Peter R. Jørgensen is a geologist, phd, and has more than 35 years of experience as geoscientist. He has been leading groundwater research projects and government consulting projects as associate professor at the University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark, and in private industry as scientist and leader of innovation. In 2011 PRJ became independent scientist and project leader in Miljøstyrelsens Pesticide Research Program (Danish Ministry of Environment). PRJ is a permanent member of the Ministry of Environments expert group for surveillance of Danish EPA pesticide research projects, and an appointed expert for the Ministry of Environments pesticide registration.
Current research projects
Role and Implications of deep tree roots on groundwater vulnerability beneath glacial aquitards
The project utilizes innovative measuring techniques in 12 study sites to directly assess mass transfer in fractures and deep root macropores. This is combined with studies of ancient DNA and other disciplines (radiometric dating, X-ray imaging, geochemistry, and glacial geology) to trace the origin and determine the hydrological role and implications of deep root macropores from trees for groundwater vulnerability beneath glacial aquitards across Denmark.
Field study of flow and transport of pesticides in clayey till soil and sub-soil to groundwater under natural and forced infiltration
The study investigates pesticide leaching and impact on groundwater underneath arable land, which is cultivated by conservation agriculture and located on a culmination in clayey till moraine landscape. The field site is sprayed conventionally with a suite of pesticides representing a wide range of transport properties. The leaching and sub-soil migration of the pesticides are monitored under natural and stressed hydrological and climatic condition over several years. Alongside, earth worm population dynamics and changes of macropore hydrologic properties and hydrologic activity are studied after introduction of conservation agriculture. After the field study of the pesticides, conservative tracers and dye tracer are infiltrated and the experimental field is excavated for detailed characterization of the soil and clayey till structures and flow system from the soil surface to permanently water saturated condition at 6 m depth in the clayey till.
Current publications
Estimation of effective fracture aperture in glacial till by analysis of dye tracer penetration. Ouf M., P.R. Jørgensen, K. Mosthaf, M.Rolle. in Groundwater 59, 2025.
Microbial life in preferential flow paths in sub surface clayey till revealed by metataxanomy and metagenomics. Bak F. C. Nybroe O, Aamand J., Jørgensen P.R. Nicolaisen, M.H, Vogel T.H. & Larose C. in BMC Microbiology, 24, 2024
Transport of Tracers and Pesticides Through Fractured Clayey Till: Large Undisturbed Column Experiments and Model-Based Interpretation. K. Mosthaf, M. Rolle, U. Petursdottir, J. Aamand, P. R. Jørgensen: in Water Resources Research:https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020WR028019
A Large Undisturbed Column Method to Study Flow and Transport in Macropores and Fractured Media. Peter R. Jørgensen, Klaus Mosthaf, Massimo Rolle: in Groundwater https://ngwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gwat.12885
Dybe biopores arealmæssige forekomst og betydning for pesticidudvaskningen mellem jordoverfladen og kemisk reduceret grundvandszone i moræneler 08-05-2017. Rapporten belyser forekomsten af bioporer og sprækker i landbrugsjord, og hvordan disse påvirker udvaskningen af forskellige pesticidtyper ved forskellig jordbehandling: http://mst.dk/service/publikationer/publikationsarkiv/2017/maj/dybe-bioporer/
Ancient Root Macropores and Fractures in Glacial till and Their Contribution to Pesticide Vulnerability of Groundwater in Low- and High-ground Agricultural Landscape: Rapporten belyser forekomsten og oprindelsen af bioporer og sprækker i moræneler på landbrugsjord, og hvordan disse påvirker udvaskningen af pesticider til grundvandet. PESTPORE 2, 17-02-2022: https://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2022/01/978-87-7038-376-9.pdf
Mapping groundwater vulnerability to pesticide contamination through fractured clays. Rapporten belyser muligheden for at udpege særligt sårbart grundvand i moræneområder ud fra morænetype. CLAYFRAC, 04-02-2022: https://mst.dk/service/nyheder/nyhedsarkiv/2022/
