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Richard L. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Richard L. Smith.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2009

Multi-scale measurements and modeling of denitrification in streams with varying flow and nitrate concentration in the upper Mississippi River basin, USA

Denitrification is an important net sink for NO 3 − in streams, but direct measurements are limited and in situ controlling factors are not well known. We measured denitrification at multiple scales over a range of flow conditions and NO 3 − concentrations in streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River basin. Comparisons of reach-scale measurements (in-stream mass transport and tracer tests) with local-scale in situ measurements (pore-water profiles, benthic chambers) and laboratory data (sediment core microcosms) gave evidence for heterogeneity in factors affecting benthic denitrification both temporally (e.g., seasonal variation in NO 3 − concentrations and loads, flood-related disruption and re-growth of benthic communities and organic deposits) and spatially (e.g., local stream morphology and sediment characteristics). When expressed as vertical denitrification flux per unit area of streambed ( U denit , in μmol N m −2 h −1 ), results of different methods for a given set of conditions commonly were in agreement within a factor of 2–3. At approximately constant temperature (~20 ± 4°C) and with minimal benthic disturbance, our aggregated data indicated an overall positive relation between U denit (~0–4,000 μmol N m −2 h −1 ) and stream NO 3 − concentration (~20–1,100 μmol L −1 ) representing seasonal variation from spring high flow (high NO 3 − ) to late summer low flow (low NO 3 − ). The temporal dependence of U denit on NO 3 − was less than first-order and could be described about equally well with power-law or saturation equations (e.g., for the unweighted dataset, U denit ≈26 * [NO 3 − ] 0.44 or U denit ≈640 * [NO 3 − ]/[180 + NO 3 − ]; for a partially weighted dataset, U denit ≈14 * [NO 3 − ] 0.54 or U denit ≈700 * [NO 3 − ]/[320 + NO 3 − ]). Similar parameters were derived from a recent spatial comparison of stream denitrification extending to lower NO 3 − concentrations (LINX2), and from the combined dataset from both studies over 3 orders of magnitude in NO 3 − concentration. Hypothetical models based on our results illustrate: (1) U denit was inversely related to denitrification rate constant ( k 1 denit , in day −1 ) and vertical transfer velocity ( v f,denit , in m day −1 ) at seasonal and possibly event time scales; (2) although k 1 denit was relatively large at low flow (low NO 3 − ), its impact on annual loads was relatively small because higher concentrations and loads at high flow were not fully compensated by increases in U denit ; and (3) although NO 3 − assimilation and denitrification were linked through production of organic reactants, rates of NO 3 − loss by these processes may have been partially decoupled by changes in flow and sediment transport. Whereas k 1 denit and v f,denit are linked implicitly with stream depth, NO 3 − concentration, and(or) NO 3 − load, estimates of U denit may be related more directly to field factors (including NO 3 − concentration) affecting denitrification rates in benthic sediments. Regional regressions and simulations of benthic denitrification in stream networks might be improved by including a non-linear relation between U denit and stream NO 3 − concentration and accounting for temporal variation.

Biogeochemistry↗
USGS2008

Microbial and chemical factors influencing methane production in laboratory incubations of low-rank subsurface coals

Lignite and subbituminous coals were investigated for their ability to support microbial methane production in laboratory incubations. Results show that naturally-occurring microorganisms associated with the coals produced substantial quantities of methane, although the factors influencing this process were variable among different samples tested. Methanogenic microbes in two coals from the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA, produced 140.5-374.6 mL CH 4 /kg ((4.5-12.0 standard cubic feet (scf)/ton) in response to an amendment of H 2 /CO 2 . The addition of high concentrations (5-10 mM) of acetate did not support substantive methane production under the laboratory conditions. However, acetate accumulated in control incubations where methanogenesis was inhibited, indicating that acetate was produced and consumed during the course of methane production. Acetogenesis from H 2 /CO 2 was evident in these incubations and may serve as a competing metabolic mode influencing the cumulative amount of methane produced in coal. Two low-rank (lignite A) coals from Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA, demonstrated a comparable level of methane production (131.1-284.0 mL CH4/kg (4.2-9.1 scf/ton)) in the presence of an inorganic nutrient amendment, indicating that the source of energy and organic carbon was derived from the coal. The concentration of chloroform-extractable organic matter varied by almost three orders of magnitude among all the coals tested, and appeared to be related to methane production potential. These results indicate that substrate availability within the coal matrix and competition between different groups of microorganisms are two factors that may exert a profound influence on methanogenesis in subsurface coal beds.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS2007

