Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID VA 2023 UVA

Using agent-based modeling to evaluate the role of shear flows in limiting chemotactic response to NAPL sources

Institute: Virginia
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $20,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $20,000

Principal Investigators: Roseanne M Ford

Project Summary: Groundwater pollutants that do not mix with water such as oil can degrade in the presence of certain bacteria to result in less harmful or clean groundwater conditions. This study examines how bacteria move toward these pollutants in different flow conditions that are present in soil and groundwater systems. The investigators are using a modeling approach to predict bacteria movement and proliferation near contaminated regions in the subsurface environment. The model uses a series of rules such as sensing and swimming towards attractive chemicals, to define how single bacteria move within a fluid and concentrate at sites where there the pollutants are located. This project will contribute to an improved understanding of how bacteria contribute to the natural remediation of potential oil and chemical spills.