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Jroundi, F.; Descostes, M.; Povedano-Priego, C.; Sánchez-Castro, I.; Suvannagan, V.; Grizard, P.; Merroun, M.L. |
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Title |
Profiling native aquifer bacteria in a uranium roll-front deposit and their role in biogeochemical cycle dynamics: Insights regarding in situ recovery mining |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Science of The Total Environment |
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Volume  |
721 |
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137758 |
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Bacterial diversity, Bioremediation, In-situ recovery, Natural attenuation, Network analysis, Uranium |
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A uranium-mineralized sandy aquifer, planned for mining by means of uranium in situ recovery (U ISR), harbors a reservoir of bacterial life that may influence the biogeochemical cycles surrounding uranium roll-front deposits. Since microorganisms play an important role at all stages of U ISR, a better knowledge of the resident bacteria before any ISR actuations is essential to face environmental quality assessment. The focus here was on the characterization of bacteria residing in an aquifer surrounding a uranium roll-front deposit that forms part of an ISR facility project at Zoovch Ovoo (Mongolia). Water samples were collected following the natural redox zonation inherited in the native aquifer, including the mineralized orebody, as well as compartments located both upstream (oxidized waters) and downstream (reduced waters) of this area. An imposed chemical zonation for all sensitive redox elements through the roll-front system was observed. In addition, high-throughput sequencing data showed that the bacterial community structure was shaped by the redox gradient and oxygen availability. Several interesting bacteria were identified, including sulphate-reducing (e.g. Desulfovibrio, Nitrospira), iron-reducing (e.g. Gallionella, Sideroxydans), iron-oxidizing (e.g. Rhodobacter, Albidiferax, Ferribacterium), and nitrate-reducing bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas, Aquabacterium), which may also be involved in metal reduction (e.g. Desulfovibrio, Ferribacterium, Pseudomonas, Albidiferax, Caulobacter, Zooglea). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and co-occurrence patterns confirmed strong correlations among the bacterial genera, suggesting either shared/preferred environmental conditions or the performance of similar/complementary functions. As a whole, the bacterial community residing in each aquifer compartment would appear to define an ecologically functional ecosystem, containing suitable microorganisms (e.g. acidophilic bacteria) prone to promote the remediation of the acidified aquifer by natural attenuation. Assessing the composition and structure of the aquifer’s native bacteria is a prerequisite for understanding natural attenuation and predicting the role of bacterial input in improving ISR efficiency. |
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0048-9697 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ jroundi_profiling_2020 |
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177 |
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Naghedifar, S.M.; Ziaei, A.N.; Naghedifar, S.A.; Ansari, H. |
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Title |
A new model for simulation of collection and conveyance sections of Qanat |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Journal of Hydrology |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
590 |
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125218 |
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Keywords |
Richards’ equation, Saint-Venant equation, Numerical modeling, Qanat-aquifer system |
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In this paper, a new numerical model has been developed for simulation of Qanat-aquifer system. This model employs quasi-3D mixed-form of Richards’ equation and 1D fully-hydrodynamic form of Saint-Venant equations to simulate subsurface and overland flow, respectively. In order to handle non-orthogonal grids, subsurface flow module benefits from coordinate transformation technique. Using the above-mentioned governing equations, the presented model is able to simulate water flow inside both collection and conveyance sections of the gallery as well as dynamics of groundwater and vadose zone from impermeable bed rock to the soil-air interface. Since measured data corresponding to the hydraulics of Qanats is scarce, the overland and subsurface modules have been validated with analytical, numerical and experimental benchmarks in the literature. Subsequently, the model was employed to simulate ten different hypothetical aquifer-Qanat systems with different properties including the depth of groundwater aquifer, roughness of the gallery and saturated hydraulic conductivity of the gallery-aquifer boundary and the influence of each the parameters was monitored on the outflow rate at the appearance point of each Qanat. Furthermore, the advance of water inside two initially dry galleries were simulated at different time levels up to steady state. Eventually, the streamlines have been shown at the steady state for two Qanat-aquifer systems. Although, the presented study sheds light on some aspects of Qanat-aquifer hydraulics, the validation of the presented model with in-lab or on-field data remains ongoing for the future researches. |
