Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
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Desert Plants Reveal Contaminant Transport Pathways
USGS scientists have developed a method that uses water collected from plants to map tritium contamination. The plant-based method provides a noninvasive, cost-effective means of mapping subsurface tritium migration in desert areas. The method is sufficiently fast and robust, allowing for repeated sampling with time to determine the evolution of a plume. Compared to conventional methods, the plant-based method affords greater sampling density, which translates to greater accuracy in tracking contaminants. USGS scientists used the method to map tritium plumes at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS), Nevada. The results showed that tritium moves through dry, coarse-textured layers beneath the root zone, with concurrent upward release to the surface through the root zone. Phytoremediation, the use of plants to clean up contamination, is often assumed to be limited to contamination in direct contact with plant roots. Application of the plant-based method at the ADRS showed that the remedial effects of vegetation on tritium extend well beneath the root zone. Desert plants serve an important role in the detection and potential remediation of subsurface tritium contamination.
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