TY - JOUR A1 - Al-Mashaikhi, K. A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Attinger, Sabine A1 - Büchel, G. A1 - Knöller, K. A1 - Strauch, G. T1 - Evaluation of groundwater dynamics and quality in the Najd aquifers located in the Sultanate of Oman JF - Environmental earth sciences N2 - The Najd, Oman, is located in one of the most arid environments in the world. The groundwater in this region is occurring in four different aquifers A to D of the Hadhramaut Group consisting mainly of different types of limestone and dolomite. The quality of the groundwater is dominated by the major ions sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulphate, and chloride, but the hydrochemical character is varying among the four aquifers. Mineralization within the separate aquifers increases along the groundwater flow direction from south to north-northeast up to high saline sodium-chloride water in aquifer D in the northeast area of the Najd. Environmental isotope analyses of hydrogen and oxygen were conducted to monitor the groundwater dynamics and to evaluate the recharge conditions of groundwater into the Najd aquifers. Results suggest an earlier recharge into these aquifers as well as ongoing recharge takes place in the region down to present day. Mixing of modern and submodern waters was detected by water isotopes in aquifer D in the mountain chain (Jabal) area and along the northern side of the mountain range. In addition, delta H-2 and delta O-18 variations suggest that aquifers A, B, and C are assumed to be connected by faults and fractures, and interaction between the aquifers may occur. Low tritium concentrations support the mixing assumption in the recharge area. The knowledge about the groundwater development is an important factor for the sustainable use of water resources in the Dhofar region. KW - Environmental isotopes KW - Groundwater KW - Najd aquifer KW - Oman KW - Recharge KW - Water quality Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1331-2 SN - 1866-6280 VL - 66 IS - 4 SP - 1195 EP - 1211 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Balcke, Gerd U. A1 - Hahn, M. A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Nitrogen as an indicator of mass transfer during in-situ gas sparging JF - Journal of contaminant hydrology N2 - Aiming at the stimulation of intrinsic microbial activity, pulses of pure oxygen or pressurized air were recurrently injected into groundwater polluted with chlorobenzene. To achieve well-controlled conditions and intensive sampling, a large, vertical underground tank was filled with the local unconfined sandy aquifer material. In the course of two individual gas injections, one using pure oxygen and one using pressurized air, the mass transfer of individual gas species between trapped gas phase and groundwater was studied. Field data on the dissolved gas composition in the groundwater were combined with a kinetic model on gas dissolution and transport in porous media. Phase mass transfer of individual gas components caused a temporary enrichment of nitrogen, and to a lower degree of methane, in trapped gas leading to the formation of excess dissolved nitrogen levels downgradient from the dissolving gas phase. By applying a novel gas sampling method for dissolved gases in groundwater it was shown that dissolved nitrogen can be used as a partitioning tracer to indicate complete gas dissolution in porous media. KW - Inter-phase mass transfer KW - Groundwater KW - Remediation KW - Gas sparging KW - Nitrogen KW - Methane KW - Kinetics KW - Bitterfeld Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2011.05.005 SN - 0169-7722 VL - 126 IS - 1-2 SP - 8 EP - 18 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Barkow, Isolde S. A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Lensing, Hermann Josef A1 - Munz, Matthias T1 - Seasonal dynamics modifies fate of oxygen, nitrate, and organic micropollutants during bank filtration BT - temperature-dependent reactive transport modeling of field data JF - Environmental science and pollution research : official organ of the EuCheMS Division for Chemistry and the Environment, EuCheMS DCE N2 - Bank filtration is considered to improve water quality through microbially mediated degradation of pollutants and is suitable for waterworks to increase their production. In particular, aquifer temperatures and oxygen supply have a great impact on many microbial processes. To investigate the temporal and spatial behavior of selected organic micropollutants during bank filtration in dependence of relevant biogeochemical conditions, we have set up a 2D reactive transport model using MODFLOW and PHT3D under the user interface ORTI3D. The considered 160-m-long transect ranges from the surface water to a groundwater extraction well of the adjacent waterworks. For this purpose, water levels, temperatures, and chemical parameters were regularly measured in the surface water and groundwater observation wells over one and a half years. To simulate the effect of seasonal temperature variations on microbial mediated degradation, we applied an empirical temperature factor, which yields a strong reduction of the degradation rate at groundwater temperatures below 11 degrees C. Except for acesulfame, the considered organic micropollutants are substantially degraded along their subsurface flow paths with maximum degradation rates in the range of 10(-6) mol L-1 s(-1). Preferential biodegradation of phenazone, diclofenac, and valsartan was found under oxic conditions, whereas carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole were degraded under anoxic conditions. This study highlights the influence of seasonal variations in oxygen supply and temperature on the fate of organic micropollutants in surface water infiltrating into an aquifer. KW - bank filtration KW - aerobic and anaerobic conditions KW - pharmaceuticals and KW - personal care products KW - reactive transport modeling KW - degradation Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11002-9 SN - 0944-1344 SN - 1614-7499 VL - 28 IS - 8 SP - 9682 EP - 9700 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baroni, Gabriele A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - A