Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
Published on: September 11, 2016
Microbial community structure characteristics among different karst aquifer systems, and its potential role in
Zuobing Liang1,2, Shaoheng Li1, Zhuowei Wang3
1School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Little is known about how microbial activity affects the hydraulic properties of karst aquifers. To explore the potential impacts of microbial activity on the hydraulic properties of karst aquifers, microbiological analysis, heat tracer, isotope (dissolved inorganic carbon isotope, δ13CDIC) and aqueous geochemical analyses were conducted at six monitoring wells in Northern Guangdong Province, China. Greater hydraulic conductivity corresponded to a low temperature gradient to an extent; the temperature gradient in karst groundwater aquifers can reflect the degree of dissolution. Higher HCO3 - concentrations coupled with lower d-excess and pH values at B2 and B6 reflect potential microbial activity (e.g., Sulfuricurvum kujiense) causing carbonate dissolution. Microbial activity or the input of anthropogenic acids, as evidenced by significantly more positive δ13CDIC values, potentially affect carbonate dissolution in deep karst aquifers, which eventually alters hydraulic properties of karst aquifer. However, more direct evidence is needed to quantify the effects of microbial activity on carbonate dissolution in karst aquifers.
More Related Videos
08:09Wastewater Irrigation Impacts on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity: Coupled Field Sampling and Laboratory Determination of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity
Published on: August 19, 2018
09:11Evaluating the Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing on Streams using Microbial Molecular Signatures
Published on: April 4, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Methods to Assess Microbial Communities
Microenvironments
Microbial Mats
Marine Microbial Ecology
Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Soil Microbial Ecology