Showing papers by "Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology published in 1997"

The ecological significance of exchange processes between rivers and groundwater

Abstract: 1. This review focuses on the connectivity between river and groundwater ecosystems, viewing them as linked components of a hydrological continuum. Ecological processes that maintain the integrity of both systems and those that are mediated by their ecotones are evaluated. 2. The hyporheic zone, as the connecting ecotone, shows diverse gradients. Thus it can be characterized by hydrological, chemical, zoological and metabolic criteria. However, the characteristics of the hyporheic zone tend to vary widely in space and time as well as from system to system. The exact limits are difficult to designate and the construction of static concepts is inadequate for the representation of ecological processes. The hyporheic interstices are functionally a part of both the fluvial and groundwater ecosystems. 3. The permeability of the ecotone depends on the hydraulic conductivity of the sediment layers which, because of their heterogeneity, form many flowpath connections between the stream and the catchment, from the small scale of a single microhabitat to the large scale of an entire alluvial aquifer. Local up- and downwellings are determined by geomorphologic features such as streambed topography, whereas large-scale exchange processes are determined mainly by the geological properties of the catchment. Colmation—clogging of the top layer of the channel sediments—includes all processes leading to a reduction of pore volume, consolidation of the sediment matrix, and decreased permeability of the stream bed. Consequently, colmation can hinder exchange processes between surface water and groundwater. 4. Physicochemical gradients in the interstices result from several processes: (i) hyporheic flow pattern and the different properties of surface and groundwaters; (ii) retention, caused by the filtering effect of pore size and lithologic sorption as well as the transient storage of solutes caused by diminished water velocities; (iii) biogeochemical transformations in conjunction with local residence time. Each physicochemical parameter may develop its own vertical dynamics laterally from the active channel into the banks as well as longitudinally because of geomorphologic changes. 5. The river–groundwater interface can act as a source or sink for dissolved organic matter, depending on the volume and direction of flow, dissolved organic carbon concentrations and biotic activity. Interstitial storage of particulate organic matter is influenced mainly by grain size distribution and by spates involving bedload movement that may import or release matter, depending on the season. After initial transient and abiotic storage, hyporheic organic matter is mobilized and transformed by the biota. Micro-organisms account for over 90% of the community respiration. In subterranean waters most bacteria are attached to surfaces and remain in a biofilm. 6. Hyporheic interstices are functionally significant for phreatic and riverine metazoans because they act as a refuge against adverse conditions. The net flow direction exerts a dominant influence on interstitial colonization, but many other factors also seem to be important in structuring the hyporheos. 7. The hyporheic corridor concept emphasizes connectivity and interactions between subterranean and surface flow on an ecosystem level for floodplain rivers. It is a complementary concept to others which focus on surficial processes in the lateral and longitudinal dimensions. 8. The ecological integrity of groundwater and fluvial systems is often threatened by human activities: (i) by reducing connectivity; (ii) by altering exchange processes; and (iii) by toxic or organic contamination.

Mass transfer limitation of biotransformation: quantifying bioavailability

Abstract: Biotransformation is controlled by the biochemical activity of microorganisms and the mass transfer of a chemical to the microorganisms. A generic mathematical concept for bioavailability is presented taking both factors into account. The combined effect of mass transfer of a substance to the cell and the intrinsic activity of the cell using the substance as primary substrate, is quantified in a bioavailability number (Bn). The concept can easily be extended to secondary substrates. The approach has been applied to explain the observed kinetics of the biotransformation of organic compounds in soil slurries and in percolation columns. The model allowed us to predict threshold concentrations below which no biotransformation is possible. Depending on the environmental system and the chemical involved, predicted threshold concentrations span a range of 11 orders of magnitude from nanograms to grams per liter and match with published experimental data. Mass transferand not the intrinsic microbial activityis in...

Kinetics and pH Dependence of Chromium(VI) Reduction by Iron(II)

Abstract: Iron(II) is one of the most important reductants of chromium(VI), a severe, toxic contaminant of natural waters, sediments, and soils. We studied the reaction kinetics between pH 2 and pH 7.2 with UV−VIS and multicomponent fitting, a method without the interference of added reagents. The reaction rate was minimal around pH 4. A rate increase with decreasing pH below 4 is documented in the literature. However, a pH-dependent kinetic expression for environmentally relevant, higher pH conditions has not been reported yet. For pH 4.4−7.2 (solutions buffered with acetate, MES, and PIPES, initial 10−20 μM Cr(VI) and 30−60 μM Fe(II), I = 0.01 M KCl, 23 ± 3 °C), we derived the following rate law: −d[Cr(VI)]/dt = kobs(pH)[Fe(II)][Cr(VI)], with kobs = (0.34 ± 0.47) M-1 s-1 + (3.29 ± 0.66) × 109 M-2 s-1 [OH-] + (4.82 ± 1.53) × 1016 M-3 s-1 [OH-]2 (standard deviations), where Cr(VI) to Cr(V) is the rate-determining step. The equivalent expression −d[Cr(VI)]/dt = (k1[Fe2+] + k2[FeOH+] + k3[Fe(OH)20])[Cr(VI)], with k1...