Isotopic analysis of N and O in nitrite and nitrate by sequential selective bacterial reduction to N2O

Nitrite is an important intermediate species in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, but its role in natural aquatic systems is poorly understood. Isotopic data can be used to study the sources and transformations of NO 2 - in the environment, but methods for independent isotopic analyses of NO 2 - in the presence of other N species are still new and evolving. This study demonstrates that isotopic analyses of N and O in NO 2 - can be done by treating whole freshwater or saltwater samples with the denitrifying bacterium Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens , which selectively reduces NO 2 - to N 2 O for isotope ratio mass spectrometry. When calibrated with solutions containing NO 2 - with known isotopic compositions determined independently, reproducible δ 15 N and δ 18 O values were obtained at both natural-abundance levels (±0.2−0.5‰ for δ 15 N and ±0.4−1.0‰ for δ 18 O) and moderately enriched 15 N tracer levels (±20−50‰ for δ 15 N near 5000‰) for 5−20 nmol of NO 2 - (1−20 μmol/L in 1−5 mL aliquots). This method is highly selective for NO 2 - and was used for mixed samples containing both NO 2 - and NO 3 - with little or no measurable cross-contamination. In addition, mixed samples that were analyzed with S. nitritireducens were treated subsequently with Pseudomonas aureofaciens to reduce the NO 3 - in the absence of NO 2 - , providing isotopic analyses of NO 2 - and NO 3 - separately in the same aliquot. Sequential bacterial reduction methods like this one should be useful for a variety of isotopic studies aimed at understanding nitrogen cycling in aquatic environments. A test of these methods in an agricultural watershed in Indiana provides isotopic evidence for both nitrification and denitrification as sources of NO 2 - in a small stream.

Indiana↗
USGS2007

In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity

There are few methods available for broadly assessing microbial community metabolism directly within a groundwater environment. In this study, hydrogen consumption rates were estimated from in situ injection/withdrawal tests conducted in two geochemically varying, contaminated aquifers as an approach towards developing such a method. The hydrogen consumption first-order rates varied from 0.002 nM h-1 for an uncontaminated, aerobic site to 2.5 nM h-1 for a contaminated site where sulfate reduction was a predominant process. The method could accommodate the over three orders of magnitude range in rates that existed between subsurface sites. In a denitrifying zone, the hydrogen consumption rate (0.02 nM h-1) was immediately abolished in the presence of air or an antibiotic mixture, suggesting that such measurements may also be sensitive to the effects of environmental perturbations on field microbial activities. Comparable laboratory determinations with sediment slurries exhibited hydrogen consumption kinetics that differed substantially from the field estimates. Because anaerobic degradation of organic matter relies on the rapid consumption of hydrogen and subsequent maintenance at low levels, such in situ measures of hydrogen turnover can serve as a key indicator of the functioning of microbial food webs and may be more reliable than laboratory determinations.

FEMS Microbiology Ecology↗
USGS2006

Ammonium transport and reaction in contaminated groundwater: Application of isotope tracers and isotope fractionation studies

Ammonium (NH 4 + ) is a major constituent of many contaminated groundwaters, but its movement through aquifers is complex and poorly documented. In this study, processes affecting NH 4 + movement in a treated wastewater plume were studied by a combination of techniques including large‐scale monitoring of NH 4 + distribution; isotopic analyses of coexisting aqueous NH 4 + , NO 3 − , N 2 , and sorbed NH 4 + ; and in situ natural gradient 15 NH 4 + tracer tests with numerical simulations of 15 NH 4 + , 15 NO 3 − , and 15 N 2 breakthrough data. Combined results indicate that the main mass of NH 4 + was moving downgradient at a rate about 0.25 times the groundwater velocity. Retardation factors and groundwater ages indicate that much of the NH 4 + in the plume was recharged early in the history of the wastewater disposal. NO 3 − and excess N 2 gas, which were related to each other by denitrification near the plume source, were moving downgradient more rapidly and were largely unrelated to coexisting NH 4 + . The δ 15 N data indicate areas of the plume affected by nitrification (substantial isotope fractionation) and sorption (no isotope fractionation). There was no conclusive evidence for NH 4 + ‐consuming reactions (nitrification or anammox) in the anoxic core of the plume. Nitrification occurred along the upper boundary of the plume but was limited by a low rate of transverse dispersive mixing of wastewater NH 4 + and O 2 from overlying uncontaminated groundwater. Without induced vertical mixing or displacement of plume water with oxic groundwater from upgradient sources, the main mass of NH 4 + could reach a discharge area without substantial reaction long after the more mobile wastewater constituents are gone. Multiple approaches including in situ isotopic tracers and fractionation studies provided critical information about processes affecting NH 4 + movement and N speciation.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2006