scaling approach for the assessment of biomass changes and rainfall interception using cosmic-ray neutron sensing JF - Journal of hydrology N2 - Cosmic-Ray neutron sensing (CRS) is a unique approach to measure soil moisture at field scale filling the gap of current methodologies. However, CRS signal is affected by all the hydrogen pools on the land surface and understanding their relative importance plays an important role for the application of the method e.g., validation of remote sensing products and data assimilation. In this study, a soil moisture scaling approach is proposed to estimate directly the correct CRS soil moisture based on the soil moisture profile measured at least in one position within the field. The approach has the advantage to avoid the need to introduce one correction for each hydrogen contribution and to estimate indirectly all the related time-varying hydrogen pools. Based on the data collected in three crop seasons, the scaling approach shows its ability to identify and to quantify the seasonal biomass water equivalent. Additionally, the analysis conducted at sub-daily time resolution is able to quantify the daily vertical redistribution of the water biomass and the rainfall interception, showing promising applications of the CRS method also for these types of measurements. Overall, the study underlines how not only soil moisture but all the specific hydrological processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum should be considered for a proper evaluation of the CRS signal. For this scope, the scaling approach reveals to be a simple and pragmatic analysis that can be easily extended to other experimental sites. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Cosmic-ray KW - Soil moisture KW - Scaling KW - Interception KW - Biomass water KW - Agricultural field Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.053 SN - 0022-1694 SN - 1879-2707 VL - 525 SP - 264 EP - 276 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baroni, Gabriele A1 - Scheiffele, Lena M. A1 - Schrön, Martin A1 - Ingwersen, Joachim A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Uncertainty, sensitivity and improvements in soil moisture estimation with cosmic-ray neutron sensing JF - Journal of hydrology N2 - Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a promising proximal soil sensing technique to estimate soil moisture at intermediate scale and high temporal resolution. However, the signal shows complex and non-unique response to all hydrogen pools near the land surface, providing some challenges for soil moisture estimation in practical applications. Aims of the study were 1) to assess the uncertainty of CRNS as a stand-alone approach to estimate volumetric soil moisture in cropped field 2) to identify the causes of this uncertainty 3) and possible improvements. Two experimental sites in Germany were equipped with a CRNS probe and point-scale soil moisture network. Additional monitoring activities were conducted during the crop growing season to characterize the soil-plant systems. This data is used to identify and quantify the different sources of uncertainty (factors). An uncertainty analysis, based on Monte Carlo approach, is applied to propagate these uncertainties to CRNS soil moisture estimations. In addition, a sensitivity analysis based on the Sobol’ method is performed to identify the most important factors explaining this uncertainty. Results show that CRNS soil moisture compares well to the soil moisture network when these point-scale values are weighted to account for the spatial sensitivity of the signal and other sources of hydrogen (lattice water and organic carbon) are added to the water content. However, the performance decreases when CRNS is considered as a stand-alone method to retrieve the actual (non-weighted) volumetric soil moisture. The support volume (penetration depth and radius) shows also a considerable uncertainty, especially in relatively dry soil moisture conditions. Four of the seven factors analyzed (the vertical soil moisture profile, bulk density, incoming neutron correction and the calibrated parameter N0) were found to play an important role. Among the possible improvements identified, a simple correction factor based on vertical point-scale soil moisture profiles shows to be a promising approach to account for the sensitivity of the CRNS signal to the upper soil layers. KW - Soil moisture KW - Cosmic-ray neutrons KW - Uncertainty analysis KW - Sensitivity analysis Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.07.053 SN - 0022-1694 SN - 1879-2707 VL - 564 SP - 873 EP - 887 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Busch, Jan Philip A1 - Meissner, Tobias A1 - Potthoff, Annegret A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Transport of carbon colloid supported nanoscale zero-valent iron in saturated porous media JF - Journal of contaminant hydrology N2 - Injection of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has recently gained great interest as emerging technology for in-situ remediation of chlorinated organic compounds from groundwater systems. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) is able to reduce organic compounds and to render it to less harmful substances. The use of nanoscale particles instead of granular or microscale particles can increase dechlorination rates by-orders of magnitude due to its high surface area. However, classical nZVI appears to be hampered in its environmental application by its limited mobility. One approach is colloid supported transport of nZVI, where the nZVI gets transported by a Mobile colloid. In this study transport properties of activated carbon colloid supported nZVI (c-nZVI; d(50) = 2.4 mu m) are investigated in column tests using columns of 40 cm length, which were filled with porous media. A suspension was pumped through the column under different physicochemical conditions (addition of a polyanionic stabilizer and changes in pH and ionic strength). Highest observed breakthrough was 62% of the injected concentration in glass beads with addition of stabilizer. Addition of mono- and bivalent salt, e.g. more than 0.5 mM/L CaCl2, can decrease mobility and changes in pH to values below six can inhibit mobility at all. Measurements of colloid sizes and zeta potentials show changes in the mean particle size by a factor of ten and an increase of zeta potential from -62 mV to -80 mV during the transport experiment. However, results suggest potential applicability of c-nZVI under field conditions. