Lithological controls on biological activity and groundwater chemistry in Quaternary sediments

Bartlett, Rebecca; Bottrell, Simon H.; Sinclair, Karen; Thornton, Steven F.; Fielding, Ian D.; Hatfield, D.B.

doi:10.1002/hyp.7514

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…However, δ 15 N values are low (−5.0‰ and 6.4‰, respectively) and therefore denitrification appears not to be prevalent. In addition, S and O isotope compositions in agricultural fertilizers and S isotope compositions of animal slurries have been reported by Moncaster et al () and Bartlett et al () (Figure ). Since the groundwater sulfate in the wells was characterized by δ 34 S values of around 5‰ accompanied with moderate SO

_{4}^{2 -}

concentrations of 0.2 to 0.4 mmol/L and elevated NO

_{3}^{-}

concentrations between approximately 0.7 and 1 mmol/L, it is suggested that δ 34 S values in dissolved SO

_{4}^{2 -}

are predominantly affected by animal slurry or chemical S fertilizer‐derived S (Einsiedl, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O₂ Reduction Rates

Wild

Mayer

Einsiedl

2018

Water Resources Research

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Nitrate (NO −3 ) is one of the main pollutants in agriculturally impacted groundwater systems. The availability and reactivity of electron donors control the prevalent redox conditions in aquifers and past nitrate contamination of groundwater can be ameliorated if denitrification occurs. Using aqueous geochemistry data and the stable isotope composition of dissolved nitrate ( 15 N and 18 O), we found that nitrate concentrations above the World Health Organization drinking water guideline were caused predominantly by manure and to a lesser extent by synthetic fertilizer applications and that denitrification was not a significant nitrate removal process in an aquifer in southern Germany underlying agricultural land with intensive hog farming. We also applied environmental isotopes ( 2 H and 18 O, 3 H/ 3 He, and 14 C) linked with a lumped parameter approach to determine apparent mean transit times (MTT) of groundwater that ranged from <5 years to >100 years. Furthermore, we determined low reduction rates of dissolved oxygen (O 2 ) of 0.015 1/year for first-order kinetics. By extrapolating the O 2 reduction rates beyond the apparent MTT ranges of sampled groundwater, denitrification lag times (time prior to commencement of denitrification) of approximately 114 years were determined. This suggests that it will take many decades to significantly reduce nitrate concentrations in the porous aquifer via denitrification, even if future nitrate inputs were significantly reduced.

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_{4}^{2 -}

concentrations of 0.2 to 0.4 mmol/L and elevated NO

_{3}^{-}

concentrations between approximately 0.7 and 1 mmol/L, it is suggested that δ 34 S values in dissolved SO

_{4}^{2 -}

are predominantly affected by animal slurry or chemical S fertilizer‐derived S (Einsiedl, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O₂ Reduction Rates

Wild

Mayer

Einsiedl

2018

Water Resources Research

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“…Hence, another 488 possible indicator of increased groundwater flow may be the abundance of known SRB in Group 489 2 (20%) layers, compared to the scarcity of known SRB in Groups 1 and 3 (<2%). Previous 490 studies have suggested that inhibition of sulfate reduction in finer sediments may be due to pore 491 space exclusion of SRB stemming from smaller sediment grain sizes (Bartlett et al, 2010). 492…”

Section: Mantel Correlation Results For Both Weighted and Unweighted mentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrete Community Assemblages Within Hypersaline Paleolake Sediments of Pilot Valley, Utah

Lynch

Rey

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Hypersaline paleolake sediments are understudied ecosystems whose microbial ecology is largely unknown. Here we present mineralogical, geochemical, and small-subunit 16S rRNA gene sequence data on one such environment, the Pilot Valley Basin (PVB), a sub-basin of ancient Lake Bonneville located in northwest Utah. PVB exhibits a variety of aqueous minerals including phyllosilicates, carbonates, and sulfates, as well as microbially-induced sedimentary structures. As perchlorate occurs naturally (up to 6.5 ppb) in Pilot Valley sediments, and because recent evidence suggests that it is subject to biotic reduction, PVB has been proposed as a Mars analog site for astrobiological studies. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to investigate microbial diversity and community structure along horizontal and vertical transects within the upper basin sediments and beta diversity analyses indicate that the microbial communities in Pilot Valley are structured into three discrete groups. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to the main archaeal phylum, Euryarchaeota, make up ~23% of the sequences, while OTUs belonging to three bacterial phyla, Proteobacteria, Bacteroides and Gemmatimonadetes, constitute ~60-70% of the sequences recovered at all sites. Diversity analyses indicate that the specific composition of each community correlates with sediment grain size, and with biogeochemical parameters such as nitrate and sulfate concentrations. Interestingly, OTUs belonging to the phylum Gemmatimonadetes are co-located with extreme halophilic archaeal and bacterial taxa, which suggests a potential new attribute, halophilicity, of this newly-recognized phylum. Altogether, results of this first comprehensive geomicrobial study of Pilot Valley reveal that basin sediments harbor a complex and diverse ecosystem.

