Geochemical Characterization and Modeling

The primary geochemical concerns for long-term monitoring are the geochemical conditions that could reverse contaminant attenuation, or the contaminant release that might occur over decades or even centuries. One particular area in need of more thorough study is how contaminants behave over the long-term in the dynamic conditions associated with groundwater/surface water interfaces. The ALTEMIS team will supplement the wealth of data collected over four decades from wetlands associated with the F-Area Seepage Basins with additional targeted data collection, experiments, and modeling. Sensor networks will be installed to understand longer-term changes to wetland geochemistry, and modeling will be used to evaluate likely contaminant behavior in response to longer-term scenarios such as climate change, changes in the course of the local stream, and changes in vegetation expected to occur in an unmaintained landscape.