Invetigating The Use Of Field Lysimeter Data In A Mathematical Model Simulating The Fate And Transport Of Per- And Polfluoralkyl (Pfas) Substances In The Vadose Zone
Presenter: Ryan Russell1
Co-Author(s): -
Advisor(s): Dr. Bo Guo
1Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging contaminants that have received increasing attention in recent years due to both their widespread use and persistence in the environment. Understanding how PFAS migrate through the subsurface is critical to appropriately assess the risk to potential receptors and apply remediation strategies. This is especially difficult for PFAS due to their unique transport properties. Recent research has primarily focused on field studies evaluating how PFAS is retained in the subsurface under both ambient and flushing conditions. However, there has not been much study investigating the use of field data to calibrate and validate a mathematical model that simulates the fate and transport of PFAS in the subsurface. As a continuation of recent work by the Subsurface Flow Physics Group at the University of Arizona, we apply published field lysimeter data to a 1D fate and transport model. The purpose of this study is to investigate potential key parameters that may dictate the ability of a mathematical model to appropriately simulate the migration of PFAS in the subsurface. An understanding of how parameters affect the accuracy of a model could be vital to informing the design of future field studies.