This year investigators used data sets developed as part of the EQR program or related projects to evaluate the applicability of various codes to accurately describe water flux in the vadose zone. The results of this study, which have been described in various publications and presentations, will assist industries and regulators in assessing modeling results that predict the fate and transport of contaminants.

The EQR group provides research to support decision-making concerned with petroleum-related contaminants; evaluates the latest technology for characterizing contaminated sites (direct and remote sensing measurements); leverages existing contracts funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies to address petroleum issues; and interfaces with regulators to ensure that regulations are based on technically reliable data. Applications for EQR research are wide ranging and encompass unsaturated-zone hydrologic studies, including monitoring and modeling approaches to evaluate aquifer vulnerability to contamination, guiding environmental regulation, and remediating and closing contaminated sites; airborne geophysical studies to locate contamination resulting from oil wells; and studies identifying suitable subsurface sites for carbon dioxide sequestration.