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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
A new conceptual framework for the transformation of groundwater dissolved organic matter
Nature Communications, Vol.13(1), pp.1-11
20/04/2022
PMCID: PMC9021313
PMID: 35444183
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Abstract
Groundwater comprises 95% of the liquid fresh water on Earth and contains a diverse mix of dissolved organic matter (DOM) molecules which play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. Currently, the storage times and degradation pathways of groundwater DOM are unclear, preventing an accurate estimate of groundwater carbon sources and sinks for global carbon budgets. Here we reveal the transformations of DOM in aging groundwater using ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry combined with radiocarbon dating. Long-term anoxia and a lack of photodegradation leads to the removal of oxidised DOM and a build-up of both reduced photodegradable formulae and aerobically biolabile formulae with a strong microbial signal. This contrasts with the degradation pathway of DOM in oxic marine, river, and lake systems. Our findings suggest that processes such as groundwater extraction and subterranean groundwater discharge to oceans could result in up to 13 Tg of highly photolabile and aerobically biolabile groundwater dissolved organic carbon released to surface environments per year, where it can be rapidly degraded. These findings highlight the importance of considering groundwater DOM in global carbon budgets.
Details
- Title
- A new conceptual framework for the transformation of groundwater dissolved organic matter
- Creators
- Liza K McDonough - Australian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationMartin S Andersen - UNSW SydneyMegan I Behnke - Florida State UniversityHelen Rutlidge - UNSW SydneyPhetdala Oudone - UNSW SydneyKarina Meredith - Australian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationDenis M O'Carroll - UNSW SydneyIsaac R Santos - Southern Cross UniversityChristopher E Marjo - UNSW SydneyRobert G M Spencer - Florida State UniversityAmy M McKenna - Florida State UniversityAndy Baker - UNSW Sydney
- Publication Details
- Nature Communications, Vol.13(1), pp.1-11
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the Australian Research Council under Discovery Project DP160101379 (awarded to A.B., M.A., D.O. and K.M.). The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Centre for Accelerator Science at ANSTO through the Australian National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Groundwater sampling was possible at Wellington and Maules Creek through the NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure Project. The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory ICR User Facility is supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry through DMR-1644779, DMR-1157490 and the State of Florida. The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory ICR User Facility is supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry and Division of Materials Research through DMR-1644779, DMR-1157490 and the State of Florida.
- Identifiers
- 991013016498702368
- Copyright
- Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © Crown 2022
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article