Temporal geophysical signatures from contaminant-mass remediation

We have previously documented changes in bulk electrical conductivity, self-potential (SP), and ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) reflections in a field setting caused by biogeochemical transformations of hydrocarbon-contaminated media. These transformations are associated with hydrocarbon biodegradation. The results of surface geophysical surveys acquired in 1996, 2003, and 2007 document changes in geophysical signatures associated with removing hydrocarbon mass in the contaminated zone. Initial investigations in 1996 showed that relative to background, the contaminated area was characterized by higher bulk electrical conductivity, positive SP anomaly, and attenuated GPR reflections. Repeated surveys in 2003 and 2007 over the contaminated area showed that in 2007, the bulk electrical conductivityhad reverted to near-background conditions, the positive SP anomaly became more negative, and the zone of attenuated GPR reflections showed increased signal strength. Removal of hydrocarbon mass in the vadose zone o...

[1]  Anthony L. Endres,et al.  Modelling the Electrical Properties of Porous Rocks and Soils Containing Immiscible Contaminants , 1996 .

[2]  A. Benson,et al.  Mapping groundwater contamination using dc resistivity and VLF geophysical methods; a case study , 1997 .

[3]  Nigel J. Cassidy,et al.  GPR Attenuation and Scattering in a Mature Hydrocarbon Spill: A Modeling Study , 2008 .

[4]  John H. Bradford,et al.  Frequency-dependent attenuation analysis of ground-penetrating radar data , 2007 .

[5]  Jennifer A Field,et al.  Occurrence and persistence of perfluorooctanesulfonate and other perfluorinated surfactants in groundwater at a fire-training area at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, USA. , 2003, Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM.

[6]  M. Klug,et al.  Temporal variations in parameters reflecting terminal-electron-accepting processes in an aquifer contaminated with waste fuel and chlorinated solvents , 2000 .

[7]  Estella A. Atekwana,et al.  Investigations of geoelectrical signatures at a hydrocarbon contaminated site , 2000 .

[8]  Estella A. Atekwana,et al.  Field evidence for geophysical detection of subsurface zones of enhanced microbial activity , 2004 .

[9]  Estella A. Atekwana,et al.  Geophysical Discovery of a New LNAPL Plume at the Former Wurtsmith AFB, Oscoda, Michigan , 1997 .

[10]  R. Barker,et al.  Rapid least-squared inversion of apparent resisitivity pseudosections by a quasi-Newton method , 1996 .

[11]  R. Krishnamurthy,et al.  Seasonal variations of dissolved inorganic carbon and δ13C of surface waters : application of a modified gas evolution technique , 1998 .

[12]  N. Cassidy,et al.  Evaluating LNAPL contamination using GPR signal attenuation analysis and dielectric property measurements: practical implications for hydrological studies. , 2007, Journal of contaminant hydrology.

[13]  P. Bradley,et al.  Evidence for Enhanced Mineral Dissolution in Organic Acid‐Rich Shallow Ground Water , 1995 .

[14]  P. Adriaens,et al.  Comparison of Eh and H2 Measurements for Delineating Redox Processes in a Contaminated Aquifer , 1996 .

[15]  Estella A. Atekwana,et al.  Induced-polarization measurements on unconsolidated sediments from a site of active hydrocarbon biodegradation , 2006 .

[16]  Ana Osella,et al.  Joint inversion of Wenner and dipole-dipole data to study a gasoline-contaminated soil , 2003 .

[17]  E. Atekwana,et al.  The Microbial Community Structure in Petroleum-Contaminated Sediments Corresponds to Geophysical Signatures , 2007, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[18]  E. Atekwana,et al.  Biodegradation and mineral weathering controls on bulk electrical conductivity in a shallow hydrocarbon contaminated aquifer. , 2005, Journal of contaminant hydrology.

[19]  Burke J. Minsley,et al.  Three‐dimensional self‐potential inversion for subsurface DNAPL contaminant detection at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina , 2007 .