Mass transfer limitation of microbial growth and pollutant degradation

Abstract: Organic pollutants in soil can be removed by biotechnological treatment. A limitation of this technology is the efficiency of biodegradation. In many cases, the bulk of the pollution can be removed but residual pollutants remain and biodegradation rates are slower than expected from laboratory trials. Low biodegradation rates are often a result of limited accessibility of the pollutants. Major reasons for the reduced bioavailability are the unequal spatial distribution of microorganisms and pollutants and the retardation of substrate diffusion by the soil matrix. Mechanical mixing and the addition of surfactants are possible approaches to improve the bioavailability of pollutants during bioremediation. The application of flow-stop-flow techniques may be of help to overcome the limitations resulting from advective-diffusive transport mechanisms during pump-and-treat remediation of contaminant plumes.

Iron(III) Catalyzed Photochemical Reduction of Chromium(VI) by Oxalate and Citrate in Aqueous Solutions

Abstract: Cr(VI) reduction in soil solution, wastewater, and natural waters is poorly understood in complex systems containing Fe(II,III) and dissolved organic C, especially when influenced by sunlight. The Fe(II,III)-mediated photochemical reduction of Cr(VI) was investigated in a laboratory study with 5−200 μM Cr(VI), 25−1300 μM oxalate or citrate, 0.13−6.7 μM Fe(III), 10 mM KCl, pH 3−7, and a xenon light source (720 W/m2 between 300 and 800 nm) at 25 °C. In situ UV−VIS multicomponent analysis avoided addition of interfering reagents. At higher [Cr(VI)], photochemical Cr(VI) reduction was zero order in [Cr], with quantum yields [relative to light absorption by Fe(III)−oxalate] of up to 0.53. Over 95% Cr(VI) reduction was observed within 20−40 min in 5-cm cells. At lower [Cr(VI)], the reaction order became complex due to slow reaction of Fe(II) with Cr(VI) compared to photochemical Fe(II) production. The thermal reaction of Cr(VI) with Fe(II) at pH 5 was measured and described by −d[Cr(VI)]/dt = 1.2 (±0.3) × 107 M...

Break-up Dates of Alpine Lakes As Proxy Data for Local and Regional Mean Surface Air Temperatures

Abstract: The calendar date of ice break-up on Lej da San Murezzan, a high-altitude (1768 m a.s.l.) lake in the Swiss Alps, has been recorded uninterruptedly since 1832. Based on this record and on shorter, interrupted records from two neighbouring lakes, the potential use of the timing of spring break-up as a proxy for local and regional surface air temperatures in the European Alpine region is investigated. Lej da San Murezzan exhibits an overall trend to earlier thawing (7.6 days per century) comparable to that of lakes in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Part of this trend may be due to shifts in mean break-up date around 1857 and 1932. The timing of break-up on all three lakes is strongly related to local and regional surface air temperatures centred on the middle of April and integrated over 4-8 weeks. Three empirical methods of relating break-up date to local air temperature yielded essentially the same proportion of shared variance (about 64%). Comparisons of break-up dates with surface air temperature data from Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom suggest that the thawing of Alpine lakes is determined to a large extent by synoptic-scale meteorological processes. The timing of break-up on Lej da San Murezzan also tends to follow an index of global explosive volcanism with a time lag of about two years, volcanically quiescent periods being associated with early break-up, and volcanically active periods with late break-up. This suggests that modulation of incident radiation by stratospheric aerosols of volcanic origin may significantly affect the timing of break-up of high-altitude lakes.