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0022-1694 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Naghedifar2020125218 |
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254 |
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Tamagnone, P.; Comino, E.; Rosso, M. |
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Title |
Rainwater harvesting techniques as an adaptation strategy for flood mitigation |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Journal of Hydrology |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
586 |
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124880 |
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Rainwater harvesting techniques, Extreme rainfall, Runoff, Hydraulic modelling, Flood mitigation, Arid and semi-arid climate |
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The development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to tackle anthropic and climate changes impacts is becoming a priority in drought-prone areas. This study examines the capabilities of indigenous rainwater harvesting techniques (RWHT) to be used as a viable solution for flood mitigation. The study analyses the hydraulic performance of the most used micro-catchment RWHT in sub-Saharan regions, in terms of flow peak reduction (FPR) and volume reduction (VR) at the field and basin scale. Parametrized hyetographs were built to replicate the extreme precipitations that strike Sahelian countries during rainy seasons. 2D hydrodynamic simulations showed that half-moons placed with a staggered configuration (S-HM) have the best performances in reducing runoff. At the field scale, S-HM showed a remarkable FPR of 77% and a VR of 70% in case of extreme rainfall. Instead at the basin scale, in which only 5% of the surface was treated, 13% and 8% respectively for FPR and VR were obtained. In addition, the reduction of the runoff coefficient (Rc) between the different configuration was analyzed. The study critically evaluates hydraulic performances of the different techniques and shows how pitting practices cannot guarantee high performance in case of extreme precipitations. These results will enrich the knowledge of the hydraulic behavior of RWHT; aspect marginally investigated in the scientific literature. Moreover, this study presents the first scientific application of HEC-RAS as a rainfall-runoff model. Despite some limitations, this model has the effective feature of using very high-resolution topography as input for hydraulic simulations. The results presented in this study should encourage stakeholders to upscale the use of RWHT in order to lessen the flood hazard and land degradation that oppresses arid and semi-arid areas. |
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0022-1694 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Tamagnone2020124880 |
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240 |
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Sedghi, M.M.; Zhan, H. |
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Title |
Semi-analytical solutions of discharge variation of a qanat in an unconfined aquifer subjected to general areal recharge and nearby pumping well discharge |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Journal of Hydrology |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
584 |
Issue |
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Pages |
124691 |
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Analytical solution, Laplace domain, Screen segmentation, Qanat, Areal recharge, Constant head |
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Qanat is a type of drain that extract water from aquifers by gravity. Significant amount of fresh water used in Middle East and other parts of the world are supplied by qanats. Despite their importance, discharge variation of these type of wells received almost no attention. The aim of this research is to obtain a Laplace domain solution of discharge variation of a qanat installed in an anisotropic unconfined aquifer subjected to arbitrary areal recharge and nearby pumping well(s) discharge. A new semi-analytical solution of drawdown is obtained first to implement the effects of arbitrary areal recharge and nearby pumping well(s) using the principle of superposition. Then, the discharge variation solution of the qanat is obtained from the drawdown solution. To establish a constant-head boundary condition at the qanat periphery, the qanat is discretized into several segments. The results of this study are presented in dimensionless discharge-dimensionless time curves. The effects of hydraulic as well as geometric parameters on the discharge variation of the qanat due to arbitrary areal recharge, falling of water table from its initial position and discharge of nearby wells are explored. We also investigate the influences of distance and screen depth and location of the nearby well on the discharge variation of the qanat. The results of this study can be utilized for multiple purposes: 1) to predict discharge of qanat in response to rainfall and nearby pumping well(s); 2) to estimate the aquifer parameters using hydrograph of the qanat; 3) to determine optimal location and pumping pattern of the nearby wells to minimize their influences on the discharge of the qanat; 4) to calculate water budget of aquifers drained by a qanat. The equation presented in this work can also be used to estimate discharge of a horizontal drain installed in cropland subjected to arbitrary irrigation pattern. |