Ground-water-quality data for a treated-wastewater plume undergoing natural restoration, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

A plume of contaminated ground water extends from former disposal beds at the Massachusetts Military Reservation wastewater-treatment plant toward Ashumet Pond, and farther southward toward coastal ponds and Vineyard Sound, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Treated sewage-derived wastewater was discharged to the rapid-infiltration beds for nearly 60 years before the disposal site was moved to a different location in December 1995. Water-quality samples were collected periodically from monitoring wells and multilevel samplers during and after the disposal period to characterize the nature and extent of the contaminated ground water and to observe the water-quality changes after the wastewater disposal ceased. Data are presented here for water samples collected from 1994 through 2004 from 16 wells (at 2 locations) and 14 multilevel samplers (at 9 locations) along a longitudinal transect that extends through one of the disposal beds. Data collected from the treated-wastewater plume are presented in tabular format. These data include field parameters; concentrations of cations, anions, nitrate, ammonium, and organic and inorganic carbon species; and ultraviolet/visible absorbance. The natural restoration of the sand and gravel aquifer after removal of the nearly 60-year-long treated-wastewater source, along with interpretations of the water quality in the treated-wastewater plume on Cape Cod, have been documented in several published reports that are listed in the references.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2005

Water-quality data from two agricultural drainage basins in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois: I. Lagrangian and synoptic data, 1999-2002

Methods of data collection and results of analyses are presented for Lagrangian and synoptic water-quality data collected from two agricultural drainages, the Iroquois River in northwestern Indiana and Sugar Creek in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois. During six separate sampling trips, in April, June and September 1999, May 2000, September 2001 and April 2002, 152 discrete water samples were collected to characterize the water chemistry over the course of 2 to 4 days on each of these drainages. Data were collected for nutrients, major inorganic constituents, dissolved organic carbon, trace elements, dissolved gases, total bacterial cell counts, chlorophyll- a concentrations, and suspended sediment concentrations. In addition, field measurements of streamflow, pH, specific conductance, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration were made during all trips except April 1999.

Indiana, Illinois↗
USGS2004

Assessing denitrification in groundwater using natural gradient tracer tests with 15N: In situ measurement of a sequential multistep reaction

Denitrification was measured within a nitrate‐contaminated aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, using natural gradient tracer tests with 15 N nitrate. The aquifer contained zones of relatively high concentrations of nitrite (up to 77 μM) and nitrous oxide (up to 143 μM) and has been the site of previous studies examining ground water denitrification using the acetylene block technique. Small‐scale (15–24 m travel distance) tracer tests were conducted by injecting 15 N nitrate and bromide as tracers into a depth interval that contained nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide, and excess nitrogen gas. The timing of the bromide breakthrough curves at down‐gradient wells matched peaks in 15 N abundance above background for nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen gas after more than 40 days of travel. Results were simulated with a one‐dimensional transport model using linked reaction kinetics for the individual steps of the denitrification reaction pathway. It was necessary to include within the model spatial variations in background concentrations of all nitrogen oxide species. The model indicated that nitrite production (0.036–0.047 μmol N (L aquifer) −1 d −1 ) was faster than the subsequent denitrification steps (0.013–0.016 μmol N (L aquifer) −1 d −1 for nitrous oxide and 0.013–0.020 μmol N (L aquifer) −1 d −1 for nitrogen gas) and that the total rate of reaction was slower than indicated by both acetylene block tracer tests and laboratory incubations. The rate of nitrate removal by denitrification was much slower than the rate of transport, indicating that nitrate would migrate several kilometers down‐gradient before being completely consumed.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2004

