Flood effects on phosphorus immobilisation in a river water filled pit lake—Case study Lake Goitsche (Germany)

Between 1999 and 2002, a former open-cast mine was filled with river water forming the recent Lake Goitsche. During filling initially acid water was neutralised. Phosphorus (P) imported from Mulde River was nearly completely removed from the water column by co-precipitation with iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) and deposited in the sediment.During extremely high waters of the Mulde River in 2002, a dike breach facilitated a second high import of P into Lake Goitsche with suspended and dissolved matter. The analysis of total phosphorus (TP), however, showed that P again had been eliminated from the water body a few months after the flood event. Sediment investigations before filling with river water, during filling, and after the flood event were used to analyse the process of P immobilisation in a lake with acid mine drainage history.The ratios of Fe to soluble reactive P (SRP) of sediment pore water were up to three orders of magnitudes higher than in natural lakes and can serve as an indicator for potential internal P loading from sediments. The SRP concentrations at the oxic/anoxic boundary were near or below the limit of quantification (< 0.2 μmol/L). Fe and manganese (Mn) redox cycling were responsible for hindering P dissolution from sediment to lake water.Finally it can be stated, that the risk of eutrophication for such a lake seems to be low.     

Sediment contamination in floodplains and alluvial terraces as an historical record of gold exploitation in the Carmo River basin,Southeast Quadrilátero Ferrífero,Minas Gerais,Brazil

This paper describes the geochemistry of sediment samples placed in floodplains and alluvial terraces downstream from gold mines in the Carmo River basin, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The geochemistry signature Na₂O, K₂O, SiO₂, CaO, MgO, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, P₂O₅, Mn, As, Cu, Zn, Ba, Ni, Cr, S, Co were analyzed in different facies from stratigraphic profiles. As, Cu, Zn, and Mn anomalies are mainly associated with the clayed facies deposited in floodplains and oxbow lakes, and with coarse‐sediment facies deposited in the channel. The facies were accumulated by the gold exploitation activity in the region. The contamination of As, Cu, and Zn was controlled by minerals such as iron oxides and hydroxides (hematite, magnetite, and mainly goethite), manganese oxides, and sulfide‐rich minerals. The As‐bearing sediments of the region characterize one of the most As contaminated area of Brazil. Their main source is associated with gold exploration in the last three centuries.     

Spatial distribution and bonding forms of heavy metals in sediments along the middle course of the River Elbe (km 287ċ390)

Sediments of eight groyne fields along the middle course of the River Elbe (river km 287?390) were geochemically studied. The 78 sediment samples were analysed for pH and grain size distribution. The grain size fraction < 2 μm was used for mineralogical and chemical analysis: semiquantitative clay mineral analysis; total element content (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mn, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), total inorganic and organic C, and bonding form fractionation with a six‐step sequential chemical extraction. The latter was performed on selected samples (n = 32). The sediments along the Elbe's course are still contaminated with heavy metals far above the local geogenic background level. An enrichment factor of more than 15 was calculated for zinc. Cr and Ni are the elements with the lowest enrichment. The bonding form analysis of selected heavy metals shows a dominance of relatively immobile bonding forms, e. g. the moderately reducible and the residual fraction, which implies a relative low mobility potential. Only Zn poses a higher potential threat to the environment, since it has a higher percentage of the first three extracted phases: adsorbed, carbonate, and easily reducible fraction.     

Evaluation and application of dialysis porewater samplers for microbiological studies at sediment-water interfaces

The equilibrium diffusion technique has become a valuable tool for ecological and biogeochemical studies in aquatic environments. In sediment ecosystems, changes in concentration of microbial metabolites with increasing depth can be determined dependably and reproducibly with this technique. Since the permeation characteristics of the membranes employed are crucial, selecting the proper membrane requires knowledge about its behavior under conditions which prevail in the natural environment. Thirteen polymer sheets were evaluated comparing permeation terms for biogeochemically relevant solutes, biodegradability, and mechanical strength. Cellulose-based dialysis membranes are most satisfactory when employed in low temperature anoxic environments. For this membrane, correction terms were calculated to account for diffusion losses during retrieval and sampling. Optimal incubation times can now be predicted from experimentally determined permeation coefficients for several porewater solutes. Dialysis porewater samplers (DPS) have been successfully applied during more than 100 independent experiments for the collection of interstitial water from surface sediments. DPS were used for water depths as deep as 290 meters.     