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) KW - Nanomaterial KW - Carbo-Iron (R) KW - Colloid transport KW - Mobility KW - In-situ remediation Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2014.05.006 SN - 0169-7722 SN - 1873-6009 VL - 164 SP - 25 EP - 34 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Busch, Jan Philip A1 - Meissner, Tobias A1 - Potthoff, Annegret A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Investigations on mobility of carbon colloid supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) in a column experiment and a laboratory 2D-aquifer test system JF - Environmental science and pollution research : official organ of the EuCheMS Division for Chemistry and the Environment, EuCheMS DCE N2 - Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has recently gained great interest in the scientific community as in situ reagent for installation of permeable reactive barriers in aquifer systems, since nZVI is highly reactive with chlorinated compounds and may render them to harmless substances. However, nZVI has a high tendency to agglomerate and sediment; therefore it shows very limited transport ranges. One new approach to overcome the limited transport of nZVI in porous media is using a suited carrier colloid. In this study we tested mobility of a carbon colloid supported nZVI particle "Carbo-Iron Colloids" (CIC) with a mean size of 0.63 mu m in a column experiment of 40 cm length and an experiment in a two-dimensional (2D) aquifer test system with dimensions of 110x40x5 cm. Results show a breakthrough maximum of 82 % of the input concentration in the column experiment and 58 % in the 2D-aquifer test system. Detected residuals in porous media suggest a strong particle deposition in the first centimeters and few depositions in the porous media in the further travel path. Overall, this suggests a high mobility in porous media which might be a significant enhancement compared to bare or polyanionic stabilized nZVI. KW - Carbon colloid KW - Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) KW - Aquifer systems Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3049-7 SN - 0944-1344 SN - 1614-7499 VL - 21 IS - 18 SP - 10908 EP - 10916 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Busch, Jan Philip A1 - Meißner, Tobias A1 - Potthoff, Annegret A1 - Bleyl, Steffen A1 - Georgi, Anett A1 - Mackenzie, Katrin A1 - Trabitzsch, Ralf A1 - Werban, Ulrike A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - A field investigation on transport of carbon-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) in groundwater JF - Journal of contaminant hydrology N2 - The application of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) for subsurface remediation of groundwater contaminants is a promising new technology, which can be understood as alternative to the permeable reactive barrier technique using granular iron. Dechlorination of organic contaminants by zero-valent iron seems promising. Currently, one limitation to widespread deployment is the fast agglomeration and sedimentation of nZVI in colloidal suspensions, even more so when in soils and sediments, which limits the applicability for the treatment of sources and plumes of contamination. Colloid-supported nZVI shows promising characteristics to overcome these limitations. Mobility of Carbo-Iron Colloids (CIC) - a newly developed composite material based on finely ground activated carbon as a carrier for nZVI - was tested in a field application: In this study, a horizontal dipole flow field was established between two wells separated by 53 m in a confined, natural aquifer. The injection/extraction rate was 500 L/h. Approximately 12 kg of CIC was suspended with the polyanionic stabilizer carboxymethyl cellulose. The suspension was introduced into the aquifer at the injection well. Breakthrough of CIC was observed visually and based on total particle and iron concentrations detected in samples from the extraction well. Filtration of water samples revealed a particle breakthrough of about 12% of the amount introduced. This demonstrates high mobility of CIC particles and we suggest that nZVI carried on CIC can be used for contaminant plume remediation by in-situ formation of reactive barriers. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) KW - Fe-C composite KW - Carbon colloid KW - Field aquifer KW - Remediation KW - Particle mobility Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2015.03.009 SN - 0169-7722 SN - 1873-6009 VL - 181 SP - 59 EP - 68 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Busch, Jan Philip A1 - Meißner, Tobias A1 - Potthoff, Annegret A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Plating of nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) on activated carbon : a fast delivery method of iron for source remediation? N2 - The use of nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) for environmental remediation is a promising new technique for in situ remediation. Due to its high surface area and high reactivity, nZVI is able to dechlorinate organic contaminants and render them harmless. Limited mobility, due to fast aggregation and sedimentation of nZVI, limits the capability for source and plume remediation. Carbo-Iron is a newly developed material consisting of activated carbon particles (d50 = 0,8 µm) that are plated with nZVI particles. These particles combine the mobility of activated carbon and the reactivity of nZVI. This paper presents the first results of the transport experiments. N2 - Der Einsatz von elementarem Nanoeisen ist eine vielversprechende Technik zur Sanierung von Altlastenschadensfällen. Aufgrund der hohen Oberfläche und der hohen Reaktivität kannn ZVI chlororganische Schadstoffe dechlorieren und zu harmlosen Substanzen umwandeln. Der Einsatz von Nanoeisen zur Quellen- und Fahnensanierung wird jedoch durch mangelnde Mobilität im Boden im eingeschränkt. Carbo-Iron ist ein neu entwickeltes Material, das aus Aktivkohlepartikeln (d50 = 0,8 µm) und nZVI besteht. Diese Partikel kombinieren die Mobilit ät von Aktivkohle mit der Reaktivität von nZVI. Dieser Artikel beschreibt erste Ergebnisse von Transportuntersuchungen. