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User's Guide to the Collection and Analysis of Tree Cores to Assess

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User's Guide to the Collection and Analysis of Tree Cores to Assess Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Measurement and Monitoring for the 21st Century Initiative User’s Guide to the Collection and Analysis of Tree Cores to Assess the Distribution of Subsurface Volatile Organic Compounds Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5088 Cover. U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist using an increment borer to obtain a tree core (digitally modified photograph taken by Allison Vroblesky). User’s Guide to the Collection and Analysis of Tree Cores to Assess the Distribution of Subsurface Volatile Organic Compounds By Don A. Vroblesky Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Measurement and Monitoring for the 21st Century Initiative Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5088 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Vroblesky, D.A., 2008, User’s guide to the collection and analysis of tree cores to assess the distribution of subsurface volatile organic compounds: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5088, 59 p. (available online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/sir2008-5088 ) iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Advantages of Tree Coring as a Tool to Examine Subsurface Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations ........................................................................................................................2 Limitations of Tree Coring as a Tool to Examine Subsurface Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations ........................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................3 Part 1. Methodology for Collection and Analysis of Tree Cores ...........................................................3 Tree-Core Collection .............................................................................................................................3 Tree-Core Analysis ...............................................................................................................................7 Quality Control and Assurance ...........................................................................................................8 Part 2. Historical Perspectives and Technical Considerations .............................................................8 Historical Perspectives ........................................................................................................................8 Technical Rationale for Methodology ...............................................................................................9 Tree-Core Collection ....................................................................................................................9 Tree-Core Transfer to Sample Vials and Storage .................................................................10 Tree-Core Equilibration Time ....................................................................................................11 Tree-Core Analysis ....................................................................................................................13 Quality Control and Assurance ................................................................................................14 Factors Influencing Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations in Tree Cores ......................15 Types of Volatile Organic Compounds ....................................................................................15 Subsurface Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations ...................................................16 Differences Among Tree Species ...........................................................................................18 Rooting Depth and Depth to the Contaminated Horizon .....................................................18 Subsurface Lithology ................................................................................................................19 Concentration Differences Around the Tree Trunk ..............................................................19 Volatilization Losses from the Tree Trunk ..............................................................................20 Rainfall Infiltration as a Dilution Mechanism ........................................................................20 Seasonal Influences ..................................................................................................................21 Sorption .......................................................................................................................................21 Within-Tree Volatile Organic Compound Degradation ........................................................22 Summary........................................................................................................................................................22 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................23 Appendix 1. Case Studies ..........................................................................................................................29 Case Study 1: Chlorinated Ethenes from Ground Water in Tree Trunks (Summarized from D.A. Vroblesky, C.T. Nietch, and J.T. Morris) ...................................29 Case Study 2: Tree Coring as a Guide to Well Placement, Solid Waste Management Unit 17, Naval Weapons Station Charleston, South Carolina, 2002 (by D.A. Vroblesky and C.C. Casey) ...........................................................................32 Case Study 3: Operable Unit 4, Riverfront Superfund Site, Franklin County, Missouri (by J. Schumacher) ...............................................................................................................34 Case Study 4: MTBE and BTEX in Trees above Gasoline-Contaminated Ground Water (by J.E. Landmeyer, D.A. Vroblesky, and P.M. Bradley) ...................................................38 Appendix 2: Air Sample Analysis for Volatile Organic Compounds (by S. Clifford) .........................43 iv Figures 1–4. Photographs showing: 1. Typical tree-coring tool ............................................................................................................3 2. Comparison of nonporous, diffuse-porous, and ring-porous wood .................................5 3. Crimping tool, 20-milliliter crimp-top serum vial, and 40-millilliter volatile organic analysis (VOA) vial used for collecting tree cores ...........................................6 4. Crimp-top serum vial containing tree core ...........................................................................6 5–8. Graphs showing: 5. Loss of trichloroethene over time from uncapped 20-milliliter serum vials, Naval Weapons Station Charleston, South Carolina, 2006 ..........................................10 6. Headspace trichloroethene concentrations at 24 hours and 19 days of storage in sealed serum vials containing tree cores from a trichloroethene-contaminated site showing generally slight concentration increases in most cores and no evidence of volatilization loss over time. ...............11 7. Trichloroethene concentrations over time in unheated and heated sealed serum vials containing loblolly pine tree cores from a trichloroethene-contaminated site showing little concentration change in cores from some trees after 5 to 6 minutes and an increase in sensitivity by field heating and analyzing the cores, Solid Waste Management Unit 17, Charleston, South Carolina. ...............................................................................................12 8. Field-heated and unheated (A) trichloroethene and (B) tetrachloroethene concentrations in 20-milliliter serum vials containing cores from trees growing over ground-water contamination showing that field heating the sample vials can produce VOC concentrations that are in the range of or higher than concentrations obtained by allowing the samples to equilibrate at room temperature overnight. ...............................................................13 9–10. Maps showing: 9. Trees cored at the Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump Superfund Site, Ashland, Massachusetts, August 2006, showing proximity to wells and to buildings where vapor-intrusion investigations were conducted in 2004 ..................................17 10. 1,1,1-Trichloroethane
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