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Becher Quinodoz F, Cabrera A, Blarasin M, Matteoda E, Pascuini M, Prámparo S, Boumaiza L, Matiatos I, Schroeter G, Lutri V, Giacobone D. Chemical and isotopic tracers combined with mixing models for tracking nitrate contamination in the Pampa de Pocho aquifer, Argentina. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 259:119571. [PMID: 38972344 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, it has become evident that human activities have significantly disrupted the nitrogen cycle surpassing acceptable environmental thresholds. In this study, chemical and isotopic tracers were combined with a mathematical mass balance model (EMMA), PHREEQC inverse mixing model, and statistical analyses to evaluate groundwater quality, across an area experiencing substantial human activities, with a specific focus on tracing the origin of nitrate (NO3-) with potential water mixing processes. This multi-technique approach was applied to an unconfined aquifer underlying an agricultural area setting in an inter-mountain depression (i.e., the "Pampa de Pocho Plain" in Argentina). Here, the primary identified geochemical processes occurring in the investigated groundwater system include the dissolution of carbonate salts, cation exchange, and hydrolysis of alumino-silicates along with incorporating ions from precipitation. It was observed that the chemistry of groundwater, predominantly of sodium bicarbonate with sulfate water types, is controlled by the area's geology, recharge from precipitation, and stream water infiltration originating from the surrounding hills. Chemical results reveal that 60% of groundwater samples have NO3- concentrations exceeding the regional natural background level, confirming the impact of human activities on groundwater quality. The dual plot of δ15NNO3 versus δ18ONO3 values indicates that groundwater is affected by NO3- sources overlapping manure/sewage with organic-rich soil. The mathematical EMMA model and PHREEQC inverse modeling, suggest organic-rich soil as an important source of nitrogen in the aquifer. Here, 64 % of samples exhibit a main mixture of organic-rich soil with manure, whereas 36 % of samples are affected mainly by a mixture of manure and fertilizer. This study demonstrates the utility of combining isotope tracers with mathematical modeling and statistical analyses for a better understanding of groundwater quality deterioration in situations where isotopic signatures of contamination sources overlap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Becher Quinodoz
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina; National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Adriana Cabrera
- National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Monica Blarasin
- National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Edel Matteoda
- National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Miguel Pascuini
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina; National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Santiago Prámparo
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina; National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Lamine Boumaiza
- University of Waterloo, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Waterloo, Ontario, N2T 0A4, Canada
| | - Ioannis Matiatos
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 Km of Athens-Sounio Ave., 19013, Anavissos Attikis, Greece
| | - Germán Schroeter
- National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Verónica Lutri
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina; National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Daniela Giacobone
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina; National University of Río Cuarto, Department of Geology, National Route 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
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Kypritidou Z, Kelepertzis E, Kritikos I, Kapaj E, Skoulika I, Kostakis M, Vassilakis E, Karavoltsos S, Boeckx P, Matiatos I. Geochemistry and origin of inorganic contaminants in soil, river sediment and surface water in a heavily urbanized river basin. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 927:172250. [PMID: 38599404 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the geochemistry and contamination of rivers affected by anthropogenic activities is paramount to water resources management. The Asopos river basin in central Greece is facing environmental quality deterioration threats due to industrial, urban and agricultural activities. Here, the geochemistry of river sediments and adjacent soil in terms of major and trace elements (Al, Ca, Mg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) and the geochemical composition of surface water in terms of major ions, trace elements and nutrients along the Asopos river basin were determined. In addition, this study characterized potential nitrate sources through the analysis of stable isotope composition of NO3- (δ15Ν-ΝΟ3- and δ18Ο-ΝΟ3-). Results indicated that specific chemical constituents including nutrients (NO2-, NH4+, PO43-) and major ions (Na+, Cl-) were highest in the urban, industrialized and downstream areas. On the other hand, nitrate (NO3-) concentration in river water (median 7.9 mg/L) showed a decreasing trend from the upstream agricultural sites to the urban area and even more in the downstream of the urban area sites. Ionic ratios (NO3-/Cl-) and δ15Ν-ΝΟ3- values (range from +10.2 ‰ to +15.7 ‰), complemented with a Bayesian isotope mixing model, clearly showed the influence of organic wastes from septic systems and industries operating in the urban area on river nitrate geochemistry. The interpretation of geochemical data of soil and river sediment samples demonstrated the strong influence of local geology on Cr, Fe, Mn and Ni content, with isolated samples showing elevated concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, mostly within the industrialized urban environment. The calculation of enrichment factors based on the national background concentrations provided limited insights into the origin of geogenic metals. Overall, this study highlighted the need for a more holistic approach to assess the impact of the geological background and anthropogenic activities on river waters and sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zacharenia Kypritidou
- Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Efstratios Kelepertzis
- Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece.
