Janet S. Herman
Professor and Director, PIRCH · Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1982.
Contact Information
- Office: 212 Clark Hall
- 434-924-0553
- jherman@virginia.edu
My general field of interest is low-temperature aqueous geochemistry, encompassing problems in water-rock interactions, kinetics of geochemical reactions, and evolution of groundwater chemistry in various hydrogeological environments. My research includes elements of field studies, laboratory experimentation, and theoretical modeling. One research project is focused on the fate and transport of bacteria and organic contaminants in groundwater and is a collaborative effort with Messrs. Mills and Hornberger. We are currently investigating the effects of geological heterogeneity in a Coastal Plain deposit on the transport of reactive solutes and bacteria. Another project underway is focused on the fundamental geochemical, hydrological, and microbiological processes influencing the environmental fate of agricultural chemicals in a watershed in Virginia underlain by deeply weathered, fractured limestone. In this project, the colloid-facilitated transport of nutrients and herbicides is being investigated in the unsaturated soil zone. A new project in Florida will use hydrogeological and geochemical models to gain insight into groundwater flow paths and residence times.
Recent Publications
Herman, J.S., D.C. Culver, and J. Salzman. 2001. Groundwater ecosystems and the service of water purification. Stanford Environmental Law Journal 20:479-495.
Hyer, K.E., G.M. Hornberger, and J.S. Herman. 2001. Processes controlling the episodic streamwater transport of atrazine in an agricultural watershed. Journal of Hydrology 254:47-66.
Bolster, C.H., A.L. Mills, G.M. Hornberger, J.S. Herman. 2000. The effect of intra-population variability on the long-distance transport of bacteria. Ground Water 38:370-375.
El-Farhan, Y.H., N.M. DeNovio, J.S. Herman, and G.M. Hornberger. 2000. Mobilization and transport of soil particles during infiltration experiments in an agricultural field, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Environmental Science and Technology 34:3555-3559.
Sprague, L.A., J.S. Herman, G.M. Hornberger, and A.L. Mills. 2000. Atrazine adsorption and colloid-facilitated transport through the unsaturated zone. Journal of Environmental Quality 29:1632-1641.
Bolster, C.H., A.L. Mills, Hornberger, G.M., and J.S. Herman. 1999. The spatial distribution of deposited bacteria following miscible displacement experiments in intact cores. Water Resources Research 35: 1797-1807.
Cozzarelli, I.M., J.S. Herman, M.J. Baedecker, and J. Fischer. 1999. Geochemical heterogeneity of a gasoline-contaminated aquifer. Journal of Contaminant Hydrogeology 40:261-284.
Johnson, S.E., J.S. Herman, A.L. Mills, and G.M. Hornberger. 1999. Bioavailability and desorption characteristics of aged, nonextractable atrazine in soil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:1747-1754.
Brooks, S.C., and Herman, J.S. 1998. Rate and extent of cobalt sorption to representative aquifer minerals in the presence of a moderately strong organic ligand. Applied Geochemistry 13:77-88.
Brooks, S.C., Mills, A.L., Herman, J.S., and Hornberger, G.M. 1997. Kinetic evaluation of the effects of bioavailability of organic ligands on biodegradation in the presence of common sesquioxide grain coatings. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 16:862-870.
Kelly, W.R., Herman, J.S., and Mills, A.L. 1997. The geochemical effects of benzene, toluene,a nd xylene (BTX) biodegradation. Applied Geochemistry 12:291-303.
Back, W., and Herman, J.S. 1997. American hydrogeology at the millennium: An annotated chronology of 100 most influential papers. Hydrogeology Journal 5:37-50.