Current Research Areas

Radium isotope distribution in groundwater

In many aquifers, worldwide, radium and radon concentrations in local groundwater exceeds the international drinking water standards for these naturally occurring contaminants. Utilization of water with high levels of radium and radon may pose a significant health risk. Current research on radium isotopes has been conducted in groundwater resources in from Israel (Negev), Jordan (Disi aquifer), North Carolina, USA (Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains), and Minnesota, USA (Mt. Simon sandstone aquifer). In some of these basins we have found high levels of radium and radon contents. In addition to providing a reliable database for the occurrence and distribution of the radium isotope quartet in these aquifers, we seek to establish geochemical models that describe the mechanisms that control radium mobilization in groundwater resources.
Link to: http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/learn/geotimes_2006.pdf