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 165 KW - Carbo-Iron KW - Nanoeisen KW - nZVI KW - Grundwassersanierung KW - Carbo-Iron KW - nano zero-valent iron KW - nZVI KW - remediation Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-53792 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Carminati, Andrea A1 - Schneider, Christoph L. A1 - Moradi, Ahmad B. A1 - Zarebanadkouki, Mohsen A1 - Vetterlein, Doris A1 - Vogel, Hans-Jörg A1 - Hildebrandt, Anke A1 - Weller, Ulrich A1 - Schüler, Lennart A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - How the rhizosphere may favor water availability to roots JF - Vadose zone journal N2 - Recent studies have shown that rhizosphere hydraulic properties may differ from those of the bulk soil. Specifically, mucilage at the root-soil interface may increase the rhizosphere water holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity during drying. The goal of this study was to point out the implications of such altered rhizosphere hydraulic properties for soil-plant water relations. We addressed this problem through modeling based on a steady-rate approach. We calculated the water flow toward a single root assuming that the rhizosphere and bulk soil were two concentric cylinders having different hydraulic properties. Based on our previous experimental results, we assumed that the rhizosphere had higher water holding capacity and unsaturated conductivity than the bulk soil. The results showed that the water potential gradients in the rhizosphere were much smaller than in the bulk soil. The consequence is that the rhizosphere attenuated and delayed the drop in water potential in the vicinity of the root surface when the soil dried. This led to increased water availability to plants, as well as to higher effective conductivity under unsaturated conditions. The reasons were two: (i) thanks to the high unsaturated conductivity of the rhizosphere, the radius of water uptake was extended from the root to the rhizosphere surface; and (ii) thanks to the high soil water capacity of the rhizosphere, the water depletion in the bulk soil was compensated by water depletion in the rhizosphere. We conclude that under the assumed conditions, the rhizosphere works as an optimal hydraulic conductor and as a reservoir of water that can be taken up when water in the bulk soil becomes limiting. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2010.0113 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 988 EP - 998 PB - Soil Science Society of America CY - Madison ER - TY - JOUR A1 - De Biase, Cecilia A1 - Carminati, Andrea A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Thullner, Martin T1 - Numerical modeling analysis of VOC removal processes in different aerobic vertical flow systems for groundwater remediation JF - Journal of contaminant hydrology N2 - Vertical flow systems filled with porous medium have been shown to efficiently remove volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) from contaminated groundwater. To apply this semi-natural remediation strategy it is however necessary to distinguish between removal due to biodegradation and due to volatile losses to the atmosphere. Especially for (potentially) toxic VOCs, the latter needs to be minimized to limit atmospheric emissions. In this study, numerical simulation was used to investigate quantitatively the removal of volatile organic compounds in two pilot-scale water treatment systems: an unplanted vertical flow filter and a planted one, which could also be called a vertical flow constructed wetland, both used for the treatment of contaminated groundwater. These systems were intermittently loaded with contaminated water containing benzene and MTBE as main VOCs. The highly dynamic but permanently unsaturated conditions in the porous medium facilitated aerobic biodegradation but could lead to volatile emissions of the contaminants. Experimental data from porous material analyses, flow rate measurements, solute tracer and gas tracer test, as well as contaminant concentration measurements at the boundaries of the systems were used to constrain a numerical reactive transport modeling approach. Numerical simulations considered unsaturated water flow, transport of species in the aqueous and the gas phase as well as aerobic degradation processes, which made it possible to quantify the rates of biodegradation and volatile emissions and calculating their contribution to total contaminant removal. A range of degradation rates was determined using experimental results of both systems under two operation modes and validated by field data obtained at different operation modes applied to the filters. For both filters, simulations and experimental data point to high biodegradation rates, if the flow filters have had time to build up their removal capacity. For this case volatile emissions are negligible and total removal can be attributed to biodegradation, only. The simulation study thus supports the use of both of these vertical flow systems for the treatment of groundwater contaminated with VOCs and the use of reactive transport modeling for the assessment of VOCs removal and operation modes in these high performance treatment systems. KW - Benzene KW - Biodegradation KW - MTBE KW - Unsaturated zone KW - Vertical flow filters KW - Volatilization Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2013.07.007 SN - 0169-7722 SN - 1873-6009 VL - 154 IS - 11 SP - 53 EP - 69 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - De Biase, Cecilia A1 - Maier, Uli A1 - Baeder-Bederski, Oliver A1 - Bayer, Peter A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Thullner, Martin T1 - Removal of volatile organic compounds in vertical flow filters - predictions from reactive transport modeling JF - Ground water monitoring & remediation