Using chemical, microbial and fluorescence techniques to understand contaminant sources and pathways to wetlands in a conservation site

Nutrients and faecal contaminants can enter wetland systems in a number of ways, with both biological and potentially human-health implications. In this study we used a combination of inorganic chemistry, dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluorescence and Escherichia coli and total coliform (TC) count...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2015-04, Vol.511, p.703-710
Main Authors: Rhymes, J., Jones, L., Lapworth, D.J., White, D., Fenner, N., McDonald, J.E., Perkins, T.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Bacteria
Conservation
Conservation of Natural Resources
Contaminants
Dissolved organic matter fluorescence
Dune slacks
Ecosystem
Ecosystem service
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - growth & development
Faecal indicator bacteria
Fluorescence
Groundwater
Nitrates - analysis
Nutrients
Pathways
Sand dunes
Water chemistry
Water Microbiology
Water Pollutants - analysis
Wetlands
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Summary:Nutrients and faecal contaminants can enter wetland systems in a number of ways, with both biological and potentially human-health implications. In this study we used a combination of inorganic chemistry, dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluorescence and Escherichia coli and total coliform (TC) count techniques to study the sources and multiple pathways of contamination affecting a designated sand dune site of international conservation importance, surrounded by agricultural land. Analysis of stream samples, groundwater and dune slack wetlands revealed multiple input pathways. These included riverbank seepage, runoff events and percolation of nutrients from adjacent pasture into the groundwater, as well as some on-site sources. The combined techniques showed that off-site nutrient inputs into the sand dune system were primarily from fertilisers, revealed by high nitrate concentrations, and relatively low tryptophan-like fulvic-like ratios
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.085