Contaminated environments in the subsurface and bioremediation: organic contaminants

Abstract: Due to leakages, spills, improper disposal and accidents during transport, organic compounds have become subsurface contaminants that threaten important drinking water resources. One strategy to remediate such polluted subsurface environments is to make use of the degradative capacity of bacteria. It is often sufficient to supply the subsurface with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and aerobic treatments are still dominating. However, anaerobic processes have advantages such as low biomass production and good electron acceptor availability, and they are sometimes the only possible solution. This review will focus on three important groups of environmental organic contaminants: hydrocarbons, chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds. Whereas hydrocarbons are oxidized and completely mineralized under anaerobic conditions in the presence of electron acceptors such as nitrate, iron, sulfate and carbon dioxide, chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds are reductively transformed. For the aerobic often persistent polychlorinated compounds, reductive dechlorination leads to harmless products or to compounds that are aerobically degradable. The nitroaromatic compounds are first reductively transformed to the corresponding amines and can subsequently be bound to the humic fraction in an aerobic process. Such new findings and developments give hope that in the near future contaminated aquifers can efficiently be remediated, a prerequisite for a sustainable use of the precious subsurface drinking water resources.

δ18o and Trace Element Measurements as Proxy for the Reconstruction of Climate Changes at Lake Van (Turkey): Preliminary Results

Abstract: The sediments of Lake Van, the fourth largest terminal lake on earth, located at the eastern end of the Taurus Mountain Range show an undisturbed continuous record of chemically precipitated carbonate varves, which provide:

Solute transfer across the sediment surface of a eutrophic lake: I. Porewater profiles from dialysis samplers

Abstract: Porewater profiles often are used to identify and quantify important biogeochemical processes occurring in lake sediments. In this study, multiple porewater profiles were obtained from two eutrophic Swiss lakes using porewater equilibrators (peepers) in order to examine spatial and seasonal trends in biogeochemical processes. Variability in profile shapes and concentrations was small on spatial scales of a few meters, but the uncertainty in calculated diffusive fluxes across the sediment surface was, on average, 35%. Focusing of Fe and Mn oxides toward the lake center resulted in systematic increases in porewater concentrations and diffusive fluxes of Fe2+ and Mn2+ with increasing water depth; these fluxes are postulated to be regulated by the pH-dependent dissolution of reduced-metal phases. Despite higher concentrations of inorganic carbon, NH 4 + , Si and P in pelagic compared to littoral sites, diffusive fluxes of these substances across the sediment surface increased only slightly or not at all with increasing water depth. Porewater profiles did reveal temporal changes in Fe2+, Mn2+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ that were an indirect result of the large, seasonal changes in seston deposition, but no clear seasonal variations were found in diffusive fluxes of nutrients across the sediment surface. The intense mineralization occurring at the sediment surface was not reflected in the porewater profiles nor in the calculated diffusive fluxes. Calculated diffusive fluxes across the sediment surface resulted from decomposition occurring primarily in the top 5–7 cm of sediment. Diffusive fluxes from this subsurface mineralization were equal to the solute release from mineralization occurring at the sediment-water interface. Buried organic matter acts as a memory of previous lake conditons; it will require at least a decade before reductions in nutrient inputs to lakes fully reduce the diffusive fluxes into the lake from the buried reservoir of organic matter.

Adsorption and uptake of copper by the green alga scenedesmus subspicatus (chlorophyta)1

Abstract: Copper (II) accumulation has been investigated in the green alga Scenedesmus subspicatus G. Brinkmann considering both adsorption and uptake kinetics. Experiments were conducted in a Cu- and PH-buffered medium at different free Cu2+ concentrations that were neither growth limiting nor toxic. We distinguished between adsorption on the cell surface and intracellular uptake by extracting copper from the cells with EDTA. Data from short-term experiments were compared with data obtained from experiments under steady state conditions. The accumulation of Cu can be described by two processes, an initial fast adsorption occurring within a minute followed by a slower intracellular uptake. Metal uptake followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and is mediated by two systems, one with low and the other with high affinity. The maximum uptake rates (1.30 × 10−-10 mol·[g dry wt algae]−1· min−1, 3.67 × 10−-9 mol·[g dry wt algae]−1·min−1), and the half-saturation constants (6.84 × 10−-14 M, 2.82 × 10−-12 M) for the two uptake systems were determined using the Lineweaver-Burk plot. The calculated maximum concentration of binding sites on the surface of the algae is initially higher (9.0 × 10−-6 mol Cu.[g dry wt algae]−1) than under steady state conditions (2.9 × 10−-6 mol Cu·[g dry wt algae]−1). This suggests that the initial binding to the algal surface comprises the binding to specific transport ligands as well as to inert adsorption sites. The conditional stability constant of the Cu binding to surface ligands was calculated as log KCu= 11.0 at pH 7.9. This freshwater alga has a high ability to accumulate Cu, reflecting its adaptation to the bioavailable concentration of copper.