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“…Bartlett et al (2010) studied bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) in shallow sediments, finding that clay-dominated sediments are effectively compacted after they are buried only a few meters deep and that physical constraints imposed fundamental limitations on microbial respiration. Bartlett et al (2010) studied bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) in shallow sediments, finding that clay-dominated sediments are effectively compacted after they are buried only a few meters deep and that physical constraints imposed fundamental limitations on microbial respiration.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithological and diagenetic restrictions on biogenic gas generation in Songliao Basin inferred from grain size distribution and permeability measurement

Feng

Huang

et al. 2015

Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology

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Organically rich immature source rocks occur commonly at shallow burial depths in Songliao Basin, NE China. This has led to the general assumption that there must be a large biogenic gas resource in these organic rich, shallow strata. However, except for a few small gas fields that are generally associated with biodegraded oil, only a small amount of biogenic gas has been discovered. In order to determine the geological factors controlling biogenic gas generation and accumulation, a suite of potential source rock shale samples from burial depth less than 1600 m was analyzed for organic composition, grain size distribution and permeability. The results show that selected samples are organic rich and thermally immature. The grain size analysis shows a mixed distribution of silt and clay with D10 generally below 1.6 µm. The measured permeability values are generally below 1 µd under in situ stress conditions with pore throats that are most likely smaller than that of methanogenic bacteria. Very low permeability and very small pores resulting from compaction and diagenesis restrict bacteria movement and activity, limit nutrient transport, diminish space availability, and lead to a reduced biodiversity. Currently, no microbes can survive in these Cretaceous shales even though the shales never reached geopasturization temperatures and there is sufficient substrate. Biogenic gas generation is inferred to be restricted to near surface strata while elsewhere in this succession methanogenesis has ceased, which significantly reduces the exploration potential for biogenic gas. RésuméLes roches mères immatures riches en matières organiques se retrouvent couramment à faible profondeur dans le bassin de Songliao dans le Nord-Est de la Chine. De ce fait, on présume généralement qu'il doit exister d''importantes ressources de gaz biogéniques dans ces strates peu profondes abondantes en matières organiques. Cependant, à l'exception de quelques champs gazéifères de faible envergure liés généralement à du pétrole en biodégradation, seule une modeste quantité de gaz biogénique y a été découverte. Afin de déterminer les facteurs géologiques qui régissent la production et l'accumulation de gaz biogénique, des échantillons de roches mères potentielles enfouies à moins de 1600 m ont été analysés en vue d'en connaître la composition organique, la granulométrie et la perméabilité. Les résultats montrent que les échantillons de la séquence de shale se révèlent riches en matières organiques et immatures sur le plan thermique. La granulométrie expose un mélange de silt et d'argile avec le D10 affichant une taille inférieure à 1,6µm. Les valeurs de la perméabilité mesurée sont généralement inférieures à 1µd dans des conditions de contraintes in situ avec des pores vraisemblablement plus petits que ceux des bactéries méthanogènes. La perméabilité très faible et de très petits pores résultant de la compaction et de la diagenèse restreignent le mouvement et l'activité des bactéries, limitent le transport des nutriants et diminuent l'espace, ce qu...

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Lithological controls on biological activity and groundwater chemistry in Quaternary sediments

Cited by 25 publications

References 42 publications

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O₂ Reduction Rates

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O₂ Reduction Rates

Discrete Community Assemblages Within Hypersaline Paleolake Sediments of Pilot Valley, Utah

Lithological and diagenetic restrictions on biogenic gas generation in Songliao Basin inferred from grain size distribution and permeability measurement

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Lithological controls on biological activity and groundwater chemistry in Quaternary sediments

Cited by 25 publications

References 42 publications

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O2 Reduction Rates

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O2 Reduction Rates

Discrete Community Assemblages Within Hypersaline Paleolake Sediments of Pilot Valley, Utah

Lithological and diagenetic restrictions on biogenic gas generation in Songliao Basin inferred from grain size distribution and permeability measurement

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Product

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Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O₂ Reduction Rates

Decadal Delays in Groundwater Recovery from Nitrate Contamination Caused by Low O₂ Reduction Rates