Changes in ground-water quality near two granular-iron permeable reactive barriers in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1997-2000

Two experimental permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) of granular zero-valent iron were emplaced in the path of a tetrachloroethene plume (the Chemical Spill-10 plume) at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in June 1998. The goal of the field experiment was to achieve emplacement of a granular-iron PRB deeper than attempted before. The PRBs were expected to create a reducing environment and degrade the tetrachloroethene by reductive dechlorination. The goal of the work presented in this report was to observe temporary and sustained changes to the ground-water chemistry downgradient from the PRBs. A hydraulic-fracturing method involving injection of the granular iron with a guar-biopolymer and enzyme slurry was used to install the parallel 30- to 33-foot-wide wall-shaped barriers at a depth of 82 to 113 feet below land surface. An acetic acid and enzyme mixture was subsequently injected in wells near the barriers to degrade the guar biopolymer. Prior to the emplacement, tetrachloroethene concentrations in the Chemical Spill-10 plume at the study area were as high as 250 micrograms per liter. Other water properties in the plume generally were similar to the properties of uncontaminated ground water in the area, which typically has dissolved oxygen concentrations of 250 to 375 micromoles per liter, pH of 5.5 to 6.0, and specific conductance of 60 to 90 microsiemens per centimeter. Water-quality samples were collected periodically from monitoring wells near the PRBs to determine how the emplacement of the granular-iron walls altered the ground-water quality. In addition, an automated well-sampling device measured temperature, specific conductance, pH, and dissolved oxygen every 1–4 days for 16 months in a well downgradient from the two parallel PRBs. Temporary increases (lasting about 5 to 6 months) in specific conductance were observed downgradient from the PRBs as a result of the sodium chloride, potassium carbonate, and other salts included in the slurry and the acetic acid and enzyme mixture that was subsequently injected to degrade the guar biopolymer. Temporary increases in the concentrations of major cations (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) were observed downgradient from the PRBs, as were temporary but substantial increases in the dissolved and total organic carbon concentrations. Methane was detected, sulfate concentrations decreased temporarily, and concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon increased in samples from wells downgradient from the PRBs. A sustained (longer than 12 months) reducing environment, in which dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased to zero, the pH increased to about 6.8, and dissolved iron concentrations increased substantially, developed as a result of the oxidation (corrosion) of the granular iron; this zone persisted at least 65 feet downgradient from the PRBs. The pH and dissolved iron concentrations increased with distance from the granular-iron walls. Concentrations of arsenic, cobalt, manganese, and phosphorus increased, and nitrate concentrations were reduced to below the detection limit downgradient from the walls. A sustained decrease of tetrachloroethene concentrations was not observed; however, reductive dechlorination products were observed at wells downgradient from the PRBs during several rounds of sampling. The emplacement of zero-valent iron in the aquifer to remove tetrachloroethene from the ground water caused changes in the water chemistry that persisted farther downgradient from the PRBs than has been observed at other sites because of the low chemical reactivity of the quartz-dominated aquifer sediments and the low ambient dissolved chemical concentrations in the ground water. The small transverse dispersion in the aquifer and the probable long-term persistence of the iron indicate that the chemically altered zone probably will extend a substantial distance downgradient from the PRBs for a substantial period of time (years); further investigation would be needed to determine this distance.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2003

Big Soda Lake (Nevada). 2. Pelagic sulfate reduction

The epilimnion of hypersaline, alkaline, meromictic Big Soda Lake contains an average 58 mmol sulfate liter −1 and 0.4 µ mol dissolved iron liter −1 . The monimolimnion, which is permanently anoxic, has a sulfide concentration ranging seasonally from 4 to 7 mmol liter −1 . Depth profiles of sulfate reduction in the monimolimnion, assayed with a 35 S tracer technique and in situ incubations, demonstrated that sulfate reduction occurs within the water column of this extreme environment. The average rate of reduction in the monimolimnion was 3 µ mol sulfate liter −1 d −1 in May compared to 0.9 in October. These values are comparable to rates of sulfate reduction reported for anoxic waters of more moderate environments. Sulfate reduction also occurred in the anoxic zone of the mixolimnion, though at significantly lower rates (0.025–0.090 µ mol liter −1 d −1 at 25 m). Additions of FeS (1.0 mmol liter −1 ) doubled the endogenous rate of sulfate reduction in the monimolimnion, while MnS and kaolinite had no effect. These results suggest that sulfate reduction in Big Soda Lake is iron limited and controlled by seasonal variables other than temperature. Estimates of the organic carbon mineralized by sulfate reduction exceed measured fluxes of particulate organic carbon sinking from the mixolimnion. Thus, additional sources of electron donors (other than those derived from the sinking of pelagic autotrophs) may also fuel monimolimnetic sulfate reduction in the lake.