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0022-1694 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Sedghi2020124691 |
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261 |
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Gil-Márquez, J.M.; Sültenfuß, J.; Andreo, B.; Mudarra, M. |
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Groundwater dating tools (3H, 3He, 4He, CFC-12, SF6) coupled with hydrochemistry to evaluate the hydrogeological functioning of complex evaporite-karst settings |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Journal of Hydrology |
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580 |
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124263 |
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Groundwater dating, Evaporite karst, Brine spring, Free-shape models |
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The hydrogeological functioning of four different areas in a complex evaporite-karst unit of predominantly aquitard behavior in S Spain was investigated. Environmental dating tracers (3H, 3He, 4He, CFC-12, SF6) and hydrochemical data were determined from spring samples to identify and characterize groundwater flow components of different residence times in the media. Results show a general geochemical evolution pattern, from higher (recharge areas) to lower positions (discharge areas), in which mineralization rises as well as the value of the rCl−/SO42−, evidencing longer water-rock interaction. Ne values show degassing of most of the samples, favored by the high salinity of groundwater and the development of karstification so that the concentration of all the considered gases were corrected according to the difference between the theoretical and the measured Ne. The presence of modern groundwater in every sample was proved by the detection of 3H and CFC-12. At the opposite, the higher amount of radiogenic 4He in most samples also indicates that they have an old component. The 3H/3He dating method does not give reliable ages as a consequence of degassing and the large uncertainty of the 3He/4He ratios of the sources for the radiogenic Helium. The large SF6 concentrations suggest terrigenic production related to halite and dolomite. Binary Mixing and Free Shape Models were created based on 3H and CFC-12 data to interpret the age distribution of the samples. Two parameters (GA50 and >70%) were proposed as an indicator of that distribution, as they provide further information than the mean age. Particularly, GA50 is derived from the median groundwater age and is presented as a new way of interpreting mixed groundwater age data. A greater fraction of old groundwater (3H and CFC-12 free) was identified in discharge areas, while the proportion and estimated infiltration date of the younger fractions in recharge areas were higher and more recent, respectively. The application of different approaches has been useful to corroborate previous theoretical conceptual model proposed for the study area and to test the applicability of the used environmental tracer in dating brine groundwater and karst springs. |
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0022-1694 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Gilmarquez2020124263 |
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213 |
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Ammar, F.H.; Deschamps, P.; Chkir, N.; Zouari, K.; Agoune, A.; Hamelin, B. |
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Title |
Uranium isotopes as tracers of groundwater evolution in the Complexe Terminal aquifer of southern Tunisia |
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Journal Article |
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2020 |
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Quaternary International |
Abbreviated Journal |
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547 |
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33-49 |
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CT southern Tunisia, Holocene, Mixing, Radicarbon, Uranium isotopes, Water-rock interaction |
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Abstract |
The Complexe Terminal (CT) multi-layer aquifer is formed by Neogene/Paleogene sand deposits, Upper Senonian (Campanian-Maastrichtian limestones) and Turonian carbonates. The chemical composition and isotopes of carbon and uranium were investigated in groundwater sampled from the main hydrogeological units of the (CT) aquifer in southern Tunisia. We paid special attention to the variability of uranium contents and isotopes ratio (234U/238U) to provide a better understanding of the evolution of the groundwater system. Uranium concentrations range from 1.5 to 19.5 ppb, typical of oxic or mildly reducing conditions in groundwaters. The lowest concentrations are found southeast of the study area, where active recharge is supposed to take place. When looking at the isotope composition, it appears that all the samples, including those from carbonate levels, are in radioactive disequilibrium with significant 234U excess. A clear-cut distinction is observed between Turonian and Senonian carbonate aquifers on the one hand, with 234U/238U activity ratios between 1.1 and 1.8, and the sandy aquifer on the other hand, showing higher ratios from 1.8 to 3.2. The distribution of uranium in this complex aquifer system seems to be in agreement with the lithological variability and are ultimately a function of a number of physical and chemical factors including the uranium content of the hosting geological formation, water-rock interaction and mixing between waters having different isotopic signatures. Significant relationships also appear when comparing the uranium distribution with the major ions composition. It is noticeable that uranium is better correlated with sulfate, calcium and magnesium than with other major ions as chloride or bicarbonate. The 14C activities and δ13C values of DIC cover a wide range of values, from 1.1 pmc to 30.2 pmc and from −3.6‰ to −10.7‰, respectively. 14C model ages estimated by the Fontes and Garnier model are all younger than 22 Ka and indicate that the recharge of CT groundwater occurred mainly during the end of the last Glacial and throughout the Holocene. |
