Evaluating Denitrification in North Florida Aquifers

We seek a motivated undergraduate intern to assist in a study during summer 2013, as part of the UF/IFAS Research Summer Intern Program.

Florida is world famous for its beautiful springs. However, water quality in the springs is rapidly changing and may be causing significant ecological shifts in aquatic flora and fauna. Increased nitrate concentrations have been observed in several spring systems, potentially contributing to loss of submerged aquatic vegetation and an explosion in the biomass of algae. The nutrient increases are strong evidence that we are polluting the Floridan aquifer (which feeds these springs and provides most of our drinking water). While source reduction is a primary goal, we also need to understand how to remove and retain nitrates once they are in the aquifer. This research aims to increase our understanding of the fate of nitrate in springsheds. We will examine groundwater denitrification in the aquifer feeding springs in the Santa Fe River Basin using hydrologic field experiments. Experiments will characterize denitrification using groundwater sampling and geochemical tracer tests in wells.

Duties will include: assisting with experiment implementation, field work, and data analysis. Ideal applicants for this internship should have a basic understanding of the hydrologic cycle, chemistry, quantitative skills, and be familiar with desktop software such as Microsoft Office. Experience in GIS, or MATLAB is a plus.

There are opportunities for a paid internship. Please see the following website for information http://research.ifas.ufl.edu/communications/ifas-summer-internships or contact whenson@ufl.edu for more details.