Brian Andraski (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Tritium in water vapor in the shallow unsaturated zone at the Amargosa Desert Research Site
Samples of water vapor in soil gas were obtained at the U.S. Geological Survey's Amargosa Desert Research Site in 1997 and 1998 from a depth of 1.5 m (meters) within a 300 m by 300 m grid that lies immediately to the south and west of a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site. The gas samples were analyzed for tritium. Fifty-eight samples were...
Morganwalp, David W.; Buxton, Herbert T.; Healy, Richard W.; Striegl, Robert G.; Michel, Robert L.; Prudic, David E.; Andraski, Brian J. Overview of research on water, gas, and radionuclide transport at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nevada: A section in U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program: Proceedings of the technical meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999: Volume 3 (Part C) (WRI 99-4018C)
Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey Amargosa Desert Research Site have focused on characterizing factors and processes that control transport and fate of contaminants in arid environments. This paper summarizes research results that have been published through 1998. Results have improved understanding of water and gas movement through a thick...
Morganwalp, David W.; Buxton, Herbert T.; Andraski, Brian J.; Stonestrom, David A. Hydrogeologic studies at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site
In 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of unsaturated-zone hydrology in the Amargosa Desert in support of the USGS Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program. In 1983, agreements with the Bureau of Land Management and the State of Nevada established two field study areas: a 16-ha area adjacent to a waste-burial facility 17 km south of...
Taylor, Emily M.; Andraski, Brian J.; Stonestrom, David A. Soil, plant, and structural considerations for surface barriers in arid environments: Application of results from studies in the Mojave Desert near Beatty, Nevada
The suitability of a waste-burial site depends on hydrologic processes that can affect the near-surface water balance. In addition, the loss of burial trench integrity by erosion and subsidence of trench covers may increase the likelihood of infiltration and percolation, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the site in isolating waste. Although...
Andraski, Brian J.; Prudic, David E. Soil-water movement under natural-site and waste-site conditions: A multiple-year field study in the Mojave Desert, Nevada
Soil-water movement under natural-site and simulated waste-site conditions were compared by monitoring four experimental sites in the Mojave Desert, Nevada, during a 5-year period: one vegetated soil profile, one soil profile where vegetation was removed, and two nonvegetated test trenches. Precipitation ranged from 14 to 162 mm/yr. Temporal...
Andraski, Brian J. Test-trench studies in the Amargosa Desert, southern Nevada: Results and application of information to landfill covers in arid environments
As arid sites in the western United States are increasingly sought for disposal of the Nation's hazardous wastes and as volumes of locally generated wastes increase, concern about the potential effect of contaminants on environmental quality is being raised. Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey's Amargosa Desert research site near Beatty, Nevada...
Reynolds, Timothy D.; Morris, Randall C.; Andraski, Brian J. Properties and variability of soil and trench fill at an arid waste-burial site
Arid sites commonly are assumed to be ideal for long-term isolation of wastes. Information on properties and variability of desert soils is limited, however, and little is known about how the natural site environment is altered by installation of a waste facility. During fall construction of two test trenches next to the waste facility on the...
Andraski, Brian J.
Waste burial in arid environments - Application of Information from a field laboratory in the Mojave Desert, Southern Nevada
Because of the potentially harmful effect of improper waste disposal on water resources in the arid West, comprehensive laboratory and field studies are critical to identifying likely contaminant-release pathways and the potential for waste migration at arid sites. However, the quandary for those charged with assessment of the suitability of...
Andraski, Brian J.; Prudic, David E.; Nichols, William D.
Selected meteorological data for an arid site near Beatty, Nye County, Nevada, calendar years 1990 and 1991
Selected meteorological data were collected at a study site adjacent to a low-level radioactive-waste burial facility near Beatty, Nevada, for calendar years 1990 and 1991. Data were collected in support of ongoing studies to estimate the potential for downward movement of radionuclides into the unsaturated sediments beneath waste-burial trenches...
Wood, James L.; Andraski, Brian J. Variations in water balance and recharge potential at three western desert sites
Radioactive and hazardous waste landfills exist at numerous desert locations in the USA. At these locations, annual precipitation is low and soils are generally dry, yet little is known about recharge of water and transport of contaminants to the water table. Recent water balance measurements made at three desert locations, Las Cruces, NM, Beatty...
Gee, G.W.; Wierenga, P.J.; Andraski, Brian J.; Young, M.H.; Fayer, M.J.; Rockhold, M.L.
Selected meteorological data for an arid site near Beatty, Nye County, Nevada, calendar year 1988
Selected meteorological data were collected at a study site adjacent to a low-level radioactive-waste burial facility near Beatty/ Nevada, for calendar year 1988. Data were collected in support of ongoing studies to estimate the potential for downward movement of radionuclides into the unsaturated sediments beneath waste-burial trenches at the...
Wood, James L.; Hill, Kevin J.; Andraski, Brian J.
Selected meteorological data for an arid site near Beatty, Nye County, Nevada, calendar year 1989
Selected meteorological data were collected at a study site adjacent to a low-level radioactive-waste burial facility near Beatty, Nevada, for calendar year 1989. Data were collected in support of ongoing studies to estimate the potential for downward movement of radionuclides into the unsaturated sediments beneath waste-burial trenches at the...
Wood, J.L.; Andraski, Brian J.