SGER: Deployment of Wireless Sensor Network for Analysis of Irrigation Effects on Subsurface Redox Conditions and Arsenic Mobilization in Bangladeshi Aquifer

0605515 Jay这个奖项资助国际和平协会和包括两名研究生在内的同事在孟加拉国进行研究的旅费和实地费用，这是一个多所大学和跨学科团队的一部分，该小组调查导致恒河三角洲浅层地下水中砷有毒浓度的因素。在孟加拉国，地下水中高浓度的砷构成了一个主要的公共卫生问题，因为数千万人依赖受污染的地下水供应饮用水。大量的砷中毒和砷引起的皮肤癌被报道，这被认为是历史上最大的环境中毒之一。该项目的具体目标是：(I)部署无线传感器网络，以测试有关稻田浅层含水层中砷的动员的三个假设；(Ii)实地测试一个新的软件工具，该工具旨在帮助调试传感器网络中的运行时问题；(Iii)利用收集到的数据，开发地下氧化还原条件及其如何受到灌溉影响的反应传输模型。拟议的工作旨在增进对引起地下水含水层砷迁移的因素的科学了解，这是环境科学中非常感兴趣的一个专题，也是管理这一广泛问题的实际关切。以前的研究已经证实，氧化还原条件在砷的动员中起着重要的作用，但这种作用的性质以及灌溉如何影响这一作用仍不清楚。这项工作还旨在促进我们在环境系统中的传感器网络方面的经验，并处理在恶劣条件下部署敏感传感器时出现的问题。这一经验将有助于在美国部署环境观测站的传感器网络。此外，这项研究还将提高对孟加拉国以外含水层中砷迁移的总体理解；地下水中的砷污染在美国也是一个常见问题。该奖项由环境工程项目和OISE共同资助。

0605515 Jay This award supports travel and field expenses for the PI and colleagues, including two graduate students, to conduct research in Bangladesh as part of a multi-university and interdisciplinary team investigating the factors causing toxic concentrations of arsenic in shallow ground water of the Ganges Delta. High concentrations of arsenic in ground water constitute a major public health problem in Bangladesh, as tens of millions of people rely on contaminated ground water supplies for drinking water. Numerous cases of arsenicosis and arsenic-induced skin cancer have been reported, and this is regarded as one of the largest environmental poisonings in history. Specific goals of the project are to (i) deploy a wireless sensor network to test three hypotheses regarding mobilization of arsenic in shallow aquifers under rice paddies; (ii) field test a new software tool designed to aid in debugging run-time problems in sensor networks; and (iii) use the collected data to develop a reactive-transport model of subsurface redox conditions and how they are affected by irrigation. The proposed work is aimed at improving scientific understanding of the factors giving rise to arsenic mobilization in ground-water aquifers, a topic of considerable interest in environmental science and practical concern for management of this widespread problem. Previous studies have established that redox conditions play an important role in arsenic mobilization, but the nature of that role and how irrigation affects this remain unclear. The work also is aimed at advancing our experience with sensor networks in environmental systems and dealing with problems that arise in deploying sensitive sensors under harsh conditions. This experience will be useful relative to deployment of sensor networks for environmental observatories in the U.S. In addition, the study should improve general understanding of arsenic mobilization in aquifers that applies beyond Bangladesh; arsenic contamination of ground water also is a common problem in the U.S. This award is funded jointly by the Environmental Engineering Program and OISE.