| | - Ioannis Kritikos
- Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Emanuela Kapaj
- Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Iro Skoulika
- Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Marios Kostakis
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 157 84 Athens, Greece
| | - Emmanuel Vassilakis
- Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Sotirios Karavoltsos
- Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zographou, 157 84 Athens, Greece
| | - Pascal Boeckx
- Isotope Bioscience Laboratory-ISOFYS, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Ioannis Matiatos
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 km of Athens-Sounio Ave., 19013 Anavissos, Attikis, Greece
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Choudhury R, Nath B, Rahman MM, Medhi S, Dutta J. Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater contamination in Guwahati city, Assam, India: Tracing the elemental Threads. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 359:120933. [PMID: 38696848 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Groundwater serves as an important resource for drinking and agriculture in many countries, including India. Assessing the quality of groundwater is essential for understanding its chemical characteristics and suitability for consumption. This study aims to explore the factors affecting the hydrogeochemical changes in groundwater within Guwahati City, Assam, India. Groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for major and trace elements, as well as anion concentrations. Concentrations of As, Al, Ba, Cu, F-, Fe, Mn, and Pb exceeded the permissible limits set by both World Health Organization (WHO) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), indicating serious health concerns for the local inhabitants. The distribution pattern of trace elements exceeding the guideline values is intricate, suggesting widespread contamination of groundwater throughout the study area. The Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) and Water Quality Index (WQI) revealed that, except for the central zone, groundwater across the entire study area requires intervention. Piper plot illustrated that the groundwater is predominantly of Ca-HCO3 type, indicating the dominance of alkaline earth and weak acids. Groundwater hydrogeochemistry is mainly controlled by rock-water interaction and evolves through silicate weathering, carbonate weathering, and cation exchange processes. Multivariate statistical analysis identified distinct groups of groundwater based on chemical characteristics, emphasizing the role of both natural processes and anthropogenic activities in influencing groundwater quality. Regular monitoring, management, and intervention of groundwater sources throughout the study area are crucial for long-term use. The findings of this study will assist stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers in formulating strategies for the sustainable use of groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runti Choudhury
- Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam, India.
| | - Bibhash Nath
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Hunter College of the City University of New York, NY 10021, USA; GIS Division, New York City Department of Emergency Management, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
| | - Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Smitakshi Medhi
- Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam, India
| | - Jayashri Dutta
- Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam, India
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Zhu Z, Ding J, Du R, Zhang Z, Guo J, Li X, Jiang L, Chen G, Bu Q, Tang N, Lu L, Gao X, Li W, Li S, Zeng G, Liang J. Systematic tracking of nitrogen sources in complex river catchments: Machine learning approach based on microbial metagenomics. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 253:121255. [PMID: 38341971 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Tracking nitrogen pollution sources is crucial for the effective management of water quality; however, it is a challenging task due to the complex contaminative scenarios in the freshwater systems. The contaminative pattern variations can induce quick responses of aquatic microorganisms, making them sensitive indicators of pollution origins. In this study, the soil and water assessment tool, accompanied by a detailed pollution source database, was used to detect the main nitrogen pollution sources in each sub-basin of the Liuyang River watershed. Thus, each sub-basin was assigned to a known class according to SWAT outputs, including point source pollution-dominated area, crop cultivation pollution-dominated area, and the septic tank pollution-dominated area. Based on these outputs, the random forest (RF) model was developed to predict the main pollution sources from different river ecosystems using a series of input variable groups (e.g., natural macroscopic characteristics, river physicochemical properties, 16S rRNA microbial taxonomic composition, microbial metagenomic data containing taxonomic and functional information, and their combination). The accuracy and the Kappa coefficient were used as the performance metrics for the RF model. Compared with the prediction performance among all the input variable groups, the prediction performance of the RF model was significantly improved using metagenomic indices as inputs. Among the metagenomic data-based models, the combination of the taxonomic information with functional information of all the species achieved the highest accuracy (0.84) and increased median Kappa coefficient (0.70). Feature importance analysis was used to identify key features that could serve as indicators for sudden pollution accidents and contribute to the overall function of the river system. The bacteria Rhabdochromatium marinum, Frankia, Actinomycetia, and Competibacteraceae were the most important species, whose mean decrease Gini indices were 0.0023, 0.0021, 0.0019, and 0.0018, respectively, although their relative abundances ranged only from 0.0004 to 0.1 %. Among the top 30 important variables, functional variables constituted more than half, demonstrating the remarkable variation in the microbial functions among sites with distinct pollution sources and the key role of functionality in predicting pollution sources. Many functional indicators related to the metabolism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, such as K24693, K25621, K16048, and K14952, emerged as significant important factors in distinguishing nitrogen pollution origins. With the shortage of pollution source data in developing regions, this suggested approach offers an economical, quick, and accurate solution to locate the origins of water nitrogen pollution using the metagenomic data of microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqian Zhu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Junjie Ding
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Ran Du
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Zehua Zhang
- Center for Economics, Finance, and Management Studies, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Jiayin Guo
- School of Resources and Environment, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, PR China
| | - Xiaodong Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Longbo Jiang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Gaojie Chen
- School of Mathematics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Qiurong Bu
- National Engineering Research Centre of Advanced Technologies and Equipment for Water Environmental Pollution Monitoring, Changsha 410205, PR China
| | - Ning Tang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Lan Lu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Xiang Gao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Weixiang Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Shuai Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Guangming Zeng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Jie Liang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
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