Nevada↗
USGS2003

Phosphorus in a ground-water contaminant plume discharging to Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1999

The discharge of a plume of sewagecontaminated ground water emanating from the Massachusetts Military Reservation to Ashumet Pond on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has caused concern about excessive loading of nutrients, particularly phosphorus, to the pond. The U.S. Air Force is considering remedial actions to mitigate potentially adverse effects on the ecological characteristics of the pond from continued phosphorus loading. Concentrations as great as 3 milligrams per liter of dissolved phosphorus (as P) are in ground water near the pond's shoreline; concentrations greater than 5 milligrams per liter of phosphorus are in ground water farther upgradient. Temporary drive-point wells were used to collect water samples from 2 feet below the pond bottom to delineate concentration distributions in the pore waters of the pond-bottom sediments. Measurements in the field of specific conductance and colorimetrically determined orthophosphate concentrations provided real-time data to guide the sampling. The contaminant plume discharges to the Fishermans Cove area of Ashumet Pond as evidenced by elevated levels of specific conductance and boron, which are chemically conservative indicators of the sewage-contaminated ground water. Concentrations of nonconservative species, such as dissolved phosphorus, manganese, nitrate, and ammonium, also were elevated above background levels in ground water discharging to the pond, but in spatially complex distributions that reflect their distributions in ground water upgradient of the pond. Phosphorus concentrations exceeded background levels (greater than 0.10 milligram per liter) in the pond-bottom pore water along 875 feet of shoreline. Greatest concentrations (greater than 2 milligrams per liter) occurred within 30 feet of the shore in an area about 225 feet long. Calculations of phosphorus flux in the aquifer upgradient of Ashumet Pond, as determined from water-flux estimates from a steady-state ground-water-flow model and phosphorus concentrations (in 1999) from multilevel samplers about 75 feet upgradient of the pond, indicate that dissolved phosphorus moves towards the pond and discharges to it with the inflowing ground water at a rate as high as about 316 kilograms per year.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1998

Using transport model interpretations of tracer tests to study microbial processes in groundwater

It has long been known that microorganisms affect the geochemistry of groundwater. But despite this recognition, little detailed information is available regarding the rates and the factors controlling microbial processes in groundwater. Part of the reason stems from the relatively inaccessible nature of most groundwater and the difficulties encountered in obtaining representative samples of groundwater and subsurface sediments. At the same time, most groundwater systems are nutrient poor or oligotrophic environments in which the resident microorganisms are severely stressed and often nearly inactive. These populations are functioning so slowly that many types of activity measurements designed to assess microbial processes in more productive environments are ineffective for groundwater. However, because groundwater is by far the largest reservoir of freshwater in the world ( Freeze and Cherry 1979 ), our lack of knowledge about groundwater microorganisms and their processes represents a significant void in the study of microbial ecology and in our ability to predict the outcome when these reserves are compromised by contamination.

Book chapter↗
USGS1994

Autotrophic, hydrogen-oxidizing, denitrifying bacteria in groundwater, potential agents for bioremediation of nitrate contamination

Addition of hydrogen or formate significantly enhanced the rate of consumption of nitrate in slurried core samples obtained from an active zone of denitrification in a nitrate-contaminated sand and gravel aquifer (Cape Cod, Mass.). Hydrogen uptake by the core material was immediate and rapid, with an apparent K m of 0.45 to 0.60 μM and a V max of 18.7 nmol cm -3 h -1 at 30°C. Nine strains of hydrogen-oxidizing denitrifying bacteria were subsequently isolated from the aquifer. Eight of the strains grew autotrophically on hydrogen with either oxygen or nitrate as the electron acceptor. One strain grew mixotrophically. All of the isolates were capable of heterotrophic growth, but none were similar to Paracoccus denitrificans , a well-characterized hydrogen-oxidizing denitrifier. The kinetics for hydrogen uptake during denitrification were determined for each isolate with substrate depletion progress curves; the K m s ranged from 0.30 to 3.32 μM, with V max s of 1.85 to 13.29 fmol cell -1 h -1 . Because these organisms appear to be common constituents of the in situ population of the aquifer, produce innocuous end products, and could be manipulated to sequentially consume oxygen and then nitrate when both were present, these results suggest that these organisms may have significant potential for in situ bioremediation of nitrate contamination in groundwater.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1993

