Ecosystem Delivery System
Microbial communities of freshwater and subsurface ecosystems are being evaluated to identify biosignatures of community identity and function that correlate to movement of contaminants in those ecosystems.
Scientists are seeking quicker, more sensitive methods of monitoring contamination in the hyporehic zone, where groundwater and river water mix. This mesocosm simulates the hyporehic zone by pumping actual Hanford Site groundwater through a sand layer while Columbia River flows over the top.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers have constructed and are operating a hyporheic mesocosm that will be used for conducting controlled, laboratory-based studies on physical and biological aspects of hyporheic zones (ground water/surface water interface) as they relate to contaminants in surface waters from ground water sources. The mesocosm is providing the researcher with
- capabilities for controlled experiments to investigate physical and biological dynamics in hyporheic systems
- samples (e.g., sediments and biofilms) for molecular analyses to understand chemical and biological changes within the hyporheic zone.
Contact: Amoret Bunn