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Shelton SA, Kaushal SS, Mayer PM, Shatkay RR, Rippy MA, Grant SB, Newcomer-Johnson TA. Salty chemical cocktails as water quality signatures: Longitudinal trends and breakpoints along different U.S. streams. Sci Total Environ 2024; 930:172777. [PMID: 38670384 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Along urban streams and rivers, various processes, including road salt application, sewage leaks, and weathering of the built environment, contribute to novel chemical cocktails made up of metals, salts, nutrients, and organic matter. In order to track the impacts of urbanization and management strategies on water quality, we conducted longitudinal stream synoptic (LSS) monitoring in nine watersheds in five major metropolitan areas of the U.S. During each LSS monitoring survey, 10-53 sites were sampled along the flowpath of streams as they flowed along rural to urban gradients. Results demonstrated that major ions derived from salts (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+) and correlated elements (e.g. Sr2+, N, Cu) formed 'salty chemical cocktails' that increased along rural to urban flowpaths. Salty chemical cocktails explained 46.1% of the overall variability in geochemistry among streams and showed distinct typologies, trends, and transitions along flowpaths through metropolitan regions. Multiple linear regression predicted 62.9% of the variance in the salty chemical cocktails using the six following significant drivers (p < 0.05): percent urban land, wastewater treatment plant discharge, mean annual precipitation, percent silicic residual material, percent volcanic material, and percent carbonate residual material. Mean annual precipitation and percent urban area were the most important in the regression, explaining 29.6% and 13.0% of the variance. Different pollution sources (wastewater, road salt, urban runoff) in streams were tracked downstream based on salty chemical cocktails. Streams flowing through stream-floodplain restoration projects and conservation areas with extensive riparian forest buffers did not show longitudinal increases in salty chemical cocktails, suggesting that there could be attenuation via conservation and restoration. Salinization represents a common urban water quality signature and longitudinal patterns of distinct chemical cocktails and ionic mixtures have the potential to track the sources, fate, and transport of different point and nonpoint pollution sources along streams across different regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney A Shelton
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, Geology Building 237, College Park, MD 20742, USA; ORISE Fellow at Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA.
| | - Sujay S Kaushal
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, Geology Building 237, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Paul M Mayer
- Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA.
| | - Ruth R Shatkay
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, Geology Building 237, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Megan A Rippy
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 9408 Prince William St, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
| | - Stanley B Grant
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 9408 Prince William St, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
| | - Tammy A Newcomer-Johnson
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Watershed and Ecosystem Characterization Division, 26 Martin Luther King Dr W, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA.
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Galella JG, Kaushal SS, Mayer PM, Maas CM, Shatkay RR, Inamdar S, Belt KT. Freshwater Salinization Syndrome Alters Nitrogen Transport in Urban Watersheds. Water (Basel) 2023; 15:1-22. [PMID: 38313692 PMCID: PMC10831318 DOI: 10.3390/w15223956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic salt inputs have impacted many streams in the U.S. for over a century. Urban stream salinity is often chronically elevated and punctuated by episodic salinization events, which can last hours to days after snowstorms and the application of road salt. Here, we investigated the impacts of freshwater salinization on total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and NO 3 - / NO 2 - concentrations and fluxes across time in urban watersheds in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metropolitan area of the Chesapeake Bay region. Episodic salinization from road salt applications and snowmelt quickly mobilized TDN in streams likely through soil ion exchange, hydrologic flushing, and other biogeochemical processes. Previous experimental work from other studies has shown that salinization can mobilize nitrogen from sediments, but less work has investigated this phenomenon with high-frequency sensors and targeted monitoring during road salt events. We found that urban streams exhibited elevated concentrations and fluxes of TDN, NO 3 - / NO 2 - , and specific conductance that rapidly peaked during and after winter road salt events, and then rapidly declined afterwards. We observed plateaus in TDN concentrations in the ranges of the highest specific conductance values (between 1000 and 2000 μS/cm) caused by road salt events. Plateaus in TDN concentrations beyond a certain threshold of specific conductance values suggested source limitation of TDN in watersheds (at the highest ranges in chloride concentrations and ranges); salts were likely extracting nitrogen from soils and streams through ion exchange in soils and sediments, ion pairing in soils and waters, and sodium dispersion of soils to a certain threshold level. When watershed transport was compared across land use, including a forested reference watershed, there was a positive relationship between Cl- loads and NO 3 - / NO 2 - loads. This relationship occurred across all sites regardless of land use, which suggests that the mass transport of Cl- and NO 3 - / NO 2 - are likely influenced by similar factors such as soil ion exchange, ion pairing, sodium dispersion of soils, hydrologic flushing, and biogeochemical processes. Freshwater salinization has the potential to alter the magnitude and timing of total dissolved nitrogen delivery to receiving waters during winter months following road salt applications, and further work should investigate the seasonal relationships of N transport with salinization in urban watersheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph G. Galella
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20140, USA
| | - Sujay S. Kaushal
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20140, USA
| | - Paul M. Mayer
- US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Carly M. Maas
