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Organic Compounds in Near-Surface Environments: Understanding Fate in a Changing Biogeochemical Landscape

Principal Investigators:  Isabelle M. Cozzarelli and Robert P. Eganhouse

In order to predict the short- and long-term fate of toxic organic substances in a variety of aquatic environments, it is necessary to determine the physical properties of these compounds and to understand their biogeochemical fate. The transport, sorption, volatilization, and biodegradation of organic compounds are investigated in a variety of hydrogeologic environments. The relative importance of different removal processes and the geochemical alterations resulting from organic-inorganic interactions are quantified under different environmental conditions and incorporated into conceptual and numerical models.  The approach involves long-term environmental studies of biogeochemical processes in contaminated aquifers, coupled with laboratory studies aimed at identifying specific pieces of the complicated fate and transport puzzle.

The research being conducted by this project, as part of the USGS National Research Program, directly supports the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and its mission to provide earth science information on toxic substances in the Nation’s surface and ground waters.  The results are directly applicable to the prioritization of contamination sites for cleanup and the design of optimal remedial strategies, particularly the application of monitored Natural Attenuation.  Our intensive field and laboratory investigations at the Bemidji crude-oil spill site and the Norman Landfill site have demonstrated that naturally occurring microbes degrade these contaminants in the subsurface.  Our research has contributed to the body of knowledge about the environmental conditions that determine the suitability of natural attenuation as a viable remediation approach.  The results of our intensive field investigations provide an understanding of natural processes at contaminated sites that can readily be used by resource managers at other sites throughout the U.S.  In addition, our research into chemical heterogeneity provides insight into the scale of biogeochemical processes and will improve our ability to sample contaminated systems.

See:

• Investigation of Norman Landfill, Norman, Oklahoma
• Investigation of Bemidji, Minnesota crude-oil spill