Date of Award

Spring 5-12-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Samuel Mutiti

Second Advisor

Kalina Manoylov

Abstract

The transport of algal cells through saturated sandy sediments was examined using column experiments to address a knowledge gap in surface water groundwater (SW‑GW) interactions. A conservative tracer established the hydraulic baseline, producing a classic breakthrough curve (BTC) consistent with saturated column conditions. Three algal groups (green algae, cyanobacteria, and diatoms) were investigated across pH 8, 7, and 6, with breakthrough curves recorded for each treatment. Green algae showed the highest mobility, with peak concentrations increasing from 14.42% at pH 8 to 38.39% at pH 6 and retardation factors ranging from 1.33–1.40, suggesting limited retention. Cyanobacteria showed the greatest recovery (29.5%) at neutral pH 7 and higher retardation (≈1.9), while diatoms were strongly retained (≤5.72% recovery) and displayed retardation factors of 1.9 to 2.3. Multimodal BTCs revealed that attachment–detachment dynamics varied with pH and algal morphology, revealing complex physicochemical interactions within the sediment. Post‑run culturing demonstrated that ≈68% of inoculated genera persisted after passing though the column, suggesting that saturated sediments could function as a biological “seed bank”. These results highlight the potential need to integrate group‑specific algal transport parameters into SW‑GW models and suggest the need for future studies on diverse sediment types and continuous‑flow conditions.

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