SPECIAL SECTION: UNDERSTANDING SUBSURFACE FLOW AND TRANSPORT PROCESSES AT THE IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING & ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY (INEEL) SITE:

Robert J. Lenhard, Alan K. Yonk, Phillip M. Wright, and James D. Herzog

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Site: An Overview of Site History and Soil and Groundwater Contamination Issues
To supplement manuscripts in this issue's special section addressing research at the INEEL, a general overview is given regarding the operations history of the site as well as important soil and groundwater contamination issues. Additionally, the authors briefly introduce the papers in the special section.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 1-5. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

John R. Nimmo, Joseph P. Rousseau, Kim S. Perkins, Kenneth G. Stollenwerk, Pierre D. Glynn, Roy C. Bartholomay, and LeRoy L. Knobel

Hydraulic and Geochemical Framework of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Vadose Zone
The vadose zone at the INEEL is about 200 m thick, with great hydraulic and geochemical heterogeneity in its interbedded basalts and sediments. Several decades of study have identified major influences on contaminant transport within this vadose zone; these influences are related to this heterogeneity.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 6-34. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Earl D. Mattson, Swen O. Magnuson, and Shannon L. Ansley

Interpreting INEEL Vadose Zone Water Movement on the Basis of Large-Scale Field Tests and Long-Term Vadose Zone Monitoring Results
Field data describing large-scale behavior of water movement in highly heterogeneous vadose zones is difficult to obtain. This paper reviews the results from two large-scale infiltration tests and long-term monitoring data to suggest dominant mechanisms controlling water movement in the vadose zone at the INEEL.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 35-46. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Richard P. Smith

Geologic Setting of the Snake River Plain Aquifer and Vadose Zone
This paper summarizes the tectonic, volcanic, and sedimentary processes that formed the eastern Snake River Plain of Idaho, the host rocks for its aquifer, and the thick vadose zone above the aquifer. The specific effects of each process on the aquifer and vadose zone are presented.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 47-58. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Swen Magnuson

Regulatory Modeling for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's Subsurface Disposal Area and Conceptual Model Uncertainty Treatment
An overview is presented of an applied modeling study of flow and transport through a fractured basalt vadose zone beneath a waste burial site. Conceptual model uncertainty in the simulation results is evaluated, with the main premise being that conceptual uncertainty likely dominates parametric uncertainty.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 59-74. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

André J. A. Unger, Boris Faybishenko, Gudmundur S. Bodvarsson, and Ardyth M. Simmons

Simulating Infiltration Tests in Fractured Basalt at the Box Canyon Site, Idaho
A series of ponded infiltration tests in variably saturated fractured basalt at Box Canyon, Idaho, provided data for testing of models of flow in fractured rock. A dual-permeability model using TOUGH2 was used to develop a consistent set of hydrogeological parameters by calibration to infiltration front arrival times.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 75-89. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

T. R. Wood, R. J. Glass, T. R. McJunkin, R. K. Podgorney, R. A. Laviolette, K. S. Noah, D. L. Stoner, R. C. Starr, and K. Baker

Unsaturated Flow through a Small Fracture–Matrix Network: Part 1. Experimental Observations
Unsaturated flow in a fracture network is investigated experimentally using a wall of limestone blocks. Results suggest that the interaction of multiple intersections acting in a network creates flow behavior not generally recognized in conventional numerical and conceptual models.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 90-100. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

J. P. Fairley, R. K. Podgorney, and T. R. Wood

Unsaturated Flow through a Small Fracture–Matrix Network: Part 2. Uncertainty in Modeling Flow Processes
A comparison of several common numerical modeling techniques for water flow in a fractured, porous matrix is presented. The modeling results are compared against detailed experimental data collected under laboratory conditions.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 101-108. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Mitchell A. Plummer, Larry C. Hull, and Don T. Fox

Transport of Carbon-14 in a Large Unsaturated Soil Column
The transport of carbon-14 over large spatial and temporal scales at the RWMC of the INEEL was studied by conducting conservative tracer and carbon-14 transport tests in a large unsaturated soil column. Model parameters derived from bench-scale experiments were used to predict these large-scale results.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 109-121. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Donna Post Guillen and Russel C. Hertzog