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1040-6182 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ ammar_uranium_2020 |
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119 |
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Belz, L.; Schüller, I.; Wehrmann, A.; Köster, J.; Wilkes, H. |
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The leaf wax biomarker record of a Namibian salt pan reveals enhanced summer rainfall during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition |
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Journal Article |
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2020 |
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Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |
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543 |
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109561 |
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-Alkanes, -Alkanols, Late Quaternary, Organic geochemistry, Palaeohydrology, Southern Africa |
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Conventional continental geoarchives are rarely available in arid southern Africa. Therefore, palaeoclimate data in this area are still patchy and late Quaternary climate development is only poorly understood. In the western Kalahari, salt pans (playas, ephemeral lakes) are common and can feature quasi-continuous sedimentation. This study presents the first climate-related biomarker record using sediments from the Omongwa Pan, a Kalahari salt pan located in eastern Namibia. Our approach to reconstruct vegetation and hydrology focuses on biogeochemical bulk parameters and plant wax-derived lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes, n-alkanols, and fatty acids) and their compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions. The presented record reaches back to 27 ka. During the glacial, rather low δ2H values of n-alkanes and low sediment input exclude a strong influence of winter rainfall. n-Alkane and n-alkanol distributions and δ13C values of n-hentriacontane (n-C31) indicate a shift to a vegetation with a higher proportion of C4 plants at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum until the end of Heinrich Stadial I (ca. 18–14.8 ka), which we interpret to indicate an abrupt excursion to a short wetter period likely to be caused by a temporary southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Shifts in δ2H values of n-C31 and plant wax parameters give evidence for changes to drier conditions during early Holocene. Comparison of this dataset with representative continental records from the region points to a major influence of summer rainfall at Omongwa Pan during the regarded time span and demonstrates the potential of southern African salt pans as archives for biomarker-based climate proxies. |
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0031-0182 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ belz_leaf_2020 |
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104 |
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Jin, Z.; Külls, C. |
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FDM based OA-ICOS for high accuracy 13C quantification in gaseous CO2 |
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Journal Article |
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2020 |
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Earth and Environmental Science |
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EES |
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446 |
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3 |
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032061 |
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IOP Conference Series |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ Jin2020fdm |
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16 |
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Bonnetti, C.; Zhou, L.; Riegler, T.; Brugger, J.; Fairclough, M. |
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Large S isotope and trace element fractionations in pyrite of uranium roll front systems result from internally-driven biogeochemical cycle |
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Journal Article |
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2020 |
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Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta |
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282 |
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113-132 |
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Activity cycle, Pyrite composition, Roll front uranium deposits, S isotope and trace element fractionation |
