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Tracking down carbon inputs underground from an arid zone Australian calcrete
Mattia Saccò1, Alison J Blyth1, William F Humphreys2,3
1WA-Organic Isotope Geochemistry Centre, The Institute for Geoscience Research, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Rainfall impacts arid groundwater carbon. High rainfall increases old carbon and microbial activity in lower areas, possibly due to salinity, affecting the global carbon cycle.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
- Microbiology
Background:
- Freshwater ecosystems are vital for the global carbon cycle and biodiversity.
- Groundwater and surface water interactions influence organic matter input into subterranean systems.
- Understanding subterranean carbon flow dynamics is crucial due to anthropogenic pressures and global change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate carbon composition and transformations in an arid zone calcrete aquifer.
- To assess the impact of contrasting rainfall events (low vs. high) on groundwater carbon dynamics.
- To elucidate the biogeochemical pathways regulating carbon flow in arid groundwater systems.
Main Methods:
- Multidisciplinary approach combining isotopic analyses (δ13C, 14C) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and inorganic carbon (DIC).
- Fluorescence spectroscopy for Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) characterization.
- Metabarcoding analyses (bacterial 16S rRNA) for taxonomic and functional genomics.
Main Results:
- Isotopic data revealed modern terrestrial carbon dominance in upper boreholes, but increased old, 13C-enriched DOC in lower boreholes after high rainfall.
- CDOM analysis showed a shift towards microbially derived compounds post-rainfall in the lower field.
- Functional genomics indicated an increase in genes related to degradative pathways, particularly aromatic compound metabolism, during high rainfall.
Conclusions:
- Rainfall triggers differential responses in arid zone groundwater, with enhanced old carbon sources and microbial processing in lower areas.
- Hypothesized role of increasing salinity in driving these observed changes.
- This study pioneers a multi-technique approach to understand arid groundwater carbon biogeochemistry.
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