A Survey of Department of Energy–Sponsored Geophysical Research for Shallow Waste Site Characterization
This paper surveys recent advances in geophysical methods that are applicable to imaging the heterogeneous properties and processes within the subsurface underlying the INEEL, as well as other waste sites with similar geology and contaminants.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 122-133. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

R. Michael Lehman, Kristine E. Baker, and Earl D. Mattson

Distribution of Microorganisms and their Activities in Capillary Barriers: Implications for Modeling of Hydrologic Transport through Capillary Barriers
The role of microorganisms in the hydraulic performance of surface barriers was examined in several different prototype barriers installed in the vadose zone of a semiarid, high desert region. A path to integrate biological effects into numerical hydrologic models is considered.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 134-142. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Mark E. Conrad and Donald J. DePaolo

Carbon Isotopic Evidence for Biodegradation of Organic Contaminants in the Shallow Vadose Zone of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex
Mixed wastes buried at the RWMC at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory included radionuclides, chlorinated solvents, and lubricating oils. Concentrations, stable carbon isotope, and radiocarbon contents of carbon dioxide in pore gas samples were collected from the subsurface to evaluate rates of natural biodegradation of the lubricating oils.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 143-153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Alexandre M. Tartakovsky, Luis Garcia-Naranjo, and Daniel M. Tartakovsky

Transient Flow in a Heterogeneous Vadose Zone with Uncertain Parameters
Treating parameters describing the hydraulic properties of the unsaturated zone as random variables and the flow equations as stochastic, unbiased estimates of the flow state variables of pressure, water content, and fluxes are developed, along with the quantification of uncertainty of such estimates.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 154-163. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Ray A. Berry, Richard C. Martineau, and Thomas R. Wood

Particle-Based Direct Numerical Simulation of Contaminant Transport and Deposition in Porous Flow
A direct numerical simulation approach is advocated toward pore-level flow and transport in porous media, and is implemented using a grid-free, hybrid smoothed particle hydrodynamics numerical method. The model is demonstrated for flow and transport through a simulated porous material.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 164-169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Deborah L. McElroy and Joel M. Hubbell

Evaluation of the Conceptual Flow Model for a Deep Vadose Zone System Using Advanced Tensiometers
Temporal and spatial water potential data are presented from 30 advanced tensiometers located within basalt and sediments in the upper 74 m of a thick vadose zone. Results presented suggest that deep portions of the vadose zone are responding to recent (years) changes in surface infiltration.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 170-182. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

J. M. Hubbell, J. B. Sisson, M. J. Nicholl, and R. G. Taylor

Well Design to Reduce Barometric Pressure Effects on Water Level Data in Unconfined Aquifers
A well completion method is developed and tested that minimizes the effects of barometric pressure fluctuations on measured water levels. This new design measures water level changes directly, thus eliminating the need to correct for barometric effects during postprocessing.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 183-189. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Larry C. Hull and Carolyn W. Bishop

Fate of Brine Applied to Unpaved Roads at a Radioactive Waste Subsurface Disposal Area
The vertical and lateral migration of a road dust suppressant, magnesium chloride, was studied at a radioactive waste burial ground. Significant lateral and vertical migrations were found. Results support previous estimates of the spatial distribution of recharge and vadose zone travel times at the site.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 190-202. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS:

Peter C. Lichtner, Steve Yabusaki, Karsten Pruess, and Carl I. Steefel

Role of Competitive Cation Exchange on Chromatographic Displacement of Cesium in the Vadose Zone beneath the Hanford S/SX Tank Farm
Model calculations are presented for the migration of cesium in the presence of high ionic strength fluids resulting from leaks in the S/SX Hanford tank farm. The model is calibrated against field data derived from a leak from one of the tanks.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 203-219. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Donald J. DePaolo, Mark E. Conrad, Katharine Maher, and Glendon W. Gee