Microzonation of the city of Basel

Abstract: During the past centuries, the city of Basel has suffered damage caused by earthquakes. One extraordinary event described in historical documents is the strong earthquake which occurred in 1356. The 1356 event, one of the strongest earthquakes in northwest-Europe, was obviously much stronger than the low-magnitude earthquakes observed in the area during this century. Even though the present seismicity in the Basel area is low, strong earthquakes have to be expected due to the city's geographical location close to the northern boundary of the African-European convergence zone, at the southern end of the Rhinegraben. A crucial step towards preparedness for future events and mitigation of earthquake risk involves a microzonation study of the city. The study is carried out in three steps: (1) a detailed mapping of the geology and geotechnical properties of the area, (2) measurement, interpretation and modelling of ambient noise data, and (3) numerical modelling of expected ground motions during earthquakes. A qualitative microzonation of the centre of Basel is presented, and it is discussed by comparing it to the historically reported damage of the 1356 earthquake.

Electrokinetic Potential of Bacterial Cells

Abstract: Microelectrophoresis studies are of relevance in the characterization of the electrical double layer of bacterial cell surfaces. In order to interpret the electrophoretic mobility in terms of the ζ-potential, the classical Helmholtz−Smoluchowski equation is regularly used. However, this equation has been derived under several more or less restrictive conditions, which are easily violated by complex colloidal systems, such as bacterial cell suspensions. In recent theories as derived by Dukhin, O'Brien, and Fixman, the effect of double layer polarization on the electrophoretic mobility of colloidal particles is accounted for. These theories predict that, at high surface charge densities, the electrophoretic mobility may be strongly retarded compared to the Helmholtz−Smoluchowski equation. In this paper the effect of the mobile charge in the bacterial wall on the electrophoretic mobility is considered. For this purpose a comprehensive equation for the electrophoretic mobility has been derived, which also inc...

Evolution of novel metabolic pathways for the degradation of chloroaromatic compounds

Abstract: Chlorobenzenes are substrates not easily metabolized by existing bacteria in the environment. Specific strains, however, have been isolated from polluted environments or in laboratory selection procedures that use chlorobenzenes as their sole carbon and energy source. Genetic analysis indicated that these bacteria have acquired a novel combination of previously existing genes. One of these gene clusters contains the genes for an aromatic ring dioxy-genase and a dihydrodiol dehydrogenase. The other contains the genes for a chlorocatechol oxidative pathway. Comparison of such gene clusters with those from other aromatics degrading bacteria reveals that this process of recombining or assembly of existing genetic material must have occurred in many of them. Similarities of gene functions between pathways suggest that incorporation of existing genetic material has been the most important mechanism of expanding a metabolic pathway. Only in a few cases a horizontal expansion, that is acqui sition of gene functions to accomodate a wider range of substrates which are then all transformed in one central pathway, is observed on the genetic level. Evidence is presented indicating that the assembly process may trigger a faster divergence of nearby gene sequences. Further ‘fine-tuning’, for example by developing a proper regulation, is then the next step in the adaptation.

Sources and sinks of nitrous oxide (N2O) in deep lakes

Abstract: As reported from marine systems, we found that also in15 prealpine lakes N2O concentrations werestrongly correlated with O2 concentrations. Inoxic waters below the mixed surface layer, N2Oconcentrations usually increased with decreasingO2 concentrations. N2O is produced in oxicepilimnia, in oxic hypolimnia and at oxic-anoxicboundaries, either in the water or at the sediment-waterinterface. It is consumed, however, incompletely anoxic layers. Anoxic water layers weretherefore N2O undersaturated. All studied lakeswere sources for atmospheric N2O, including thosewith anoxic, N2O undersaturated hypolimnia.However, compared to agriculture, lakes seem not tocontribute significantly to atmospheric N2Oemissions.

Varve formation since 1885 and high-resolution varve analyses in hypertrophic Baldeggersee (Switzerland)

