Microbial quality of surface water and subsurface soil after wildfire

Valenca, Renan; Ramnath, Kavita; Dittrich, Timothy M.; Taylor, Robert E.; Mohanty, Sanjay K.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2020.115672

Cited by 19 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It has been shown that sediments provide nutrients and protection from ultraviolet radiation, temperature fluctuations, and predation 54 – 59 . However, it is unclear whether burned sediments can affect the survival of FIB in marine waters 32 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Turbidity and fecal indicator bacteria in recreational marine waters increase following the 2018 Woolsey Fire

Cira

Bafna

Lee

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wildfires increase runoff and sediment yields that impact downstream ecosystems. While the effects of wildfire on stream water quality are well documented, oceanic responses to wildfire remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated oceanic responses to the 2018 Woolsey Fire using satellite remote sensing and in situ data analyses. We examined 2016–2020 turbidity plume (n = 192) and 2008–2020 fecal indicator bacteria (FIB, n = 15,015) measurements at variable proximity to the Woolsey Fire. Shifts in coastal water quality were more pronounced in the “inside” region, which drained the burn area. The inside region experienced 2018–2019 plume surface area monthly means that were 10 and 9 times greater than 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 monthly means, respectively. Further, linear regressions showed that 2018–2019 three-day precipitation totals produced plumes of greater surface area. We also noted statistically significant increases in the inside region in 2018–2019 total coliform and Enterococcus monthly means that were 9 and 53 times greater than 2008–2018 monthly means, respectively. These results indicate that sediment and microbial inputs to coastal ecosystems can increase substantially post-wildfire at levels relevant to public and environmental health, and underscore the benefit of considering remote sensing and in situ measurements for water quality monitoring.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, elevated turbidity levels in stream waters post-wildfire are well documented 23 – 31 . However, wildfire impacts on microbial water quality remain elusive 32 . Most notably, water quality responses to wildfire in receiving oceans have been overlooked 33 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turbidity and fecal indicator bacteria in recreational marine waters increase following the 2018 Woolsey Fire

Cira

Bafna

Lee

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These elevated values decreased slowly with subsequent rainfall/runoff events. Considering the change in the DOM composition, these observations indicate that wildfires can consume much of the terrestrial DOM sources, and enhanced microbial activity from residuals may generate lower MW of DOM in the burned watersheds (Revchuk and Suffet, 2014;Tsai et al, 2017;Valenca et al, 2020;. In addition, the newly formed DOM is likely more mobile, resulting in its rapid flushing from the watershed.…”

Section: Fire Affects the Nitrogen Cyclementioning

confidence: 98%

Two years of post-wildfire impacts on dissolved organic matter, nitrogen, and precursors of disinfection by-products in California stream waters

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated the effects of two California wildfires (Rocky and Wragg Fires, 2015) compared to an unburned reference watershed on water quality, dissolved organic matter (DOM), and precursors of disinfection by-products (DBPs) for two years' post-fire. The two burned watersheds both experienced wildfires but differed in the proportion of burned watershed areas. Burned watersheds showed rapid water quality degradation from elevated levels of turbidity, color, and suspended solids, with greater degradation in the more extensively burned watershed. During the first year's initial flushes, concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), ammonium (NH 4 þ /NH 3), and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA 254) were significantly higher (67 ± 40%, 418 ± 125%, 192 ± 120%, and 31 ± 17%, respectively) in the more extensively burned watershed compared to the reference watershed. These elevated values gradually declined and finally returned to levels like the reference watershed in the second year. Nitrate concentrations were near detection limits (0.01 mg-N/L) in the first year but showed a large increase in fire-impacted streams during the second rainy season, possibly due to delayed nitrification. Changes in DOM composition, especially during the initial storm events, indicated that fires can attenuate humic-like and soluble microbial by-product-like (SMP) DOM while increasing the proportion of fulvic-like, tryptophan-like, and tyrosine-like compounds. Elevated bromide (Br À) concentrations (up to 8.7 mM]) caused a shift in speciation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) to brominated species for extended periods (up to 2 years). Wildfire also resulted in elevated concentrations of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursors. Such changes in THM, HAA, and NDMA precursors following wildfires pose a potential treatability challenge for drinking water treatment, but the effects are relatively short-term (1 year).

show abstract

“…Limited information exists about post-wildre water quality response, in particular, with most studies primarily focusing on DOM, nutrients, and metals-leaving the responses of microbial constituents and anthropogenic contaminants largely unknown. 23 Laboratory-and plot-scale simulation experiments which replicate burning and combustion mechanisms present in natural wildres, as well as raindrop kinetic energies and leaching effects similar to post-wildre precipitation, offer an alternative analytical technique for estimating wildre effects on water quality and supply. 2,7,[24][25][26][27][28] Hereaer, these two types of simulation experiments will be referred to as wildre and rainfall simulators, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Limited information exists about post-wildfire water quality response, in particular, with most studies primarily focusing on DOM, nutrients, and metals—leaving the responses of microbial constituents and anthropogenic contaminants largely unknown. 23…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of simulation experiment techniques used to analyze wildfire effects on water quality and supply

Brucker

Livneh

Minear

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Microbial quality of surface water and subsurface soil after wildfire

Cited by 19 publications

References 47 publications

Turbidity and fecal indicator bacteria in recreational marine waters increase following the 2018 Woolsey Fire

Turbidity and fecal indicator bacteria in recreational marine waters increase following the 2018 Woolsey Fire

Two years of post-wildfire impacts on dissolved organic matter, nitrogen, and precursors of disinfection by-products in California stream waters

A review of simulation experiment techniques used to analyze wildfire effects on water quality and supply

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About