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Complex pyrite textures associated with large changes in isotopic and trace element compositions are routinely assumed to be indicative of multi-faceted processes involving multiple fluid and sulfur sources. We propose that the features of ore-stage pyrite from roll front deposits across the world, revealed in exquisite detail via high-resolution trace element mapping by LA-ICP-MS, reflect the dynamic internal evolution of the biogeochemical processes responsible for sulfate reduction, rather than externally driven changes in fluid or sulfur sources through time. Upon percolation of oxidizing fluids into the reduced host-sandstones, roll front systems become self-organized, with a systematic reset of their activity cycle after each translation stage of the redox interface down dip of the aquifer. Dominantly reducing conditions at the redox interface favor the formation of biogenic framboidal pyrite (δ34S from −30.5 to −12.5‰) by bacterial sulfate reduction and the genesis of the U mineralization. As the oxidation front advances, oxidation of reduced sulfur minerals induces an increased supply of sulfate and metals in solution to the bacterial sulfate reduction zone that has similarly advanced down the flow gradient. Hence, this stage is marked by increased rates of the bacterial sulfate reduction associated with the crystallization of variably As-Co-Ni-Mo-enriched concentric pyrite (up to 10,000′s of ppm total trace contents) with moderately negative δ34S values (from −13.7 to −7.5‰). A final stage of pyrite cement with low trace element contents and heavier δ34S signature (from −6.9 to +18.8‰) marks the end of the roll front activity cycle and the transition from an open to a predominantly closed system behavior (negligible advection of fresh sulfate). Blocky pyrite cement is formed using the remaining sulfate, which now becomes quickly heavy according to a Rayleigh isotope fractionation process. This ends the cycle by depleting the nutrient supplies for the sulfate-reducing bacteria and cementing pore spaces within the host sandstone, effectively restricting fluid infiltration. This internally-driven roll front activity cycle results in systematic, large S isotope and trace element fractionation. Ultimately, the long-time evolution of the basin and fluid sources control the metal endowment and evolution of the system; these events, however, are unlikely to be preserved by the roll front, as a direct result of its hydrodynamic nature. |
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0016-7037 |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ bonnetti_large_2020 |
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185 |
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Pree, T.A.D. |
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Title |
The politics of baselining in the Grants uranium mining district of northwestern New Mexico |
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Journal Article |
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2020 |
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Journal of Environmental Management |
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268 |
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110601 |
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Critical stakeholder analysis, Environmental cleanup, Environmental monitoring, Mining reclamation/remediation/restoration, Politics of baselining |
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During the second half of the twentieth century, northwestern New Mexico served as the primary production site for one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals. From 1948 to 1970 the “Grants uranium district” provided almost half of the total uranium ore accumulated by the United States federal government for the production of nuclear weapons, in addition to becoming a national source for commercial nuclear energy from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. By the twenty-first century, after a prolonged period of economic decline that began in the late 1970s, all uranium mining and milling in New Mexico had ceased, leaving a legacy of environmental health impacts. What was once referred to as “The Uranium Capital of the World” now encompasses over a thousand abandoned uranium mines and seven massive uranium mill tailings piles, which are associated with airborne and soil contamination as well as groundwater plumes of uranium and other contaminants of concern, in a landscape that has been fractured by underground mine workings and punctured by thousands of exploratory boreholes. This article presents an ethnographic study of the diverse forms of expertise involved in monitoring and managing the mine waste and mill tailings. Drawing from over two years of ethnographic research, I describe the relationship between different stakeholders from local communities, government agencies, and transnational mining corporations as they deliberate about the possibility of cleaning up the former mining district. My thesis is that the possibility of cleaning up the Grants district hinges on the “politics of baselining”—a term I introduce to describe the relationship between stakeholders and their competing environmental models and hydrogeological theories; each accounts for a different geological past prior to mining that can be deemed “natural,” as the background against which to measure the anthropogenic impacts from mining. |
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THL @ christoph.kuells @ pree_politics_2020 |
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151 |
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