Fluoreszenz und Gelbstoff im Bottnischen und Finnischen Meerbusen

Zusammenfassung In der folgenden Arbeit wird der erstmalige Versuch unternommen, einen quantitativen Einblick in die gegenseitigen Beziehungen zweier im Meerwasser vorhandenen ausgesprochen organischen Stoffe in ihrer Abhängigkeit vom Salzgehalt zu gewinnen. Derartige Messungen waren bisher noch nicht möglich vor allem wegen der überaus geringen Konzentration, in der die organischen Stoffe im Meerwasser vorzukommen pflegen, sodann auch wegen der verhältnismäßig großen Abbaugeschwindigkeit, der diese Stoffe unter den natürlichen Bedingungen im Meere unterliegen. Bei den hier angestellten Untersuchungen handelt es sich um zwei verhältnismäßig stabile den Humusstoffen nahestehende Verbindungen, die sich einmal durch ihr Vermögen, im ultravioletten Licht zu fluoreszieren und zum anderen durch ihre gelbe Farbe auszeichnen. Als Untersuchungsgebiet wurden der Bottnische und Finnische Meerbusen ausgewählt, die an diesen Stoffen verhältnismäßig reich sind. Legt man vier Ausgangswässer zugrunde, so läßt sich die eigenartige Verteilung dieses Fluoreszenz- und Gelb-Stoffes in dem Untersuchungsgebiet zwangslos aus den gegenseitigen Mischungsvorgängen dieser Wässer deuten. Der Vorzug der neuartigen Methodik für zukünftige Messungen liegt in dreierlei. Erstens verspricht die Bestimmung eine tieferen Einblick in den bisher noch so ungeklärten Mechanismus der Humusbildung, ferner ermöglicht sie eine genauere Kontrolle des Aussüßungsvorganges in den Randmeergebieten als es bisher möglich war, und schließlich scheint sie berufen, bei weiterer Durchentwicklung der Methodik für die Aufklärung der chemisch-biologischen Grundvorgänge im Zusammenhang mit der Produktionsfrage des Meeres eine wichtige Lücke ausfüllen zu können.

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Fluorescence and contents of yellow substance in the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland

Summary In the following paper it is tried for the first time to provide a quantitative insight into the relations between two clearly organic substances in the sea-water as depending on salinity. Measurings of this kind could not be made so far especially because the organic substances usually occur in sea-water in very low concentration, furthermore because they decay rather rapidly under the natural conditions prevailing in the sea. The investigations in question deal with two relatively stable compositions closely related to the ulmous substances which are characterized on the one hand by their capability of fluorescence in ultraviolet light and on the other hand by their yellow colour. The investigations are based on water-samples from the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland, which are relatively abounding in these substances. Assuming four primary kinds of water, the peculiar distribution of these fluorescence and yellow substances in the investigated area can be explained without restriction by mixing processes of these waters. The advantages of the new method of investigation are: firstly that it may be expected to get a deeper insight into the genesis of humus which is only very little elucidated so far, furthermore it allows to control more exactly the process of freshening of the water in marginal seas, and finally, in case of further development it seems to be qualified to fill up a remarkable gap in the elucidation of the fundamental processes in biological chemistry in connection with the problem of marine production.

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Die Veröffentlichung der im wesentlichen bereits vor etwa zehn Jahren abgeschlossenen Arbeit ist durch den Krieg verzögert worden.     

