Data_Sheet_1_Groundwater Contaminant Transport: Prediction Under Uncertainty, With Application to the MADE Transport Experiment.pdf

Transport of solutes in porous media at the laboratory scale is governed by an Advection Dispersion Equation (ADE). The advection is by the fluid velocity U and dispersion by DdL = UαdL, where the longitudinal dispersivity αdL is of the order of the pore size. Numerous data revealed that the longitudinal spreading of plumes at field scale is characterized by macrodispersivity αL, larger than αdL by orders of magnitude. This effect is attributed to heterogeneity of aquifers manifesting in the spatial variability of the logconductivity Y. Modeling Y as a stationary random field and for mean uniform flow (natural gradient), αL could be determined in an analytical form by a first order approximation in σY2 (variance of Y) of the flow and transport equations. Recently, models and numerical simulations for solving transport in highly heterogeneous aquifers (σY2>1), primarily in terms of the mass arrival (the breakthrough curve BTC), were advanced. In all cases ergodicity, which allows to exchange the unknown BTC with the ensemble mean, was assumed to prevail for large plumes, compared to the logconductivity integral scale. Besides, the various statistical parameters characterizing the logconductivity structure as well as the mean flow were assumed to be known deterministically. The present paper investigates the uncertainty of the non-ergodic BTC due to the finiteness of the plume size as well as due to the uncertainty of the various parameters on which the BTC depends. By the use of a simplified transport model we developed in the past (which led to accurate results for ergodic plumes), we were able to get simple results for the variance of the BTC. It depends in an analytical manner on the flow parameters as well as on the dimension of the initial plume relative to the integral scale of logconductivity covariance. The results were applied to the analysis of the uncertainty of the plume spatial distribution of the MADE transport experiment. This was achieved by using the latest, recent, analysis of the MADE aquifer conductivity data.</p

Video_1_High Resolution Assessment of Spatio-Temporal Changes in O2 Concentration in Root-Pathogen Interaction.MP4

Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol), is one of the most destructive soil-borne diseases of tomatoes. Infection takes place on the roots and the process starts with contact between the fungus and the roots hairs. To date, no detailed studies are available on metabolic activity in the early stages of the Fol and tomato root interaction. Spatial and temporal patterns of oxygen consumption could provide new insights into the dynamics of early colonization. Here, we combined planar optodes and spatial analysis to assess how tomato roots influence the metabolic activity and growth patterns of Fol. The results shows that the fungal metabolism, measured as oxygen consumption, increases within a few hours after the inoculation. Statistical analysis revealed that the fungus tends to growth toward the root, whereas, when the root is not present, the single elements of the fungus move with a Brownian motion (random). The combination of planar optodes and spatial analysis is a powerful new tool for assessing temporal and spatial dynamics in the early stages of root-pathogen interaction.</p