RAPID: Collaborative Research: Mobilization and transport of contaminants to groundwater in flood-impacted unconnected communities in South Texas following Hurricane Hanna

随着大型飓风登陆的可能性增加，迫切需要了解它们对脆弱的沿海地区的影响。暴雨和海洋风暴潮造成的洪水可能会破坏基础设施，并导致污水和其他有毒化学物质排放到环境水域。洪水也可能进入地下水系统，将污染物转移到暴露点。沿海社区尤其脆弱，因为它们缺乏基本的水基础设施，而且有许多潜在的水污染物来源。这项研究将从飓风汉娜登陆德克萨斯州南部海岸后被洪水淹没的沿海地区收集地下水样本。它将产生必要的数据，以促进对遭受灾难性洪水和大风暴事件登陆后污染物输入的沿海地下水系统中微生物和化学污染物对水质和运动的影响的理解。研究结果将提供数据，让科学家、政府官员和社区成员了解沿海地区极端风暴事件引发洪水后污染物的扩散和分布。这些信息对于预测和减轻威胁、增强复原力和获得清洁水以及尽量减少对沿海社区健康的影响至关重要。该研究将吸引来自服务不足人群的社区成员，与利益相关者分享结果，并支持和培训来自STEM领域代表性不足群体的学生。它将进一步为学生在具有挑战性的环境下进行快速反应研究做好准备。这项工作的主要目标是提高人们对极端事件对沿海地区水质和污染的直接影响的认识和理解。据推测，洪水期间的污染物输入可以作为示踪剂，可以在风暴后立即监测，以获得有关地下水系统的知识。该项目将收集数据，评估受德克萨斯州南部大飓风登陆后沿海洪水影响的地下水系统的污染情况，确定飓风洪水后地下水中污染物的途径和停留时间，并量化风暴后含水层的补给和污染物的运输。拟议的工作包括从几个被洪水淹没的社区收集地下水、径流和河流/湖泊样本，并使用分子和化学分析方法来测量和监测微生物污染、微量金属、硝酸盐、碳氢化合物、杀虫剂和其他有机污染物在飓风“汉娜”后5个月内的存在和浓度水平。这些数据将提供汉娜飓风登陆后与洪水地区有关的时空浓度信息。然后，可以设计缓解和预防工作，明确解决地下水污染问题。这项研究所得的信息将与外联伙伴和利益攸关方分享，并用于编写关于已查明污染物的健康风险和含水层保护的情况介绍。这可以转化为美国其他受到洪水影响并面临类似问题的社区。通过数据传播，该项目将教育和吸引主要来自服务不足人口的社区。该项目将支持和培训来自代表性不足群体的学生，并帮助扩大STEM的参与。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With a potential increase in the occurrence of major hurricanes making landfall, there is an immediate need to understand their impacts in vulnerable coastal areas. Flooding from heavy rain and ocean storm surge may damage infrastructure and result in the release of sewage and other toxic chemicals into environmental waters. Flood water could also enter groundwater systems and mobilize contaminants to points of exposure. Particularly vulnerable are coastal communities that lack basic water infrastructure and have many potential sources of water pollutants. This study will collect groundwater samples from coastal areas that were flooded after Hurricane Hanna made landfall on the south Texas coast. It will generate necessary data to advance understanding on the impacts to water quality and movement of microbial and chemical contaminants in coastal groundwater systems subjected to catastrophic flooding and input of contaminants after landfall of major storm events. Results will provide data than can inform scientists, public officials, and community members on the spread and distribution of contaminants after flooding from extreme storm events in coastal areas. This information is essential for predicting and mitigating threats, increasing resilience and access to clean water and minimizing health impacts in coastal communities. The study will engage community members from underserved populations, share results with stakeholders, and support and train students from underrepresented groups in STEM fields. It will further prepare students on rapid-response research under challenging circumstances. The primary objective of this work is to advance knowledge and understanding about the immediate impacts to water quality and contamination in coastal areas subjected to flooding as a result of extremes events. It is hypothesized that contaminant inputs during flooding events can serve as tracers that can be monitored immediately following storms to gain knowledge about groundwater systems. The project will collect data to assess contamination in groundwater systems impacted by coastal flooding after the landfall of a major Hurricane in south Texas, determine the pathways and residence times of contaminants in groundwater following flooding by hurricanes, and quantify post-storm aquifer recharge and transport of contaminants. The proposed work entails collecting groundwater, runoff and river/lake samples from several flooded communities and use molecular and chemical analytical methods to measure and monitor presence and concentration levels of microbial contamination, trace metals, nitrates, hydrocarbons, pesticides and other organic pollutants over a 5-months period following Hurricane Hanna. The data will provide information on spatial and temporal concentrations in relation to flooded areas after the landfall of Hurricane Hanna. Mitigation and prevention efforts can then be designed to explicitly address groundwater contamination. Information from this study will be shared with outreach partners and stakeholders and used to develop factsheets on the health-risks of the identified contaminants and aquifer protection. This can translate to other communities in the US that have been affected by flooding and are facing similar issues. Through data dissemination, the project will educate and engage predominantly communities from underserved populations. The project will support and train students from underrepresented groups and help to broaden participation in STEM.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.