You are here:
Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Contaminant Fate and Transport Modeling
| Project number: | CEMM-11-01-2023-05 |
| Lab/Center/Office: | CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENT & MODELING |
| Division: | ATLANTIC COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES DIVISION |
| Branch: | WATERSHED & ESTUARINE DIAGNOSTICS BRANCH |
| Brief description of research project: | This project serves to develop, adapt, evaluate, and improve mechanistic models to simulate the fate and transport of environmental contaminants and constituents in surface waters and sediments. Aquatic environments of interest span multiple dimensions (from 0 to 3D) and fresh and marine waters, including rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs, estuaries, and coastal waters. To effectively simulate these systems, this project will link hydrodynamic models (e.g., kinematic wave, dynamic wave, and fully realized 3D models, like EFDC) with a water quality contaminant fate and transport modeling framework (i.e., WASP). This work will focus on using hydrodynamic and water quality models for different contaminants of interest, including toxicants and nutrients. |
| Geographical location of position: | Narragansett, RI |
| High priority research areas: | This research focuses on EPA’s ability to mechanistically simulate surface waters and sediments, thus spanning high priority research areas in CSS (emerging contaminants (e.g., nanomaterials), and persistent contaminants (e.g., PFAS)) and SSWR (nutrients, eutrophication, dissolved oxygen, phytoplankton, harmful algal blooms, water clarity, acidification, and sea grass) covering cross-cutting types of water bodies, including both freshwater (lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, ponds) and marine (estuaries, bays, coastal waters), and incorporating the impacts of climate change, land use/land cover change, and management and adaptation strategies. |
| Scientific project area: | CSS.403.1.2.4 Simulating exposure concentrations of nanomaterials in aquatic ecosystems using mechanistic fate and transport modeling SSWR.405.2.3.7 Investigating appropriate levels of model complexity for simulating hypoxia in coastal ecosystems SSWR.405.2.1.10 Understanding eutrophication dynamics using mechanistic modeling and field observations to inform development of nutrient criteria in estuaries |
| Educational requirements: | PhD in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Civil, or Environmental), Physical Science, Physics, or Applied Mathematics |
| Specialized training and/or experience preferred: | Advanced understanding of environmental fate and transport processes, mechanistic modeling, differential equations, numerical modeling, surface water quality, and hydrodynamics/fluid mechanics. Familiar with computer programming or be able/willing to learn one (e.g., R, Python) for data analysis, post-processing, and manipulation and figure generation. EPA models are generally written in FORTRAN, and although understanding FORTRAN is not required, having a fundamental understanding of computer programming is preferred. Background in using EFDC, WASP, and/or other hydrodynamic (e.g., FVCOM) or water quality models (e.g, CE-QUAL, QUAL2K) would be useful, but not necessary, however the interest and ability to learn and apply WASP is required. Excellent oral and written English communication skills, proficiency with word processing and spreadsheets, and the ability to work as part of a team are required. |
| Projected duration of appointment: | 3 years |
| Paid relocation to EPA work location: | Yes |
| Application Period Open Date: | Nov 14, 2023 |
| Application Period Close Date: | Dec 29, 2023 |
| Scientific contact/Principal Investigator(s)*: | Chris Knightes, knightes.chris@epa.gov, 401-782-9638 |
*This person/persons may be contacted for additional scientific information about this project. This person is not authorized to accept applications, make job offers, set salaries, establish start dates or discuss benefits. See general announcement for details on how to apply.