Research Themes
Theme 9: Environmental geochemistry and the regolith
Regolith science is an important, yet frequently ignored, component
of environmental management in urban, rural, industrial, rangeland
and arid environments. The geochemical and biogeochemical processes
involved in regolith-groundwater interactions control the transformations
and accumulations of chemical compounds, including deleterious metals,
in groundwater. An important question is the relative role of biological
versus non-biological processes and this can be addressed by molecular
genetic attributes of the microbiota. Regional baseline geochemistry
datasets, modified in concept from those used in mineral exploration,
are essential for environmental monitoring. Regolith geochemistry
can create a paradigm change in environmental health research in
Australia.
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