22 Advances in characterizing groundwater, surface water, and their interactions (Posters)

This session focuses on characterizing groundwater, surface water, and their interactions through fieldwork, modeling, and data synthesis. We welcome submissions addressing flow, transport, water quality, and water levels under both typical and extreme conditions.

Monday, 23 March 2026
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
CCC, Ballroom C

Source and Fate of Condensed Aromatic Organic Compounds in a Petroleum Contaminated Aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota

Paper number: 22-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

Condensed aromatic oxygen-containing organic compounds (OCOCs) present in petroleum-contaminated groundwaters have been shown to persist longer and be transported further than the volatile hydrocarbons often used in regulatory testing. The primary hypotheses for the origin of these OCOCs are that they are either petroleum metabolites or microbially synthesized. To test these hypotheses, groundwater samples were taken along a transect of an oil plume in the direction of groundwater flow in a petroleum contaminated aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota. Samples were analyzed for total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and then for concentrated aromatic carbon after solid phase extraction via benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) analysis. Total DOC concentrations were above background levels in all contaminated samples and decreased with distance from the oil plume. The BPCA results showed an increase in aromaticity and degree of aromatic condensation with distance. Background levels of BPCAs were much lower than contaminated samples. The low BPCA concentration in the uncontaminated samples suggests that these concentrated aromatic OCOCs are derived from the oil plume itself while their downgradient persistence indicates they have to potential to be environmentally long-lived.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026NE-411408

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