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Dr. David O'Connell

Assistant Professor (Civil Struct & Env. Eng.)
      
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Dr. David O'Connell

Assistant Professor (Civil Struct & Env. Eng.)

 DAVID.OCONNELL@tcd.ie

 


Assistant Professor in Contaminant Hydrogeology and Hydrology in the Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering. My research focuses on water resources, groundwater and surface water, water and wastewater treatment technologies along with studying earth systems processes governing water quality across scales from the catchment scale to nanoscale using multiple chemical and solid-state techniques. My expertise includes water resources, hydrogeology, hydrology, water and wastewater treatment technology and biogeochemistry with a focus on systems understanding and innovative solutions. Recently my reserach has moved into the area of sustainable agriculture with a particular focus on water quality and quantity protection along with nutrient recovery.
  Drainage technology   Edge of Field Technology   environmental engineering   Natural Based Solutions
Project Title
 (Grads and Smarts) GRoundwater Age DistributionS for the Sustainable MAnagement of gRoundwaTer reSources in Ireland (Grads and Smarts)
From
March 2022
To
March 2026
Summary
Funding Agency
Environmental Protection Agency
Programme
EPA Research Grants 2021
Project Type
Applied Research
Project Title
 Particulate phosphorus fractions and bioavailability from agricultural tile drains
From
October 2020
To
October 2023
Summary
The most common forms of phosphorus reported that are discharge from subsurface agricultural drains include total P (TP), dissolved P (DP, DRP, SRP), and particulate P (PP). Numerous studies have documented the existence of these forms of P in agricultural tile drains. From the literature, it is universally recognised that dissolved P can be an important form of P measured in tile drainages. However, occasionally PP comprises a disproportionately large component of TP in drainage water, particularly under high-flow conditions which can transport legacy phosphorus species within the drainage water suspended solids and have a long lasting effect on surface water quality. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine suspended solids (SS) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations in drainage water discharged from tile-drains under low permeability soils; (2) determine phosphorus fractions within particulate phosphorus discharged from agricultural tile drain; (3) estimate the bioavailability of particulate phosphorus recovered from tile-drain sediment samplers using a mesocosm technique.
Funding Agency
LAWPRO
Project Type
Applied Research
Project Title
 Duo-Biochar: Dual-Function Engineered Biochar for excess soil phosphorus sorption with subsequent slow release for cost effective and sustainable crop production.
From
September 2023
To
September 2028
Summary
Funding Agency
DAFM
Programme
US-Ireland Agriculture Research Award 2022
Project Type
International Five Year Project
Project Title
 NUtrienT Recovery from subsurfacE agriCultural drains (NUTRECS)
From
August 2023
To
February 2025
Summary
Funding Agency
SFI
Programme
SFI National Challenge Fund
Project Type
Research Project
Person Months
20

Details Date
Editorial Board Member - Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology November 2022
Manuscript reviewer for academic journals - Environmental Science and Technology, Environmental monitoring, Hydrological processes, Environmental pollution. Currently I review three to four a year when asked. October 2022
Member of an international atomic energy agency (IAEA) coordinated research program (CRP). This involves acting in an advisory role for third world participants in isotope tracing of agricultural contaminants. 2018-2023
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Basic Basic Basic
German Basic Basic Basic
Details Date From Date To
European Geoscience Union (EGU) 2015 present
International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) 2022 2012
Luka Vucinic, David O'Connell, Donata Dubber, Patrice Behan, Quentin Crowley, Catherine Coxon, Laurence Gil, Understanding the impacts of human wastewater effluent pollution on karst springs using chemical contamination fingerprinting techniques, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, 2024, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Luke Quill, Diogo Ferreira, Brian Joyce, Gabriel Coleman, Trevor Hodkinson, Daniel Trimble, Laurence Gill, David O'Connell, An Integrated Mitigation Approach to Diffuse Agricultural Water Pollution - A Scoping Review, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12, 2024, pdoi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.13405 , Journal Article, IN_PRESS
Vucinic L., O'Connell D., Coxon C., Gill L.W., Back to the future: Comparing Yeast as an outmoded artificial Tracer for simulating microbial transport in Karst aquifer systems to more modern approachs, Environmental Pollution, (123942), 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Donata Dubber , Laura Brophy , David O"Connell , Patrice Behan , Martin Danaher , Craig Evans , Phillip Geary , Bruce Misstear , Laurence Gill, The use of sterol profiles, supported with other faecal source tracking methods, to apportion septic tanks contamination in rural catchments, Environmental Pollution, 341, (122884), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sara Sandström, Hampus Markensten , Martyn N. Futter , Katarina Kyllmar , David W. O"Connell , Kevin Bishop and Faruk Djodjic, Distributed dynamic modelling of suspended sediment mobilization and transport from small agricultural catchments, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Luka Vucinic, David O'Connell, Donata Dubber, Catherine Coxon, Laurence Gill, Multiple fluorescence approaches to identify rapid changes in microbial indicators at karst springs, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 254, (104129), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
The Use of the "18 O P to Study P Cycling in the Environment in, editor(s)V. Pfahler, J. Adu-Gyamfi , Oxygen Isotopes of Inorganic Phosphate in Environmental Samples , Springer, 2022, pp1 - 15, [V. Pfahler, J. Adu-Gyamfi, D. O"Connell, F. Tamburini], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Purification Protocol in, J. Adu-Gyamfi, Dr, V. Pfahler , Oxygen Isotopes of Inorganic Phosphate in Environmental Samples, Springer International Publishing, 2022, [V. Pfahler, J. Adu-Gyamfi, D. O'Connell, F. Tamburini], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Extraction Protocol in, editor(s)J. Adu-Gyamfi, Dr. V. Pfahler, , Oxygen Isotopes of Inorganic Phosphate in Environmental Samples, Springer International Publishing , 2022, [ V. Pfahler, J. Adu-Gyamfi, D. O'Connell, F. Tamburini], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Oxygen Isotopes of Inorganic Phosphate in Environmental Samples in, editor(s)Pfahler, V., Adu-Gyamfi, J., , The Use of the δ18 O P to Study P Cycling in the Environment, Springer, Cham, 2022, [Pfahler, V., Adu-Gyamfi, J., O'Connell, D., Tamburini, F.], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
  

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Victoria Martinez, Shining a light on the past, 2021, -, Notes: [https://www.lightsource.ca/public/news/2020-21-q4-jan-april/shining-a-light-on-the-past.php], Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Alan O'Keeffe, Fear of drought returning prompts pleas to conserve water, 2020, -, Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
David O'Connell, Legacy phosphorus and the pivotal role of fluvial suspended solids in agricultural catchments, 2019, -, Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
David.W. O'Connell , Characteristics of stable isotope fractionations during reactive transport of phosphate in groundwater discharging to a groundwater fed lake (Lough Gur, Co Limerick), 2015-sc-027, Geological Survey of Ireland, 2016, p1 - 8, 1-8, Report, PUBLISHED
TENILLE BONOGUORE, Ontario swamp faces manufactured flood, 2012, -, Notes: [https://uwaterloo.ca/science/news/phosphorus-legacy-causes-recurring-blooms-according-ela-lake Postdoc who managed this experiment.], Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
TCD - E3 Kinsella Award - PI - NuReCycle Project 2021-2026
GSI Griffith Award 2015
GSI Griffith Award 2016