Developing a novel computer visualization system to simulate the uranium upward transport mechanism: Uranium pollution in arid landscapes

Abstract

Uranium (U) is a naturally occurring, radioactive, toxic trace element that poses severe risks to public and environmental health. Depleted uranium (DU) is widely used in military munitions, including penetrators. Our previous studies showed that in arid landscapes, water-soluble U released from corroded DU penetrators that were buried underground were co-transported upwards with water by evaporation-driven capillary action and eventually precipitated on the ground surface. The first objective of this study was to develop a visualization system to simulate this complex U upward transport mechanism involving cyclic capillary wetting-drying cycles. Multiple visual components such as visual elements, canvases, and animations were created using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS programming languages and coordinated to visualize this biogeochemical process in arid ecosystem landscapes. The second objective was to develop an interactive visualization exercise to allow users to study the effect of the type of capillarity solutions on the speed of the U upward transport. This study is significant in the following aspects:•Contributing a clear and comprehensible visualization of the complex U transport mechanism;•Developing a novel visualization coding framework with more advantages in simulating heavy metal upward transport mechanisms than regular software-based simulations; and•Providing educational uses such as an instructional tool in secondary and college STEM classrooms, an outreach material in promoting student interest in STEM topics and raising public awareness of U pollution, and an educational aid for understanding U mobility in order to develop effective heavy metal pollution control and remediation strategies and policies.