Numbers, biomass and cultivable diversity of microbial populations relate to depth and borehole-specific conditions in groundwater from depths of 4-450 m in Olkiluoto, Finland.

Microbiology, chemistry and dissolved gas in groundwater from Olkiluoto, Finland, were analysed over 3 years; samples came from 16 shallow observation tubes and boreholes from depths of 3.9-16.2 m and 14 deep boreholes from depths of 35-742 m. The average total number of cells (TNC) was 3.9 x 10(5) cells per ml in the shallow groundwater and 5.7 x 10(4) cells per ml in the deep groundwater. There was a significant correlation between the amount of biomass, analysed as ATP concentration, and TNC. ATP concentration also correlated with the stacked output of anaerobic most probable number cultivations of nitrate-, iron-, manganese- and sulphate-reducing bacteria, and acetogenic bacteria and methanogens. The numbers and biomass varied at most by approximately three orders of magnitude between boreholes, and TNC and ATP were positively related to the concentration of dissolved organic carbon. Two depth zones were found where the numbers, biomass and diversity of the microbial populations peaked. Shallow groundwater down to a depth of 16.2 m on average contained more biomass and cultivable microorganisms than did deep groundwater, except in a zone at a depth of approximately 300 m where the average biomass and number of cultivable microorganisms approached those of shallow groundwater. Starting at a depth of approximately 300 m, there were steep gradients of decreasing sulphate and increasing methane concentrations with depth; together with the peaks in biomass and sulphide concentration at this depth, these suggest that anaerobic methane oxidation may be a significant process at depth in Olkiluoto.

Distribution, diversity and activity of microorganisms in the hyper-alkaline spring waters of Maqarin in Jordan.

The hyper-alkaline, high-Ca(2+) springs of Maqarin, Jordan, were investigated as an analogue for various microbial processes at the extremely high pH generated by cement and concrete in some underground radioactive waste repositories. Leaching of metamorphic, cementitious phases in Maqarin has produced current, hyper-alkaline groundwater with a maximum pH of 12.9. Six consecutive expeditions were undertaken to the area during 1994-2000. The total number of microorganisms in the alkaline waters was 10(3)-10(5) cells/ml. Analysis of the 16S-ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) diversity revealed microorganisms mainly belonging to the Proteobacteria. Obvious similarities between the obtained sequences and sequences from other alkaline sites could not be found. Numerous combinations of culture media compositions were inoculated with spring, seepage and groundwaters and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with various carbon sources. Assimilation studies were performed using identical radio-labeled carbon sources. Glucose seemed to be the preferred carbon source for assimilation, followed by acetate, lactate, and leucine. The results demonstrate that microorganisms from the hyper-alkaline springs of Maqarin could grow and be metabolically active under aerobic and anaerobic hyper-alkaline conditions. However, the growth and activity found were not vigorous; instead, slow growth, low numbers, and a generally low metabolic activity were found. This suggests that microbial activity will be low during the hyper-alkaline phase of cementitious repositories.