Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program scientists use tracer tests to learn more about the transport and fate of contaminants in the environment. By placing a known concentration and amount of tracer in ground water or in a stream and monitoring the movement of the tracer, scientists can test hypotheses on the processes that control the transport and fate of many different types of contaminants. In many cases, changing natural systems and watching the response is one of the most efficient ways to learn how contaminants move in ground water or streams. The Toxics Program’s extensive use of tracer tests is unique when compared to other environmental research programs. Many Toxics Program investigations have used tracer tests as part of their investigation. The information presented on this page cuts across lines drawn by individual investigations and projects so that information on tracer tests conducted by the Toxics Program can be presented in one place.
Investigations and Research Activities
Fact Sheets
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![Multilevel well-sampling array at the Cape Cod Research Site, MA, where many natural gradient tracer tests have been conducted. There are over 10,000 subsurface sampling ports.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20080916014258im_/http://toxics.usgs.gov/photo_gallery/photos/capecod/capecod_sm.jpg)
Multilevel well-sampling array at the Cape Cod Research Site, MA, where many natural gradient tracer tests have been conducted. There are over 10,000 subsurface sampling ports.
(Click on Image for a Larger Version)
Bibliography
Headlines
![Processing samples during a stream tracer test on California Gulch, Animas River, CO](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20080916014258im_/http://toxics.usgs.gov/photo_gallery/photos/aml/animas3_sm.jpg)
Processing samples during a stream tracer test on California Gulch, Animas River, CO
(Click on Image for a Larger Version)
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