Evaluation of riverbed magnetic susceptibility for mapping biogeochemical hot spots in groundwater‐impacted rivers

Wang, Chen; Briggs, Martin A.; Day‐Lewis, Frederick D.; Slater, Lee D.

doi:10.1002/hyp.14184

Evaluation of riverbed magnetic susceptibility for mapping biogeochemical hot spots in groundwater‐impacted rivers

Journal Article · Fri May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Hydrological Processes

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14184· OSTI ID:1784356

^[1]; ^[2]; ^[2]; ^[1]

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Rutgers University Newark Newark New Jersey USA
Earth System Processes Division, Hydrogeophysics Branch U.S. Geological Survey Storrs Connecticut USA

Abstract

Redox hot spots occurring as metal‐rich anoxic groundwater discharges through oxic wetland and river sediments commonly result in the formation of iron (Fe) oxide precipitates. These redox‐sensitive precipitates influence the release of nutrients and metals to surface water and can act as ‘contaminant sponges’ by absorbing toxic compounds. We explore the feasibility of a non‐invasive, high‐resolution magnetic susceptibility (MS) technique to efficiently map the spatial variations of magnetic Fe oxide precipitates in the shallow bed of three rivers impacted by anoxic groundwater discharge. Laboratory analyses on Mashpee River (MA, USA) sediments demonstrate the sensitivity of MS to sediment Fe concentrations. Field surveys in the Mashpee and Quashnet rivers (MA, USA) reveal several discrete high MS zones, which are associated with likely anoxic groundwater discharge as evaluated by riverbed temperature, vertical head gradient, and groundwater chemistry measurements. In the East River (CO, USA), widespread cobbles/rocks exhibit high background MS from geological ferrimagnetic minerals, thereby obscuring the relatively small enhancement of MS from groundwater induced Fe oxide precipitates. Our study suggests that, in settings with low geological sources of magnetic minerals such as lowland rivers and wetlands, MS may serve as a complementary tool to temperature methods for efficiently mapping Fe oxide accumulation zones due to anoxic groundwater discharges that may function as biogeochemical hot spots and water quality control points in gaining systems.

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0016412

OSTI ID:: 1784356

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1852229

Journal Information:: Hydrological Processes, Journal Name: Hydrological Processes Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 35; ISSN 0885-6087

Publisher:: Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

References (36)