N2 - Vertical flow filters are containers filled with porous medium that are recharged from top and drained at the bottom, and are operated at partly saturated conditions. They have recently been suggested as treatment technology for groundwater containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Numerical reactive transport simulations were performed to investigate the relevance of different filter operation modes on biodegradation and/or volatilization of the contaminants and to evaluate the potential limitation of such remediation mean due to volatile emissions. On the basis of the data from a pilot-scale vertical flow filter intermittently fed with domestic waste water, model predictions on the systems performance for the treatment of contaminated groundwater were derived. These simulations considered the transport and aerobic degradation of ammonium and two VOCs, benzene and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). In addition, the advective-diffusive gas-phase transport of volatile compounds as well as oxygen was simulated. Model predictions addressed the influence of depth and frequency of the intermittent groundwater injection, degradation rate kinetics, and the composition of the filter material. Simulation results show that for unfavorable operation conditions significant VOC emissions have to be considered and that operation modes limiting VOC emissions may limit aerobic biodegradation. However, a suitable combination of injection depth and composition of the filter material does facilitate high biodegradation rates while only little VOC emissions take place. Using such optimized operation modes would allow using vertical flow filter systems as remediation technology suitable for groundwater contaminated with volatile compounds. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6592.2011.01374.x SN - 1069-3629 VL - 32 IS - 2 SP - 106 EP - 121 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Malden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - De Biase, Cecilia A1 - Reger, Daniel A1 - Schmidt, Axel A1 - Jechalke, Sven A1 - Reiche, Nils A1 - Martinez-Lavanchy, Paula M. A1 - Rosell, Monica A1 - Van Afferden, Manfred A1 - Maier, Uli A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Thullner, Martin T1 - Treatment of volatile organic contaminants in a vertical flow filter - relevance of different removal processes JF - Ecological engineering : the journal of ecotechnology N2 - Vertical flow filters and vertical flow constructed wetlands are established wastewater treatment systems and have also been proposed for the treatment of contaminated groundwater. This study investigates the removal processes of volatile organic compounds in a pilot-scale vertical flow filter. The filter is intermittently irrigated with contaminated groundwater containing benzene, MTBE and ammonium as the main contaminants. The system is characterized by unsaturated conditions and high contaminant removal efficiency. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the contribution of biodegradation and volatilization to the overall removal of benzene and MTBE. Tracer tests and flow rate measurements showed a highly transient flow and heterogeneous transport regime. Radon-222, naturally occurring in the treated groundwater, was used as a gas tracer and indicated a high volatilization potential. Radon-222 behavior was reproduced by numerical simulations and extrapolated for benzene and MTBE, and indicated these compounds also have a high volatilization potential. In contrast, passive sampler measurements on top of the filter detected only low benzene and MTBE concentrations. Biodegradation potential was evaluated by the analysis of catabolic genes involved in organic compound degradation and a quantitative estimation of biodegradation was derived from stable isotope fractionation analysis. Results suggest that despite the high volatilization potential, biodegradation is the predominant mass removal process in the filter system, which indicates that the volatilized fraction of the contaminants is still subject to subsequent biodegradation. In particular, the upper filter layer located between the injection tubes and the surface of the system might also contribute to biodegradation, and might play a crucial role in avoiding the emission of volatilized contaminants into the atmosphere. KW - Benzene KW - Biodegradation KW - Catabolic genes KW - MTBE KW - Numerical modeling KW - Radon KW - SAFIRA II KW - Stable isotope fractionation analysis KW - Tracers KW - VOCs KW - Volatilization Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.03.023 SN - 0925-8574 VL - 37 IS - 9 SP - 1292 EP - 1303 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Heistermann, Maik A1 - Köhli, Markus A1 - Budach, Christian A1 - Schrön, Martin A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Assessing the feasibility of a directional cosmic-ray neutron sensing sensor for estimating soil moisture JF - Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems N2 - Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive tool for measuring hydrogen pools such as soil moisture, snow or vegetation. The intrinsic integration over a radial hectare-scale footprint is a clear advantage for averaging out small-scale heterogeneity, but on the other hand the data may become hard to interpret in complex terrain with patchy land use. This study presents a directional shielding approach to prevent neutrons from certain angles from being counted while counting neutrons entering the detector from other angles and explores its potential to gain a sharper horizontal view on the surrounding soil moisture distribution. Using the Monte Carlo code URANOS (Ultra Rapid Neutron-Only Simulation), we modelled the effect of additional polyethylene shields on the horizontal field of view and assessed its impact on the epithermal count rate, propagated uncertainties and aggregation time. The results demonstrate that directional CRNS measurements are strongly dominated by isotropic neutron transport, which dilutes the signal of the targeted direction especially from the far field. For typical count rates of customary CRNS stations, directional