Identification of Natural and Anthropogenic Geochemical Processes Determining the Groundwater Quality in Port del Comte High Mountain Karst Aquifer (SE, Pyrenees)

The Port del Comte Massif (SE, Pyrenees) contains one of the most important vulnerable and strategic karst aquifers for supplying freshwater to the city of Barcelona (Spain). It is a fragile system, whose possible environmental impact is highly conditioned by land use. To improve the hydrogeological knowledge of the system, between September 2013 and October 2015, a detailed fieldwork was carried out for the revision of the geological model, the inventory of water points, and the in situ physico-chemical characterization on major elements and isotopes of up to a total of 43 springs, as well as precipitation water. This paper focuses on the characterization of the geochemical processes that allow explanation of the observed chemical variability of groundwater drained by the pristine aquifer system to determine the origin of salinity. The results show that the main process is the dissolution of calcite and dolomite, followed by gypsum and halite, and a minor cation exchange-like process. Sulfur and oxygen isotopes from dissolved sulfate in the studied springs point out a geogenic origin related to the dissolution of gypsum from Triassic and Tertiary materials, and that the contribution from anthropogenic sources, like fertilizers, is lower. Nitrate in groundwater is not an important issue, with a few localized cases related with agricultural activities. The multidisciplinary approach has allowed the development of a consistent hydrogeological conceptual model of the functioning of the aquifer system, which can be replicated in other places to understand the geogenic character of the hydrogeochemistry.

Development of a Numerical Multi-Layered Groundwater Model to Simulate Inter-Aquifer Water Exchange in Shelby County, Tennessee

Inter-aquifer water exchange between the shallow and Memphis aquifers in Shelby County, Tennessee may pose a contamination threat due to the downward migration of younger, poor quality groundwater into deeper, more pristine aquifer. Discontinuities (breaches) in the upper Claiborne confining unit (UCCU) allow for leakage into the Memphis aquifer, a sand-dominated aquifer that provides about 95% of the groundwater used in the Memphis area. This study created a multi-layered 3D groundwater model for Shelby County using the United States Geological Survey’s MODFLOW-NWT program to evaluate water exchange for a simulation period from January 2005 to December 2016. Results indicate an overall leakage through the UCCU of 61 m3/min into the Memphis aquifer in Shelby County, accounting for 10% of its water budget inflow, with localized areas experiencing as much as 20% water exchange. As young water tends to stay in the upper part of the Memphis aquifer, water budget assessment for the upper 60 m of the Memphis aquifer revealed leakage representing 29% of the zone inflow, and as much as 53% in certain areas. More localized studies must be conducted to understand the location, characteristics, and orientation of the confining unit breaches, as well as the inter-aquifer water exchange.

Temperature management potentially affects carbon mineralization capacity and microbial community composition of a shallow aquifer

High-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) is a promising technique to reduce the CO2 footprint of heat supply in the frame of transitioning to renewable energies. However, HT-ATES causes temperature fluctuations in groundwater ecosystems potentially affecting important microbial-mediated ecosystem services. Hence, assessing the impact of increasing temperatures on the structure and functioning of aquifer microbiomes is crucial to evaluate potential environmental risks associated with HT-ATES. In this study, we investigated the effects of temperature variations (12–80°C) on microbial communities and their capacity to mineralize acetate in aerobically incubated sediments sampled from a pristine aquifer. Compared to natural conditions (12°C), increased acetate mineralization rates were observed at 25°C, 37°C and 45°C, whereas mineralization was decelerated at 60°C and absent at 80°C. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed that the bacterial diversity in acetate-amended and non-acetate-amended sediments decreased with rising temperatures. Distinct communities dominated by bacterial groups affiliated with meso- and thermophilic bacteria established at 45°C and 60°C, respectively, while the number of archaeal phylotypes decreased. The changes in microbial diversity observed at 45°C and 60°C indicate an increasing loss of ecosystem functioning, functional redundancy, and resilience, at higher temperatures, whereas 80°C results in a collapse of the ecosystem integrity.

Bdellovibrio sp. – A Predator under Groundwater Conditions? A Short Communication

The role of Bdellovibrio sp. in affecting the development of gram-negative bacteria under natural conditions is not yet completely understood. In our investigations, no predatory activity was observed in groundwater samples from a deep pristine aquifer. As limiting factors, temperature and pH may play a role. Their respective ambient values were T=10° C and pH 6.07. In laboratory experiments using a collection strain of B.bacteriovorus and a wild type from sewage, appreciable numbers of plaques appeared at a minimum temperature of 18° C. The optimum temperature at which more than 100 plaques were pounted was 26° C and 30° C. At pH values lower than 6 no plaques were formed but more than 100 were observed at pH 7, 8 and 9. From the individual plaques, different growth stages of Bdellovibrio sp. have been identified using a transmission electron microscope.