Aspects of the biogeochemistry of methane in Mono Lake and the Mono Basin of California

Above-ambient levels of methane and higher hydrocarbons were detected in the atmosphere of the Mono Basin. These gases emanated from several different sources, including natural gas seeps (thermogenic and biogenic), and methanogenic activity in sediments. Seeps were distributed over nearly 33% of the lake bottom and were also present in the exposed former lakebed. They originated from one or more natural gas deposits that underlie the basin. Seeps associated with hot springs had a thermogenic character, whereas the others had the characteristics of bacterially formed gases. The radiocarbon content of methane in all seep gases was low (5-11% modern carbon), indicating an age of greater than about 20,000 years. Dissolved methane increased with depth in the sediments, ultimately reaching saturation levels (1-3 mM). The outward diffusive flux of methane into the anoxic bottom waters elevated concentrations to 60 µM during the 1984-1988 meromictic interval. The radiocarbon content of hypolimnion methane was equivalent to that of the dissolved inorganic carbon (~80% modern carbon), indicating derivation from current methanogenic activity. Oxidation by anaerobic bacteria was the major sink for this methane. Methane that escaped oxidation transited to the epilimnion where it attained supersaturation (0.1-3.0 µM) relative to the atmosphere. Measured outward fluxes over a 2-year period were highly variable, ranging from 0.01 to 4.82 mmoles CH 4 m -2 d -1 . Bacterial activity was detected in the sediments of the hypolimnion High rates of sulfate reduction (~200 µmoles L -1 d -1 ) were measured in the upper 5-cm interval but decreased > 10-fold with depth. The highest rate of methanogenic activity was ~1 µmole L -1 d -1 , as measured by reduction of 14 CO 2 . Bacteria metabolized dimethylsulfide, trimethylamine, acetate, and glucose to primarily CO 2 and some CH 4 . Turnovers of glucose (k = 0.16 d -1 ) and trimethylamine (k = 0.09 d -1 ) were highest in the upper 2.5-cm interval and decreased as much as 10-fold with depth. These results confirm that a low rate of methanogenic activity occurs in this extreme environment and is the source of methane to the hypolimnion.

California↗
USGS1993

Effect of treated-sewage contamination upon bacterial energy charge, adenine nucleotides, and DNA content in a sandy aquifer on Cape Cod

Changes in adenylate energy charge (EC A ) and in total adenine nucleotides (A T ) and DNA content (both normalized to the abundance of free-living, groundwater bacteria) in response to carbon loading were determined for a laboratory-grown culture and for a contaminated aquifer. The latter study involved a 3-km-long transect through a contaminant plume resulting from continued on-land discharge of secondary sewage to a shallow, sandy aquifer on Cape Cod, Mass. With the exception of the most contaminated groundwater immediately downgradient from the contaminant source, DNA and adenylate levels correlated strongly with bacterial abundance and decreased exponentially with increasing distance downgradient. EC A s (0.53 to 0.60) and the ratios of ATP to DNA (0.001 to 0.003) were consistently low, suggesting that the unattached bacteria in this groundwater study are metabolically stressed, despite any eutrophication that might have occurred. Elevated EC A s (up to 0.74) were observed in glucose-amended groundwater, confirming that the metabolic state of this microbial community could be altered. In general, per-bacterium DNA and ATP contents were approximately twofold higher in the plume than in surrounding groundwater, although EC A and per-bacterium levels of A T differed little in the plume and the surrounding uncontaminated groundwater. However, per-bacterium levels of DNA and A T varied six- and threefold, respectively, during a 6-h period of decreasing growth rate for an unidentified pseudomonad isolated from contaminated groundwater and grown in batch culture.

Massachusetts↗