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Research Mission In our research we seek to define processes (chemical, biological, and hydrological) that drive the cycling and fate of trace elements within soils/sediments and surface waters. We focus our research efforts on reactions influencing the partitioning, and hence availability, of elements between soil solutions and solids, and on reactions which change the oxidation state (redox reactions) and associated speciation of an element—particularly those that occur at the solid-water interface. Our studies try to capture the complexity of natural environments and the convolution of fate controlling processes rather than a single, isolated factor. And our work ranges from a microscopic examination of processes at mineral or bacterial surfaces to field-scale observations of seasonal cycling in metal partitioning. Regardless of the scale, we seek to use molecular-level techniques to concretely define the processes under study and to appreciate time-dependent (kinetic) factors. It is our hope that these investigations will provide information currently needed to accurate predict and understand the fate of trace elements, including many inorganic contaminants, within surface and subsurface environments.
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