PRJNA283788
Microbiome of the Hanford 300A oxic subsurface sediments
The Hanford 300 Area is an unconfined aquifer containing an extensive uranium plume resulting from prior disposal of nuclear fuel fabrication wastes. The site is adjacent to the Columbia River. Changes in river stage result in intrusion of surface water into the subsurface, increasing groundwater elevation and altering the chemical composition and flow velocity of the local environment. Within the established Integrated Field Research Challenge site, the upper layer of the subsurface consists of high porosity Hanford formation, which is oxic. At ~17m, the sediment transitions to the fine-grained, lower porosity Ringold formation, and there is an associated redox transition zone, below which sediments are anoxic.