[20]  P. Bennett,et al.  Microbial colonization and weathering of silicates in a petroleum-contaminated groundwater , 1996 .

[21]  E. Atekwana,et al.  The relationship of total dissolved solids measurements to bulk electrical conductivity in an aquife , 2004 .

[22]  André Revil,et al.  Relationship between self‐potential (SP) signals and redox conditions in contaminated groundwater , 2003 .

[23]  André Revil,et al.  Groundwater redox conditions and conductivity in a contaminant plume from geoelectrical investigations , 2004 .

[24]  Donald I. Siegel,et al.  Crude oil in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer-III , 1993 .

[25]  John M. Reynolds,et al.  An Introduction to Applied and Environmental Geophysics , 1997 .

[26]  P. Adriaens,et al.  An assessment of natural biotransformation of petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents at an aquifer plume transect. , 2001, Journal of contaminant hydrology.

[27]  M. E. Tuccillo,et al.  Progression of natural attenuation processes at a crude-oil spill site: I. Geochemical evolution of the plume. , 2001, Journal of contaminant hydrology.

[28]  L. Forney,et al.  Effects of dynamic redox zonation on the potential for natural attenuation of trichloroethylene at a fire-training-impacted aquifer , 1999 .

[29]  E. Atekwana,et al.  Effect of bacterial adsorption on low frequency electrical properties of clean quartz sands and iron‐oxide coated sands , 2009 .

[30]  D. Albarello,et al.  A distribution-free analysis of magnitude-intensity relationships: an application to the Mediterranean region. , 1999 .

[31]  Chieh‐Hou Yang,et al.  High resistivities associated with a newly formed LNAPL plume imaged by geoelectric techniques ‐ a case study , 2007 .

[32]  John H. Bradford.  FREQUENCY DEPENDENT ATTENUATION ANALYSIS OF GROUNDPENETRATING RADAR DATA , 2006 .

[33]  William A. Sauck,et al.  A model for the resistivity structure of LNAPL plumes and their environs in sandy sediments , 2000 .

[34]  F. Chapelle,et al.  Temporal and spatial changes of terminal electron‐accepting processes in a petroleum hydrocarbon‐contaminated aquifer and the significance for contaminant biodegradation , 1994 .

[35]  Mark Vendl,et al.  Ground penetrating radar for the detection of liquid contaminants , 1995 .

[36]  Anthony L. Endres,et al.  Investigating the geoelectrical response of hydrocarbon contamination undergoing biodegradation , 2003 .

[37]  John H. Bradford,et al.  “Frequency-dependent attenuation analysis of ground-penetrating radar data,” John H. Bradford, GEOPHYSICS, 72, no. 3, J7–J16 , 2007 .

[38]  Estella A. Atekwana,et al.  High Conductivities Associated With an LNAPL Plume Imaged by Integrated Geophysical Techniques , 1998 .

[39]  R. Hoffmann,et al.  Influence of natural time-dependent variations of electrical conductivity on DC resistivity measurements , 2004 .

[40]  Todd Halihan,et al.  Post-remediation evaluation of a LNAPL site using electrical resistivity imaging. , 2005, Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM.

[41]  Estella A. Atekwana,et al.  In-situ apparent conductivity measurements and microbial population distribution at a hydrocarbon-contaminated site , 2004 .

[42]  Jonathan E. Nyquist,et al.  TutorialSelf-potential: The ugly duckling of environmental geophysics , 2002 .

[43]  Silvia Rossbach,et al.  Evidence for microbial enhanced electrical conductivity in hydrocarbon‐contaminated sediments , 2004 .

[44]  C. Davis,et al.  Microbial growth and biofilm formation in geologic media is detected with complex conductivity measurements , 2006 .

[45]  Robert P. Eganhouse,et al.  Transformation of Monoaromatic hydrocarbons to organic acids in anoxic groundwater environment , 1990 .

[46]  L. Slater,et al.  Effects of microbial processes on electrolytic and interfacial electrical properties of unconsolidated sediments , 2004 .