High-resolution magnetic susceptibility measurements for investigating magnetic mineral formation during microbial mediated iron reduction: MS MEASUREMENTS DURING IRON REDUCTION Atekwana, Estella A.; Mewafy, Farag M.; Abdel Aal, Gamal Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 119, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JG002414	journal	January 2014
Geophysical signatures of disseminated iron minerals: A proxy for understanding subsurface biophysicochemical processes: Geophysical Signatures of Iron Minerals Abdel Aal, Gamal Z.; Atekwana, Estella A.; Revil, A. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 119, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JG002659	journal	September 2014
Combined use of thermal methods and seepage meters to efficiently locate, quantify, and monitor focused groundwater discharge to a sand-bed stream: COMBINED METHODS TO QUANTIFY FOCUSED GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE Rosenberry, Donald O.; Briggs, Martin A.; Delin, Geoffrey Water Resources Research, Vol. 52, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR018808	journal	June 2016
A review of the role of magnetic susceptibility in archaeogeophysical studies in the USA: recent developments and prospects Dalan, Rinita A. Archaeological Prospection, Vol. 15, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.323	journal	January 2008
Explicit consideration of preferential groundwater discharges as surface water ecosystem control points Briggs, Martin A.; Hare, Danielle K. Hydrological Processes, Vol. 32, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13178	journal	June 2018
Hillslope groundwater discharges provide localized stream ecosystem buffers from regional per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination Briggs, Martin A.; Tokranov, Andrea K.; Hull, Robert B. Hydrological Processes, Vol. 34, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13752	journal	April 2020
A comparison of fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing to traditional methods of evaluating groundwater inflow to streams Briggs, Martin A.; Lautz, Laura K.; McKenzie, Jeffrey M. Hydrological Processes, Vol. 26, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.8200	journal	July 2011
Comparison of the uptake of inorganic phosphorus to a suspended and stream bed-sediment House, W. A.; Denison, F. H.; Armitage, P. D. Water Research, Vol. 29, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(94)00237-2	journal	March 1995
Effects of pH on the accumulation and redistribution of metals in a polluted stream bed sediment Håkansson, K.; Karlsson, S.; Allard, B. Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 87-88 https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(89)90224-6	journal	November 1989
Magnetic susceptibility in environmental applications: comparison of field probes Lecoanet, Hélène; Lévêque, François; Segura, Sandrine Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 115, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9201(99)00066-7	journal	October 1999
Hydrogeochemical processes governing the origin, transport and fate of major and trace elements from mine wastes and mineralized rock to surface waters Nordstrom, D. Kirk Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 26, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.06.002	journal	November 2011
Controlling factors for the spatial variability of soil magnetic susceptibility across England and Wales Blundell, A.; Dearing, J. A.; Boyle, J. F. Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 95, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.05.001	journal	August 2009
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): causes, treatment and case studies Akcil, Ata; Koldas, Soner Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 14, Issue 12-13 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2004.09.006	journal	January 2006
The significance of groundwater–stream interactions and fluctuating stream chemistry on waterborne uranium contamination of streams—a case study from a gold mining site in South Africa Winde, Frank; Jacobus van der Walt, Izak Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 287, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.10.004	journal	February 2004
A comparison of thermal infrared to fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing for evaluation of groundwater discharge to surface water Hare, Danielle K.; Briggs, Martin A.; Rosenberry, Donald O. Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 530 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.09.059	journal	November 2015
Attenuation of mining-derived pollutants in the hyporheic zone: A review Gandy, C. J.; Smith, J. W. N.; Jarvis, A. P. Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 373, Issue 2-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.11.004	journal	February 2007
Return flows from beaver ponds enhance floodplain-to-river metals exchange in alluvial mountain catchments Briggs, Martin A.; Wang, Chen; Day-Lewis, Frederick D. Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 685 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.371	journal	October 2019
Ferrozine---a new spectrophotometric reagent for iron Stookey, Lawrence L. Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 42, Issue 7, p. 779-781 https://doi.org/10.1021/ac60289a016	journal	June 1970
Evidence of Coupled Carbon and Iron Cycling at a Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Site from Time Lapse Magnetic Susceptibility Lund, Anders L.; Slater, Lee D.; Atekwana, Estella A. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 51, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b02155	journal	September 2017
Sorption of Chlorobenzenes to Cape Cod Aquifer Sediments Barber, Larry B. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 28, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1021/es00054a021	journal	May 1994
Magnetic Signature of Industrial Pollution of Stream Sediments and Correlation with Heavy Metals: Case Study from South France Desenfant, Fabrice; Petrovský, Eduard; Rochette, Pierre Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, Vol. 152, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000015356.88243.f0	journal	February 2004
Arsenic mobilization in the hyporheic zone of a contaminated stream Nagorski, Sonia A.; Moore, Johnnie N. Water Resources Research, Vol. 35, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900204	journal	November 1999
Reactive solute transport in streams: A surface complexation approach for trace metal sorption Runkel, Robert L.; Kimball, Briant A.; McKnight, Diane M. Water Resources Research, Vol. 35, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900259	journal	December 1999
Environmental magnetism: Principles and applications Liu, Qingsong; Roberts, Andrew P.; Larrasoaña, Juan C. Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 50, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012RG000393	journal	January 2012
Characterizing Physical Properties of Streambed Interface Sediments Using In Situ Complex Electrical Conductivity Measurements Wang, Chen; Briggs, Martin A.; Day‐Lewis, Frederick D. Water Resources Research, Vol. 57, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027995	journal	February 2021
Environmental magnetism: Past, present, and future Verosub, Kenneth L.; Roberts, Andrew P. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 100, Issue B2 https://doi.org/10.1029/94JB02713	journal	February 1995
Effect of enhanced manganese oxidation in the hyporheic zone on basin-scale geochemical mass balance Harvey, Judson W.; Fuller, Christopher C. Water Resources Research, Vol. 34, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/97WR03606	journal	April 1998
Radium, thorium and radioactive lead isotopes in groundwaters: Application to the in situ determination of adsorption-desorption rate constants and retardation factors Krishnaswami, S.; Graustein, William C.; Turekian, Karl K. Water Resources Research, Vol. 18, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/WR018i006p01663	journal	December 1982
Adsorption of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid to iron oxide surfaces as studied by flow-through ATR-FTIR spectroscopy Gao, Xiaodong; Chorover, Jon Environmental Chemistry, Vol. 9, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN11119	journal	January 2012
Effects of Aquifer Travel Time on Nitrogen Transport to a Coastal Embayment Colman, John A.; Masterson, John P.; Pabich, Wendy J. Ground Water, Vol. 42, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2004.tb02644.x	journal	December 2004
The Functional Significance of the Hyporheic zone in Streams and Rivers Boulton, Andrew J.; Findlay, Stuart; Marmonier, Pierre Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 29, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.29.1.59	journal	November 1998
Assessment of Levels, Speciation, and Toxicity of Trace Metal Contaminants in Selected Shallow Groundwater Sources, Surface Runoff, Wastewater, and Surface Water from Designated Streams in Lake Victoria Basin, Uganda Bakyayita, G. K.; Norrström, A. C.; Kulabako, R. N. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Vol. 2019 https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6734017	journal	May 2019
Magnetite in Redbeds and Associated Rocks: GEOLOGICAL NOTES No authors listed AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 39 https://doi.org/10.1306/5CEAE24A-16BB-11D7-8645000102C1865D	journal	January 1955
BIOGEOCHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN Fe BIOMINERALIZATION: MAGNETITE AND SIDERITE FORMATION Roh, Y.; Zhang, C. -L.; Vali, H. Clays and Clay Minerals, Vol. 51, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.2003.510110	journal	February 2003
The East River, Colorado, Watershed: A Mountainous Community Testbed for Improving Predictive Understanding of Multiscale Hydrological–Biogeochemical Dynamics Hubbard, Susan S.; Williams, Kenneth Hurst; Agarwal, Deb Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 17, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2018.03.0061	journal	January 2018
Hydrogeochemical controls on brook trout spawning habitats in a coastal stream Briggs, Martin A.; Harvey, Judson W.; Hurley, Stephen T. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 22, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6383-2018	journal	January 2018

Similar Records

Groundwater flowpath characteristics drive variability in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) loading across a stream-wetland system

Journal Article · Thu Jan 23 19:00:00 EST 2025 · Science of The Total Environment · OSTI ID:2586444

Investigation of Scale-Dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Modeling and Field Experiments

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics · OSTI ID:1852233

Evaluation of riverbed magnetic susceptibility for mapping biogeochemical hot spots in groundwater‐impacted rivers

Citation Formats

References (36)

Similar Records

Related Subjects