A method to estimate hydraulic conductivity while drilling

A field test and analysis method has been developed to estimate the vertical distribution of hydraulic conductivity in shallow unconsolidated aquifers. The field method uses fluid injection ports and pressure transducers in a hollow auger that measure the hydraulic head outside the auger at several distances from the injection point. A constant injection rate is maintained for a duration time sufficient for the system to become steady state. Exploiting the analogy between electrical resistivity in geophysics and hydraulic flow two methods are used to estimate conductivity with depth: a half-space model based on spherical flow from a point injection at each measurement site, and a one-dimensional inversion of an entire dataset.

The injection methodology, conducted in three separate drilling operations, was investigated for repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, and for different injection sources. Repeatability tests, conducted at 10 levels, demonstrated standard deviations of generally less than 10%. Reproducibility tests conducted in three, closely spaced drilling operations generally showed a standard deviation of less than 20%, which is probably due to lateral variations in hydraulic conductivity. Linearity tests, made to determine dependency on flow rates, showed no indication of a flow rate bias. In order to obtain estimates of the hydraulic conductivity by an independent means, a series of measurements were made by injecting water through screens installed at two separate depths in a monitoring pipe near the measurement site. These estimates differed from the corresponding estimates obtained by injection in the hollow auger by a factor of less than 3.5, which can be attributed to variations in geology and the inaccurate estimates of the distance between the measurement and the injection sites at depth.     

Deep-sea faunal communities associated with a lost intermodal shipping container in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary,CA

Carrying assorted cargo and covered with paints of varying toxicity, lost intermodal containers may take centuries to degrade on the deep seafloor. In June 2004, scientists from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered a recently lost container during a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dive on a sediment-covered seabed at 1281 m depth in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). The site was revisited by ROV in March 2011. Analyses of sediment samples and high-definition video indicate that faunal assemblages on the container’s exterior and the seabed within 10 m of the container differed significantly from those up to 500 m. The container surface provides hard substratum for colonization by taxa typically found in rocky habitats. However, some key taxa that dominate rocky areas were absent or rare on the container, perhaps related to its potential toxicity or limited time for colonization and growth. Ecological effects appear to be restricted to the container surface and the benthos within ∼10 m.     

Industrial minerals and rocks, aggregates and natural stones in the Nordic countries

The Nordic countries, including Greenland, have a long tradition in mining. The industrial minerals sector is expanding in most Nordic countries and extensive development has taken place during the last few years. The main commodities mined are carbonate rocks, quartz, feldspar, apatite, olivine and talc.
A number of diferent types of dimension stones are quarried in all countries. Rock aggregates are increasingly important, replacing sand and gravel aggregate as construction materials in some countries due to the need to protect ground water supplies.     

CLEAN: project overview on CO2 large-scale enhanced gas recovery in the Altmark natural gas field (Germany)

The joint research project CLEAN was conducted in the years 2008?C2011 by a German research and development (R&D) alliance of 16 partners from science and industry. The project was set-up as pilot project to investigate the processes relevant to enhanced gas recovery (EGR) by the injection of CO₂ into a subfield of the almost depleted Altmark natural gas field. Despite the setback that permission for active injection was not issued by the mining authority during the period of the project, important results fostering the understanding of processes linked with EGR were achieved. Work carried out led to a comprehensive evaluation of the EGR potential of the Altmark field and the Altensalzwedel subfield in particular. The calculated safety margins emphasize that technical well integrity of the 12 examined boreholes is given for EGR without a need for any further intervention. The laboratory and field tests confirm that the Altensalzwedel subfield is suitable for the injection of 100,000?t of CO₂. Numerical simulations provide sound predictions for the efficiency and safety of the EGR technology based on the CO₂ injection. The development and testing of different monitoring techniques facilitate an improved surveying of CO₂ storage sites in general. The CLEAN results provide the technological, logistic and conceptual prerequisites for implementing a CO₂-based EGR project in the Altmark and provide a benchmark for similar projects in the world.