Metal concentrations in the tissues of the hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus: reflection of different metal sources.

Hydrothermal vent mussels of the genus Bathymodiolus are ideally positioned for the use of recording hydrothermal fluxes at the hydrothermal vent sites they inhabit. Barium, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Sr, and U concentrations in tissue sections of Bathymodiolus mussels from several hydrothermal fields between 15°N and 9°S at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge were determined and compared to the surrounding fluids and solid substrates in the habitats. Elements generally enriched in hydrothermal fluids, such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd, were significantly enriched in the gills and digestive glands of the hydrothermal mussels. The rather small variability of Zn (and Mn) and positive correlation with K and earth alkaline metals may indicate a biological regulation of accumulation. Enrichments of Mo and U in many tissue samples indicate that particulate matter such as hydrothermal mineral particles from the plumes can play a more important role as a metal source than dissolved metals. Highest enrichments of Cu in mussels from the Golden Valley site indicate a relation to the ≥400 °C hot heavy-metal rich fluids emanating in the vicinity. In contrast, mussels from the low-temperature Lilliput field are affected by the Fe oxyhydroxide sediment of their habitat. In a comparison of two different sites within the Logatchev field metal distributions in the tissues reflected small-scale local variations in the metal content of the fluids and the particulate material.

Science, policy, and management of irrigation-induced selenium contamination in california.

Selenium was recognized as an important aquatic contaminant following the identification of widespread deformities in waterfowl at the agricultural drainage evaporation ponds of the Kesterson Reservoir (California) in 1983. Since then, California has been the focal point for global research and management of Se contamination. We analyzed the history and current developments in science, policy, and management of irrigation-induced Se contamination in California. In terms of management, we evaluated the effects of improvements in the design of local attenuation methods (drainage reuse and evaporation ponds) in conjunction with the development of programs for Se load reductions at the regional scale (namely the Grassland Bypass Project). In terms of policy, the USEPA is currently working on site-specific water quality criteria for the San Francisco Bay Delta that may be a landmark for future legislation on Se in natural water bodies. We provide a critical analysis of this approach and discuss challenges and opportunities in expanding it to other locations such as the Salton Sea. Management lessons learned in California and the novel policy approach may help prevent future events of Se contamination.

Spatial patterns and modeling of reductive ferrihydrite transformation observed in artificial soil aggregates.

Within soils, biogeochemical processes controlling elemental cycling are heterogeneously distributed owing, in large part, to the physical complexity of the media. Here we quantify how diffusive mass-transfer limitation at the soil aggregate scale controls the biogeochemical processes governing ferrihydrite reductive dissolution and secondary iron mineral formation. Artificial cm-scale aggregates made of ferrihydrite-coated sand inoculated with iron-reducing bacteria were placed in flow-through reactors, mimicking macro- and microporous soil environments. A reactive transport model was developed to delineate diffusively and advectively controlled regions, identify reaction zones and estimate kinetic parameters. Simulated iron (Fe) breakthrough-curves show good agreement with experimental results for a wide-range of flow rates and input lactate concentrations, with only a limited amount (< or =12%) of Fe lost in the reactor outflow over a 31 day period. Model simulations show substantial intra-aggregate, mm-scale radial variations in the secondary iron phase distributions, reproducing the trends observed experimentally where only limited transformation of ferrihydrite was found near the aggregate surface, whereas extensive formation of goethite/lepidocrocite and minor amounts of magnetite and/or siderite were observed toward the aggregate center. Our study highlights the important control of variations in transport intensities on microbially induced iron transformation at the soil aggregate scale.