shielding of half-spaces could not lead to acceptable precision at a daily time resolution. However, the mere statistical distinction of two rates should be feasible. KW - water-balance KW - quantification KW - calibration KW - validation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-75-2022 SN - 2193-0864 SN - 2193-0856 VL - 11 SP - 75 EP - 92 PB - Copernicus Publ. CY - Göttingen ER - TY - GEN A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Heistermann, Maik A1 - Köhli, Markus A1 - Budach, Christian A1 - Schrön, Martin A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Assessing the feasibility of a directional cosmic-ray neutron sensing sensor for estimating soil moisture T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive tool for measuring hydrogen pools such as soil moisture, snow or vegetation. The intrinsic integration over a radial hectare-scale footprint is a clear advantage for averaging out small-scale heterogeneity, but on the other hand the data may become hard to interpret in complex terrain with patchy land use. This study presents a directional shielding approach to prevent neutrons from certain angles from being counted while counting neutrons entering the detector from other angles and explores its potential to gain a sharper horizontal view on the surrounding soil moisture distribution. Using the Monte Carlo code URANOS (Ultra Rapid Neutron-Only Simulation), we modelled the effect of additional polyethylene shields on the horizontal field of view and assessed its impact on the epithermal count rate, propagated uncertainties and aggregation time. The results demonstrate that directional CRNS measurements are strongly dominated by isotropic neutron transport, which dilutes the signal of the targeted direction especially from the far field. For typical count rates of customary CRNS stations, directional shielding of half-spaces could not lead to acceptable precision at a daily time resolution. However, the mere statistical distinction of two rates should be feasible. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1228 KW - water-balance KW - quantification KW - calibration KW - validation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-544229 SN - 1866-8372 SP - 75 EP - 92 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Günther, Oliver A1 - Schüle, Manja A1 - Zurell, Damaris A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Roeleke, Manuel A1 - Kampe, Heike A1 - Zimmermann, Matthias A1 - Scholz, Jana A1 - Engbert, Ralf A1 - Elsner, Birgit A1 - Schlangen, David A1 - Agrofylax, Luisa A1 - Georgi, Doreen A1 - Weymar, Mathias A1 - Wagener, Thorsten A1 - Bookhagen, Bodo A1 - Eibl, Eva P. S. A1 - Korup, Oliver A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Thieken, Annegret A1 - van der Beek, Peter T1 - Portal Wissen = Exzellenz JF - Portal Wissen: Das Forschungsmagazin der Universität Potsdam N2 - Was nicht nur gut oder sehr gut ist, nennen wir gern exzellent. Aber was meint das eigentlich? Vom lateinischen „excellere“ kommend, beschreibt es Dinge, Personen oder Handlungen, die „hervor-“ oder „herausragen“ aus der Menge, sich „auszeichnen“ gegenüber anderen. Mehr geht nicht. Exzellenz ist das Mittel der Wahl, wenn es darum geht, der Erste oder Beste zu sein. Und das macht auch vor der Forschung nicht halt. Wer auf die Universität Potsdam schaut, findet zahlreiche ausgezeichnete Forschende, hervorragende Projekte und immer wieder auch aufsehenerregende Erkenntnisse, Veröffentlichungen und Ergebnisse. Aber ist die UP auch exzellent? Eine Frage, die 2023 ganz sicher andere Wellen schlägt als vielleicht vor 20 Jahren. Denn seit dem Start der Exzellenzinitiative 2005 gelten als – wörtlich – exzellent jene Hochschulen, denen es gelingt, in dem umfangreichsten Förderprogramm für Wissenschaft in Deutschland einen Zuschlag zu erhalten. Egal ob in Form von Graduiertenschulen, Forschungsclustern oder – seit Fortsetzung des Programms ab 2019 unter dem Titel „Exzellenzstrategie“ – ganzen Exzellenzuniversitäten: Wer im Kreis der Forschungsuniversitäten zu den Besten gehören will, braucht das Siegel der Exzellenz. In der gerade eingeläuteten neuen Wettbewerbsrunde der „Exzellenzstrategie des Bundes und der Länder“ bewirbt sich die Universität Potsdam mit drei Clusterskizzen um Förderung. Ein Antrag kommt aus der Ökologie- und Biodiversitätsforschung. Ziel ist es, ein komplexes Bild ökologischer Prozesse zu zeichnen – und dabei die Rolle von einzelnen Individuen ebenso zu betrachten wie das Zusammenwirken vieler Arten in einem Ökosystem, um die Funktion der Artenvielfalt genauer zu bestimmen. Eine zweite Skizze haben die Kognitionswissenschaften eingereicht. Hier soll das komplexe Nebeneinander von Sprache und Kognition, Entwicklung und Lernen sowie Motivation und Verhalten als dynamisches Miteinander erforscht werden – wobei auch mit den Erziehungswissenschaften kooperiert wird, um verknüpfte Lernund Bildungsprozesse stets mitzudenken. Der dritte Antrag aus den Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften nimmt extreme und besonders folgenschwere Naturgefahren und -prozesse wie Überschwemmungen und Dürren in den Blick. Die Forschenden untersuchen die Extremereignisse mit besonderem Fokus auf deren Wechselwirkung mit der Gesellschaft, um mit ihnen einhergehende Risiken und Schäden besser einschätzen sowie künftig rechtzeitig Maßnahmen einleiten zu können. „Alle drei Anträge zeichnen ein hervorragendes Bild unserer Leistungsfähigkeit“, betont der Präsident der Universität, Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D. „Die Skizzen dokumentieren eindrucksvoll unser Engagement, vorhandene Forschungsexzellenz sowie die Potenziale der Universität Potsdam insgesamt. Allein die Tatsache, dass sich drei schlagkräftige Konsortien in ganz unterschiedlichen Themenbereichen zusammengefunden haben, zeigt, dass wir auf unserem Weg in die Spitzengruppe der deutschen Universitäten einen guten Schritt vorangekommen sind.