A., and Cozzarelli, I.M., 2002, Anaerobic methane oxidation in a landfill-leachate plume, Environmental Science & Technology, v. 36, no. 11, p. 2436-2442. (on-line abstract)

Herman, J.S., Mills, A. L., and Cozzarelli, I.M., 2002, Alteration of reactive mineral surfaces by ground water, in Wilkin, R.T., Ludwig, R.D., and Ford, R.G., eds, Proceedings of the Workshop on Monitoring Oxidation-Reduction Processes for Ground-water Restoration, Dallas, Texas, April 25-27, 2000: Cincinnati, OH, U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency, EPA/600/R-02/002, p. 39-42. (on-line report)

Bekins, B.A., Cozzarelli, I.M., Godsy, E.M., Warren, Ean, Essaid, H.I., Tuccillo, M.E., 2001, Progression of natural attenuation processes at a crude oil site II. Controls on spatial distribution of microbial populations: Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 53, p. 387-406. (on-line abstract)

Cozzarelli, I.M., Bekins, B.A., Baedecker, M.J., Aiken, G.R., Eganhouse, R.P. and Tuccillo, M.E., 2001, Progression of natural attenuation processes at a crude-oil spill site; I. Geochemical evolution of the plume: Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 53, p. 369-385. (on-line abstract)

Eganhouse, R.P., Cozzarelli, I.M., Scholl, M.A., and Matthews, L.L., 2001, Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: Using alkylbenzenes as process probes: Ground Water, v. 39, no. 2, p. 192-202. (on-line abstract or on-line pdf file. This pdf file is reprinted with permission from Ground Water)

Herman, J.S., Mills, A.L., and Cozzarelli, I.M., 2001, Microbially mediated alteration of iron mineral phases in contaminated sedimentary aquifers, in Cidu, R., ed., Proceedings of the tenth international symposium WRI-10, Villasimius, Italy, 10-15 June 2001: A.A. Balkema, v. 2, p. 1441-1444.

Cozzarelli, I.M., Suflita, J.M., Ulrich, G.A., Harris, S.H., Scholl, M.A., Schlottmann, J.L., and Christenson, S., 2000, Geochemical and microbiological methods for evaluating anaerobic processes in an aquifer contaminated by landfill Leachate: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 34, no. 18, p. 4025-4033. (on-line abstract; An electronic PDF file is available through the American Chemical Society at: http://pubs.acs.org/reprint-request?es991342b/N7uR )

Bekins, B.A., Baehr, A.L., Cozzarelli, I.M., Essaid, H.I., Haack, S.K., Harvey, R.W., Shaprio, A.M., Smith, J.A., Smith, R.L., 1999, Capabilities and challenges of natural attenuation in the subsurface: Lessons from the U.S. Geological Survey Toxics Substances Hydrology Program, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - A Proceeding of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3--Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 37-56. (on-line abstract)

Bekins, B.A., Cozzarelli, I.M., Godsy, E.M., Warren, Ean, Tuccillo, M.E., Essaid, H.I., and Paganelli, V.V., 1999, Chemical and physical controls on microbial populations in the Bemidji Toxics Site crude-oil plume, in Morganwalp, D.W. and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3--Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 133-142. (on-line abstact)

Cozzarelli, I.M., Baedecker, M.J., Eganhouse, R.P., Tuccillo, M.E., Aiken, G.R., Bekins, B.A., and Jaeschke, J.B., 1999, Long-term geochemical evolution of the Bemidji Toxics site crude-oil plume, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 123-132. (on-line abstract)

Cozzarelli, I.M., Herman, J.S., Baedecker, M.J., and Fischer, J.M., 1999, Geochemical heterogeneity of a gasoline-contaminated aquifer: Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 40, p. 261-284. (on-line abstract)

Cozzarelli, I.M., Suflita, J., Ulrich, G., Harris, S., Scholl, M.A., Schlottmann, J.L., and Jaeschke, J.B., 1999, Biogeochemical processes in a contaminant plume downgradient from a landfill, Norman, Oklahoma, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 521-530. (on-line abstract)

Curtis, G.P., Cozzarelli, I.M., Baedecker, I.M., and Bekins, B.A., 1999, Coupled Biogeochemical Modeling of Ground-Water Contamination at the Bemidji, Minnesota, Crude Oil Spill Site, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p.153-158. (on-line abstract)

Eganhouse, R.P., Matthews, L.L., Cozzarelli, I.M., and Scholl, M.A., 1999, Evidence for natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds in the leachate plume of the Norman, Oklahoma landfill, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 531-540. (on-line abstract)

Godsy, E.M., Warren, E., Cozzarelli, I.M., Bekins, B.A., Eganhouse, R.P., 1999, Determining BTEX biodegradation rates using in situ microcosms at the Bemidji site, Minnesota: Trials and tribulations, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 129-168. (on-line abstract)

Schlottman, J.L., Scholl, M.A., and Cozzarelli, I.M., 1999, Identifying ground-water and evaporated surface-water interactions near a landfill using deuterium, 18oxygen, and chloride, Norman, Oklahoma, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 509-520. (on-line abstract)

Scholl, M.A., Cozzarelli, I.M., Christenson, S.C., Breit, G.N., and Schlottman, J.L., 1999, Aquifer heterogeneity at Norman landfill and its effect on observations of biodegradation processes, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 - Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 557-568. (on-line abstract)

Tuccillo, M.E., Cozzarelli, I.M., and Herman, J.S., 1999, Iron reduction in the sediments of a hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifer: Applied Geochemistry, v. 14, no. 5, p. 71-83. (on-line abstract)

For information on additional projects in the National Research Program, see Indexes to NRP projects and bibliographies