Abstract: Improved devices, systems and methods for measuring in situ saturations of non-aqueous phase liquids and/or petroleum in media such as soil. A clear or otherwise UV-transparent well for detecting fluorescence in a soil column having a transparent casing and an oil sensing device positioned in the well configured to monitor the soil column. A method for real-time estimation of LNAPL saturations in media, including emplacing a UV-transparent well in the media and recording fluorescence in the media via an oil sensing device.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to measuring the ability of the soil to transport gases at any location of the soil column, rather than just the flow of gases out of the soil. This enables the measurement of gas transport for various reactive and non-reactive species that often do not reach the ground level, such as methane, as it is used by microbes as a carbon source when there is sufficient oxygen for aerobic respiration. Thus, the invention helps understand transport and reactive processes at different locations in the soil, rather than just the limited information available at ground level. The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to conducting microcosm studies in situ which enables direct estimates of degradation rate of specific soil contaminants.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to estimating the rate of biodegradation of contaminants in the ground by measuring thermal gradients in the vadose zone where heat is produced by biodegradation reactions, and averaging over a full seasonal period, such as one year or one seasonal cycle, in which the groundwater temperatures and surface temperatures vary in a cyclical manner. Exemplary embodiments correct for the delay required by the heat being produced in the ground to reach the locations where the temperature gradients are measured, and also cancel out the signal noise caused by the changing surface and groundwater temperatures. In further embodiments, a mathematical model is provided to test the validity of the invention on two example sites.

Abstract: Improved devices, systems and methods for measuring in situ saturations of non-aqueous phase liquids and/or petroleum in media such as soil. A clear or otherwise UV-transparent well for detecting fluorescence in a soil column having a transparent casing and an oil sensing device positioned in the well configured to monitor the soil column. A method for real-time estimation of LNAPL saturations in media, including emplacing a UV-transparent well in the media and recording fluorescence in the media via an oil sensing device.