“ In diesem Heft schauen wir, was sich in und hinter diesen Anträgen verbirgt: Wir haben mit den Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern gesprochen, die sie geschrieben haben, und sie gefragt, was sie sich vornehmen, sollten sie den Zuschlag erhalten und ein Cluster an die Universität holen. Wir haben aber auch auf die Forschung geschaut, die zu den Anträgen geführt hat und die schon länger das Profil der Universität prägt und ihr national wie international Anerkennung eingebracht hat. Wir stellen eine kleine Auswahl an Projekten, Methoden und Forschenden vor, um zu zeigen, warum in diesen Anträgen tatsächlich exzellente Forschung steckt! Übrigens: Auch „Exzellenz“ ist nicht das Ende der Fahnenstange. Immerhin lässt sich das Adjektiv exzellent sogar steigern. In diesem Sinne wünschen wir exzellentestes Vergnügen beim Lesen! T3 - Portal Wissen: Das Forschungsmagazin der Universität Potsdam [Deutsche Ausgabe] - 02/2023 Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-611440 SN - 2194-4245 IS - 02/2023 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Günther, Oliver A1 - Schüle, Manja A1 - Zurell, Damaris A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Roeleke, Manuel A1 - Kampe, Heike A1 - Zimmermann, Matthias A1 - Scholz, Jana A1 - Mikulla, Stefanie A1 - Engbert, Ralf A1 - Elsner, Birgit A1 - Schlangen, David A1 - Agrofylax, Luisa A1 - Georgi, Doreen A1 - Weymar, Mathias A1 - Wagener, Thorsten A1 - Bookhagen, Bodo A1 - Eibl, Eva P. S. A1 - Korup, Oliver A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Thieken, Annegret A1 - van der Beek, Peter T1 - Portal Wissen = Excellence JF - Portal Wissen: The research magazine of the University of Potsdam N2 - When something is not just good or very good, we often call it excellent. But what does that really mean? Coming from the Latin word “excellere,” it describes things, persons, or actions that are outstanding or superior and distinguish themselves from others. It cannot get any better. Excellence is the top choice for being the first or the best. Research is no exception. At the university, you will find numerous exceptional researchers, outstanding projects, and, time and again, sensational findings, publications, and results. But is the University of Potsdam also excellent? A question that will certainly create a different stir in 2023 than it did perhaps 20 years ago. Since the launch of the Excellence Initiative in 2005, universities that succeed in winning the most comprehensive funding program for research in Germany have been considered – literally – excellent. Whether in the form of graduate schools, research clusters, or – since the program was continued in 2019 under the title “Excellence Strategy” – entire universities of excellence: Anyone who wants to be among the best research universities needs the seal of excellence. The University of Potsdam is applying for funding with three cluster proposals in the recently launched new round of the “Excellence Strategy of the German Federal and State Governments.” One proposal comes from ecology and biodiversity research. The aim is to paint a comprehensive picture of ecological processes by examining the role of single individuals as well as the interactions among many species in an ecosystem to precisely determine the function of biodiversity. A second proposal has been submitted by the cognitive sciences. Here, the complex coexistence of language and cognition, development and learning, as well as motivation and behavior will be researched as a dynamic interrelation. The projects will include cooperation with the educational sciences to constantly consider linked learning and educational processes. The third proposal from the geo and environmental sciences concentrates on extreme and particularly devastating natural hazards and processes such as floods and droughts. The researchers examine these extreme events, focusing on their interaction with society, to be able to better assess the risks and damages they might involve and to initiate timely measures in the future. “All three proposals highlight the excellence of our performance,” emphasizes University President Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D. “The outlines impressively document our commitment, existing research excellence, and the potential of the University of Potsdam as a whole. The fact that three powerful consortia have come together in different subject areas shows that we have taken a good step forward on our way to becoming one of the top German universities.” In this issue, we are looking at what is in and behind these proposals: We talked to the researchers who wrote them. We asked them about their plans in case their proposals are successful and they bring a cluster of excellence to the university. But we also looked at the research that has led to the proposals, has long shaped the university’s profile, and earned it national and international recognition. We present a small selection of projects, methods, and researchers to illustrate why there really is excellent research in these proposals! By the way, “excellence” is also not the end of the flagpole. After all, the adjective “excellent” even has a comparative and a superlative. With this in mind, I wish you the most excellent pleasure reading this issue! T3 - Portal Wissen: The research magazine of the University of Potsdam [Englische Ausgabe] - 02/2023 Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-611456 SN - 2198-9974 IS - 02/2023 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haber-Pohlmeier, Sabina A1 - Tötzke, Christian A1 - Lehmann, E. A1 - Kardjilov, Nikolay A1 - Pohlmeier, A. A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Combination of magnetic resonance imaging and neutron computed tomography for three-dimensional rhizosphere imaging JF - Vadose zone journal N2 - Core Ideas 3D MRI relaxation time maps reflect water mobility in root, rhizosphere, and soil. 3D NCT water content maps of the same plant complement relaxation time maps. The relaxation time T1 decreases from soil to root, whereas water content increases. Parameters together indicate modification of rhizosphere pore space by gel phase. The zone of reduced T1 corresponds to the zone remaining dry after rewetting. In situ investigations of the rhizosphere require high‐resolution imaging techniques, which allow a look into the optically opaque soil compartment. We present