Evaporation Effects on Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes in Deep Vadose Zone Pore Fluids at Hanford, Washington
Pore fluids from throughout a 70-m-thick vadose zone soil section show approximately constant enrichments (shift) in oxygen-18 natural abundance of 3 to 4 per mil relative to winter precipitation. The use of isotopic shift is shown to facilitate the identification of waters originating from other than natural sources.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 220-232. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Lehua Pan, Yu-Shu Wu, and Keni Zhang

A Modeling Study of Flow Diversion and Focusing in Unsaturated Fractured Rocks
Flow diversion and focusing caused by a natural flow-barrier system in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain is analyzed using both analytical and three-dimensional numerical solutions. Model results were found to be consistent with observed field data.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 233-246. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

M. Rousseau, L. Di Pietro, R. Angulo-Jaramillo, D. Tessier, and B. Cabibel

Preferential Transport of Soil Colloidal Particles: Physicochemical Effects on Particle Mobilization
The physicochemical properties of soil water and infiltrating water were studied in an undisturbed soil column to examine the effects of rainfall intensity, soil water solution ionic strength, and initial moisture content on the mobilization and transport of natural soil particles.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 247-261. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Christophe J. G. Darnault, Tammo S. Steenhuis, Patricia Garnier, Young-Jin Kim, Michael B. Jenkins, William C. Ghiorse, Philippe C. Baveye, and J.-Yves Parlange

Preferential Flow and Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts through the Vadose Zone: Experiments and Modeling
To predict the preferential transport of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts through soils an existing model for preferential transport of nonadsorbing solutes was modified to account for adsorption of oocysts to air-water-solid interfaces. Simulation model predictions are compared with measured oocyst breakthrough data.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 262-270. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Qiang Zuo, Feng Jie, Renduo Zhang, and Lei Meng

A Generalized Function of Wheat's Root Length Density Distributions
A generalized function of the normalized root length density distribution vs. normalized root depth was developed using wheat root length density data acquired from the literature. The generalized function can be used to estimate root length density distributions as a function of soil environment, species, and climate.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 271-277. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Dale F. Rucker and Ty P. A. Ferré

Correcting Water Content Measurement Errors Associated with Critically Refracted First Arrivals on Zero Offset Profiling Borehole Ground Penetrating Radar Profiles
A method is developed by which a graphical solution is used to invert for electromagnetic wave propagation velocity in soil and subsequently water content from first-arrival travel time data using zero offset profiling ground penetrating radar.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 278-287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Andreas Blum, Ivo Flammer, Thomas Friedli, and Peter Germann

Acoustic Tomography Applied to Water Flow in Unsaturated Soils
An infiltration experiment on a soil column instrumented with an array of acoustic pulse transmission sensors was performed to test the ability to measure soil water content spatially using the soil water content dependence of acoustic wave velocity in soils.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 288-299. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

Jean Caron and Nsalambi V. Nkongolo

Assessing Gas Diffusion Coefficients in Growing Media from in situ Water Flow and Storage Measurements
Two new methods are proposed to estimate gas diffusivity in growing media, directly in greenhouse or nursery pots, and are compared with gas diffusion chamber measurements. The methods used the water desorption curve and the saturated hydraulic conductivity to calculate gas diffusivity. The results are correlated to estimates from the gas diffusion chamber.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 300-311. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

NOTES:

H. H. Liu, G. S. Bodvarsson, and G. Zhang

Scale Dependency of the Effective Matrix Diffusion Coefficient
Matrix diffusion is an important process for controlling contaminant transport in fractured porous media. Based on field test data, this study demonstrates that the effective matrix-diffusion coefficient may be scale dependent. A fractal-based, preliminary explanation of the scale dependency is presented.
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 312-315. [Abstract] [Full Text] [Figures Only] [PDF]  

ERRATA:

M. Saleem Akhtar, Tammo S. Steenhuis, Brian K. Richards, and Murray B. McBride

Chloride and Lithium Transport in Large Arrays of Undisturbed Silt Loam and Sandy Loam Soil Columns
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 316. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Haruyuki Fujimaki and Mitsuhiro Inoue

Reevaluation of the Multistep Outflow Method for Determining Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 317. [Full Text] [PDF]  

THANKS TO OUR REVIEWER:

Thanks to Our Reviewers
Vadose Zone J 2004 3: 318. [Full Text] [PDF]  

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