The Hydrochemistry and Contaminants Laboratory studies the behaviour of chemical compounds and micro-organisms in aquifer systems. A key research objective is to elucidate how the hydrogeological and geochemical context controls the time scale and spatial extent of impacts on water quality. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of soil-groundwater and river-groundwater interfaces on the flux of solutes through the subsurface.
The research uses a combination of field, laboratory and modelling methods. In the field studies, methods are developed to resolve key processes at high spatial and temporal resolution. Advanced analytical methods, such as compound-specific isotope analysis, are used to identify and quantify reactive processes under field conditions. Reaction rate quantification methods are combined with tracing methods to assess the time scales of water and solute movements in order to characterize and predict contaminant dynamics.
Current projects focus on the transport of pesticides and their metabolites in soils and groundwater, the fate of micro-organisms at interfaces between rivers and groundwater, the behaviour of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as ‘forever chemicals’) in soils and groundwater, and the impact of pesticides on the environment.