One of the most fundamental issues DOE faces in future decades is understanding and addressing the science of the subsurface. Not only are the majority of DOE’s difficult cleanup issues related to subsurface contamination, but the proposed final resting place for the majority of DOE’s stabilized wastes will be in subsurface repositories or disposal areas.
- Characterization — Much improved methods for characterizing and monitoring the geology, geochemistry and microbiology of the subsurface, and the location and nature of contaminants in the heterogeneous subsurface.
- Coupled Phenomena — A greatly improved understanding of 1) the coupling mechanisms in the subsurface among such processes those of geology and mineralogy, fluid flow, geochemical interactions and microbiological activity, and 2) the basic nature, rate constants and other parameters governing each of these processes individually and together.
- Predictive Modeling — A major challenge of subsurface research is the development of computer models that accurately predict the behavior of contaminants under the interrelated influences of geological conditions, fluid flow, chemical reactions and biological activity in the heterogeneous subsurface, and then extend those predictions reliably into the future.
- Risk Assessment — Much better methods for quantifying uncertainty in all facets of subsurface measurements, data acquisition and modeling in order to make reliable risk assessments, choose from among various candidate remediation and stewardship options, and minimize future risks to human and ecosystem health.
While the above discussion applies to the subsurface in general, the need for research in the vadose zone is particularly urgent in view of the fact that the majority of anticipated cost of remediation across the DOE complex is for contaminants in the vadose zone. In addition, vadose-zone processes are generally more poorly understood than are processes in the saturated zone.
- Contacts:
- Mark Ankeny, (208) 526-5748, Send E-mail