This paper presents a large-scale modeling study characterizing fluid flow and tracer transport in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. The study has been conducted using a three-dimensional numerical model, which incorporates a wide variety of field data and takes into account the coupled processes of flow and tra...

Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus (Theobald) is an invasive mosquito native to Japan, Korea, and easternChina. The species was Þrst detected in the northeasternUnited States in 1998 and has rapidly spread throughout much of eastern North America. In addition to used tire casings, Oc. j. japonicus develops in a wide variety of artiÞcial and natural container habitats, especially rock pools along ...

Terrestrial close range digital photogrammetric methods were used to obtain three-dimensional data on erosion gullies associated with waste rock dumps at Newmont Australia’s Jundee gold mining operations. Digital stereo pairs of photographs were taken at each site and three-dimensional images produced using the CSIRO software package SIRO3D. Difficulties associated with producing accurate three...

The main points of interest of this paper are several uranium mines in Western Saxony which have been flooded or are in a flooded state. Particularly significant are the large Schlema-Alberoda uranium mine in the vicinity of the city of Aue, and the small Pöhla mine on the border with the Czech Republic. Both mines are in the final stage of remediation by WISMUT GmbH. Uranium is the only main p...

When disposing nuclear waste in clay formations it is expected that the most radiotoxic elements like Pu, Np or Am move only a few centimetres to meters before they decay. Only a few radionuclides are able to reach the biosphere and contribute to their long-term exposure risks, mainly anionic species like I129, Cl36, Se79 and in some cases C14 and Tc99, whatever the scenario considered. The rec...

Fractures in rock masses influence strongly the mechanical and hydraulic properties of a rock mass. Thus, the detection and characterization of fractures using geophysical methods is of critical importance for maintaining the integrity of sub-surface infrastructure and subsurface waste or storage repositories. While the effects of single fractures or sets of parallel fractures on seismic wave p...

[1] This work presents a series of numerical modeling studies that investigate the hydrogeologic conditions required to form capillary barriers and the effect that capillary barriers have on fluid flow and tracer transport processes in the unsaturated fractured rock of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential site for storing high-level radioactive waste. The modeling approach is based on a dual-con...

The field of hydrogeology is primarily concerned with the flow of water below the ground surface and with transport, normally of solutes and heat, within that water. Many disciplines have contributed to this endeavor which requires skills from across the spectrum of science, engineering and beyond. The diffusion equation describes not only solute transport but also the flow of water, via Darcy’...

The description of the geochemical properties of the bentonite backfill that serves as engineered barrier for nuclear repositories is a central issue for performance assessment since these play a large role in determining the fate of contaminants released from the waste. In this study the porewater chemistry of bentonite was assessed with a thermodynamic modelling approach that includes ion exc...

Subsidence basins filled with water are being formed above exploitation fields also in woodland areas leading to changes in water relations simultaneously affecting creation of environmental islands characterized by higher biodiversity in comparison with adjacent areas. Unfortunately, these types of water reservoirs from the legal point of view are considered mining damage and should thus be re...