Geomicrobiology of Subsurface Environments

This project investigates relationships between bulk-scale (g-Kg or ml-L) biological, chemical, and physical heterogeneities in the subsurface to allow development of predictive knowledge of contaminant fate and transport. Microorganisms are the primary agents of geochemical change in the subsurface and these changes mediate transport phenomena. Research conducted in this project integrates microbial transport and partitioning with the effects of metabolic transformation of contaminant compounds, the importance of wettability of aquifer materials in contaminant degradation and distribution and the effect that microorganisms play in that process, and the determination of how key aquifer chemical constituents can structure significant microbial communities.