9312235 Kinner This is an award to support research the objective of which is to obtain a more complete understanding than now exists of the factors affecting protozoan transport behavior in groundwater. The project involves determination of the sources of organic carbon used by the aquifer protozoa, the variation in numbers and diversity of trophic and encysted protozoa in response to temporal variations in geochemical and biological parameters, and the extent of protozoan activity and diversity in the unsaturated zone as a function of depth to the water table. It is a renewal of research conducted previously under NSF Grant No. 90- 12183. The project involves field studies in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (Ronald W. Harvey) at its groundwater contamination site located at the Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and also includes a subcontract for collaboration on groundwater microbiology with the British Museum of Natural History (Alan Warren and Gianfranco Novarino). This research is expected to provide information on the role that protozoan transport through aquifers and sediments contaminated by organic chemicals plays on microbial populations in aquifers. This has significant implications for both public health and for potential use in bioremediation of contaminated aquifers and sediments. Results may be applied in engineering design of systems for decontamination of aquifers using a bioremediation process alone or as part of a system that includes physical and chemical processes.
