Microplastic accumulation in groundwater: Data-scaled insights and future research.

Given that microplastics (MPs) in groundwater have been concerned for risks to humans and ecosystems with increased publications, a Contrasting Analysis of Scales (CAS) approach is developed by this study to synthesize all existing data into a hierarchical understanding of MP accumulation in groundwater. Within the full data of 386 compiled samples, the median abundance of MPs in Open Groundwater (OG) and Closed Groundwater (CG) were 4.4 and 2.

Hydrochemical and isotopic baselines for understanding hydrological processes across Macquarie Island.

Isotopic and hydrochemical data from lakes provide direct information on catchment response to changing rainfall, evaporation, nutrient cycling, and the health of ecosystems. These techniques have not been widely applied to lakes in the Southern Hemisphere high latitudes, including Southern Ocean Islands (SOIs) experiencing rapid, significant shifts in climate. Historical work has highlighted the localised nature of geochemical drivers in controlling the hydrochemical evolution of lakes, such as geology, sea spray contribution, vegetation, geographical location, and ice cover extent.

A new conceptual framework for the transformation of groundwater dissolved organic matter.

Groundwater comprises 95% of the liquid fresh water on Earth and contains a diverse mix of dissolved organic matter (DOM) molecules which play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. Currently, the storage times and degradation pathways of groundwater DOM are unclear, preventing an accurate estimate of groundwater carbon sources and sinks for global carbon budgets. Here we reveal the transformations of DOM in aging groundwater using ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry combined with radiocarbon dating.

The water chemistry and microbiome of household wells in Medawachchiya, Sri Lanka, an area with high prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu).

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown etiology (CKDu) mostly affects agricultural communities in Central America, South Asia, Africa, but likely also in North America and Australia. One such area with increased CKDu prevalence is the Medawachchiya District Secretariat Division of the Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Recent research has focused on the presence of various microbial pathogens in drinking water as potential causal or contributing factors to CKDu, yet no study to date has performed a more comprehensive microbial and water chemistry assessment of household wells used for domestic water supply in areas of high CKDu prevalence.

Characterisation of groundwater dissolved organic matter using LCOCD: Implications for water treatment.

The polarity and molecular weight of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important factor determining the treatability of water for domestic supply. DOM in surface water and groundwater is comprised of a mixture of carbon with varying molecular weight ranges, with its composition driven by DOM sources and processing. Here, we present the largest dataset of chromatographic DOM in surface and groundwater samples (n = 246) using liquid chromatography organic carbon detection (LCOCD).

Changes in groundwater dissolved organic matter character in a coastal sand aquifer due to rainfall recharge.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in groundwater is fundamentally important with respect to biogeochemical reactions, global carbon cycling, heavy metal transport, water treatability and potability. One source of DOM to groundwater is from the transport of organic matter from the vadose zone by rainfall recharge. Changes in precipitation patterns associated with natural climate variability and climate change are expected to alter the load and character of organic matter released from these areas, which ultimately impacts on groundwater quality and DOM treatability.