Abstract: According to their microstratigraphical composition the laminated sediments of Baldeggersee are true varves. Two varve time-series from freeze cores taken in the deepest part (66 m) of Baldeggersee have been analysed for annual and seasonal layers. The varve time-series covers the period of 1885 to 1993. The two freeze-cores from Baldeggersee can be accurately correlated by means of distinct layers (e.g. marker varves, turbidites), lithological units, and varve measurements. The Baldeggersee varve chronology has been checked by independent high-resolution 137 Cs dating. Mobility of cesium has not been detected in Baldeggersee. A highly positive correlation between phosphorus concentration in the lake water and median grain size of calcite crystals has been observed and allows, together with the results of geochemical analyses, to hindcast the trophic state in Baldeggersee for periods where no limnological data are available. The main features of the Baldeggersee varve time-series can be summarized as follows: before 1885 there are packets of 5 ‐ 10 varves interrupted by massive, homogeneous marl beds, indicating oscillating hypolimnetic oxygen levels until the lake ultimately became anoxic in 1885. Between 1885 and 1905 varves are thin, with a high carbonate content. Between 1905 and 1910 the thickness of varves increased steadily, and an increase in calcite grain size suggests a major step in eutrophication. Median grain size values increase again at the end of the 1940s, whereas the thickness of the seasonal layers decreased between the early 1940s and the early 1960s. At the onset of the 1960s, during the time of highest epilimnetic phosphorus concentrations in Baldeggersee, the total phosphorus concentrations in the sediments as well as the varve thickness and the total accumulation rates all increased. At the beginning of the 1980s the median grain size decreased substantially as a result of lower phosphorus concentrations in Baldeggersee.

Nitrogen elimination in two deep eutrophic lakes

Abstract: Nitrogen elimination was investigated in two eutrophic Swiss lakes with different hypolimnetic oxygen conditions. Nitrogen burial was estimated from sediment-trap and sediment-core studies. Denitrification and NO, --ammonification rates were quantified with IsNO,- and acetylene incubation experiment! and whole-lake mass balances. The study confirmed earlier reports that the acetylene-block technique yields denitrification rates that are systematically too low. Denitrification rates obtained from isotope tracer experiments were compatible with nitrogen consumption rates observed in flux chamber experiments and whole-lake mass balances. The NO,--ammonification contributed <5% to the NO,- consumption rate in Lake Baldegg. Coupled nitrification-denitrification seemed to be insignificant at the deepest station of Lake Baldegg. The comparison of in situ denitrification rates measured at the deepest site (4.3 mmol m-* d-l) with the denitrification rate obtained from whole-lake mass balances (6.1 mmol rnd2 d-l) indicates that enhanced denitrification may be present in shallower sediments with a better supply of 0,. Mass transfer coefficients for NO,- were similar in both lakes (21.7 and 21.4 m yr- ). The NO,- concentration seems to

The separation of the influence of nutrients and climate on the varve time-series of Baldeggersee, Switzerland

Abstract: The varve data-set from a freeze-core taken in the deepest part of Baldeggersee was subjected to different multivariate statistical analyses in order to estimate the amount of variance in the varve thickness measures explicable by past climate and by the trophic state of the lake. A comparison of two different time-periods (1902 to1992 versus 1920 to 1980) revealed that the lake restoration programme since 1982 has had a significant impact on the formation of the seasonal layers. Results of the partitioning of the variance in the varve thickness measures showed that about two thirds of the variance are unexplained by a climate and trophic state model and that trophic state explains 6%, whereas climate accounts for about 28% of the variance before the effect of lake restoration had a strong impact on the varves. Among the climate parameters the amount of annual precipitation is a strong predictor for explaining the thickness of both dark layer and total couplet thickness, whereas summer precipitation is important for the thickness of the light layer.

Involvement of two alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases in enantioselective degradation of (R)- and (S)-mecoprop by Sphingomonas herbicidovorans MH.

Abstract: Cell extracts of Sphingomonas herbicidovorans MH grown on (R)-mecoprop contained an enzyme activity that selectively converted (R)-mecoprop to 4-chloro-2-methylphenol, whereas extracts of cells grown on (S)-mecoprop contained an enzyme activity selective for the S enantiomer. Both reactions were dependent on alpha-ketoglutarate and ferrous ions. Besides 4-chloro-2-methylphenol, pyruvate and succinate were detected as products of the reactions. Labeling experiments with (18)O2 revealed that both enzyme activities catalyzed a dioxygenation reaction. One of the oxygen atoms of pyruvate and one of the oxygen atoms of succinate were derived from molecular oxygen. Analysis of cell extracts obtained from cells grown on different substrates by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that growth on (R)-mecoprop and (S)-mecoprop caused the appearance of prominent protein bands at 34 and 32 kDa, respectively. Both protein bands were present when cells grew on the racemic mixture. The results demonstrate that S. herbicidovorans initiated the degradation of each enantiomer of mecoprop by a specific alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase. By comparing conversion rates of various phenoxy herbicides, we confirmed that the two enzyme activities were distinct from that of TfdA, which catalyzes the first step in the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in Ralstonia eutropha JMP134.