the novel combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neutron computed tomography (NCT) to achieve synergistic information such as water mobility in terms of three‐dimensional (3D) relaxation time maps and total water content maps. Besides a stationary MRI scanner for relaxation time mapping, we used a transportable MRI system on site in the NCT facility to capture rhizosphere properties before desiccation and after subsequent rewetting. First, we addressed two questions using water‐filled test capillaries between 0.1 and 5 mm: which root diameters can still be detected by both methods, and to what extent are defined interfaces blurred by these imaging techniques? Going to real root system architecture, we demonstrated the sensitivity of the transportable MRI device by co‐registration with NCT and additional validation using X‐ray computed tomography. Under saturated conditions, we observed for the rhizosphere in situ a zone with shorter T1 relaxation time across a distance of about 1 mm that was not caused by reduced water content, as proven by successive NCT measurements. We conclude that the effective pore size in the pore network had changed, induced by a gel phase. After rewetting, NCT images showed a dry zone persisting while the MRI intensity inside the root increased considerably, indicating water uptake from the surrounding bulk soil through the still hydrophobic rhizosphere. Overall, combining NCT and MRI allows a more detailed analysis of the rhizosphere's functioning. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2018.09.0166 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 18 IS - 1 PB - Soil Science Society of America CY - Madison ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haber-Pohlmeier, Sabina A1 - Tötzke, Christian A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric A1 - Lehmann, Eberhard A1 - Blümich, Bernhard A1 - Pohlmeier, Andreas T1 - Imaging of root zone processes using MRI T-1 mapping JF - Microporous and mesoporous materials : zeolites, clays, carbons and related materials N2 - Noninvasive imaging in the root soil compartment is mandatory for improving knowledge about root soil interactions and uptake processes which eventually control crop growth and productivity. Here we propose a method of MRI T-1 relaxation mapping to investigate water uptake patterns, and as second example, in combination with neutron tomography (NT), property changes in the rhizosphere. The first part demonstrates quantification of solute enrichment by advective transport to the roots due to water uptake. This accumulation is counterbalanced by net downward flow and dispersive spreading. One can furthermore discriminate between zones of high accumulation patterns and zones with much less enrichment. This behavior persists over days. The second part presents the novel combination of MRI with neutron tomography to couple static, proton density information of roots and their interface to the surrounding soil with information about the local water dynamics, reflected by NMR relaxation times. The root soil interface of a broad bean plant is characterized by slightly increasing MRI and NT signal intensity but decreasing T-1 relaxation time indicating locally changed soil properties. KW - Low field MRI KW - Neutron tomography KW - Root zone processes KW - Solute transport KW - Quantification of contrast agent KW - T1 mapping Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2017.10.046 SN - 1387-1811 SN - 1873-3093 VL - 269 SP - 43 EP - 46 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Heistermann, Maik A1 - Bogena, Heye A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Güntner, Andreas A1 - Jakobi, Jannis A1 - Rasche, Daniel A1 - Schrön, Martin A1 - Döpper, Veronika A1 - Fersch, Benjamin A1 - Groh, Jannis A1 - Patil, Amol A1 - Pütz, Thomas A1 - Reich, Marvin A1 - Zacharias, Steffen A1 - Zengerle, Carmen A1 - Oswald, Sascha Eric T1 - Soil moisture observation in a forested headwater catchment: combining a dense cosmic-ray neutron sensor network with roving and hydrogravimetry at the TERENO site Wüstebach T2 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has become an effective method to measure soil moisture at a horizontal scale of hundreds of metres and a depth of decimetres. Recent studies proposed operating CRNS in a network with overlapping footprints in order to cover root-zone water dynamics at the small catchment scale and, at the same time, to represent spatial heterogeneity. In a joint field campaign from September to November 2020 (JFC-2020), five German research institutions deployed 15 CRNS sensors in the 0.4 km2 Wüstebach catchment (Eifel mountains, Germany). The catchment is dominantly forested (but includes a substantial fraction of open vegetation) and features a topographically distinct catchment boundary. In addition to the dense CRNS coverage, the campaign featured a unique combination of additional instruments and techniques: hydro-gravimetry (to detect water storage dynamics also below the root zone); ground-based and, for the first time, airborne CRNS roving; an extensive wireless soil sensor network, supplemented by manual measurements; and six weighable lysimeters. Together with comprehensive data from the long-term local research infrastructure, the published data set (available at https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.756ca0485800474e9dc7f5949c63b872; Heistermann et al., 2022) will be a valuable asset in various research contexts: to advance the retrieval of landscape water storage from CRNS, wireless soil sensor networks, or hydrogravimetry; to identify scale-specific combinations of sensors and methods to represent soil moisture variability; to improve the understanding and simulation of land–atmosphere exchange as well as hydrological and hydrogeological processes at the hillslope and the catchment scale; and to support the retrieval of soil water content from airborne and spaceborne remote sensing platforms. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1272 Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-567756 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1272 SP - 2501 EP - 2519 ER -