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20140, USA
| | - Ruth R. Shatkay
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20140, USA
| | - Shreeram Inamdar
- Water Science and Policy Graduate Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Kenneth T. Belt
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
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Kaushal SS, Likens GE, Mayer PM, Shatkay RR, Shelton SA, Grant SB, Utz RM, Yaculak AM, Maas CM, Reimer JE, Bhide SV, Malin JT, Rippy MA. The Anthropogenic Salt Cycle. Nat Rev Earth Environ 2023; 4:770-784. [PMID: 38515734 PMCID: PMC10953805 DOI: 10.1038/s43017-023-00485-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Increasing salt production and use is shifting the natural balances of salt ions across Earth systems, causing interrelated effects across biophysical systems collectively known as freshwater salinization syndrome. In this Review, we conceptualize the natural salt cycle and synthesize increasing global trends of salt production and riverine salt concentrations and fluxes. The natural salt cycle is primarily driven by relatively slow geologic and hydrologic processes that bring different salts to the surface of the Earth. Anthropogenic activities have accelerated the processes, timescales and magnitudes of salt fluxes and altered their directionality, creating an anthropogenic salt cycle. Global salt production has increased rapidly over the past century for different salts, with approximately 300 Mt of NaCl produced per year. A salt budget for the USA suggests that salt fluxes in rivers can be within similar orders of magnitude as anthropogenic salt fluxes, and there can be substantial accumulation of salt in watersheds. Excess salt propagates along the anthropogenic salt cycle, causing freshwater salinization syndrome to extend beyond freshwater supplies and affect food and energy production, air quality, human health and infrastructure. There is a need to identify environmental limits and thresholds for salt ions and reduce salinization before planetary boundaries are exceeded, causing serious or irreversible damage across Earth systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujay S Kaushal
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Gene E Likens
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Paul M Mayer
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, OR, USA
| | - Ruth R Shatkay
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Sydney A Shelton
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Stanley B Grant
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, USA
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | | | - Alexis M Yaculak
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Carly M Maas
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Jenna E Reimer
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Shantanu V Bhide
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, USA
| | - Joseph T Malin
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Megan A Rippy
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, USA
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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Maas CM, Kaushal SS, Rippy MA, Mayer PM, Grant SB, Shatkay RR, Malin JT, Bhide SV, Vikesland P, Krauss L, Reimer JE, Yaculak AM. Freshwater salinization syndrome limits management efforts to improve water quality. Front Environ Sci 2023; 11:1-20. [PMID: 37841559 PMCID: PMC10568995 DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1106581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater Salinization Syndrome (FSS) refers to groups of biological, physical, and chemical impacts which commonly occur together in response to salinization. FSS can be assessed by the mobilization of chemical mixtures, termed "chemical cocktails", in watersheds. Currently, we do not know if salinization and mobilization of chemical cocktails along streams can be mitigated or reversed using restoration and conservation strategies. We investigated 1) the formation of chemical cocktails temporally and spatially along streams experiencing different levels of restoration and riparian forest conservation and 2) the potential for attenuation of chemical cocktails and salt ions along flowpaths through conservation and restoration areas. We monitored high-frequency temporal and longitudinal changes in streamwater chemistry in response to different pollution events (i.e., road salt, stormwater runoff, wastewater effluent, and baseflow conditions) and several types of watershed management or conservation efforts in six urban watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that chemical cocktails which formed along flowpaths (i.e., permanent reaches of a stream) varied due to pollution events. In response to winter road salt applications, the chemical cocktails were enriched in salts and metals (e.g., Na+, Mn, and Cu). During most baseflow and stormflow conditions, chemical cocktails were less enriched in salt ions and trace metals. Downstream attenuation of salt ions occurred during baseflow and stormflow conditions along flowpaths through regional parks, stream-floodplain restorations, and a national park. Conversely, chemical mixtures of salt ions and metals, which formed in response to multiple road salt applications or prolonged road salt exposure, did not show patterns of rapid attenuation downstream. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate variables that influence changes in chemical cocktails along flowpaths. Attenuation and dilution of salt ions and chemical cocktails along stream flowpaths was significantly related to riparian forest buffer width, types of salt pollution, and distance downstream. Although salt ions and chemical cocktails can be attenuated and diluted in response to conservation and restoration efforts at lower concentration ranges, there can be limitations in attenuation during road salt events, particularly if storm drains bypass riparian buffers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly M. Maas
- Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Sujay S. Kaushal
- Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Megan A. Rippy
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Paul M. Mayer
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Stanley B. Grant
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Ruth R. Shatkay
- Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Joseph T. Malin
- Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Shantanu V. Bhide
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
| | - Peter Vikesland
- The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Lauren Krauss
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
| | - Jenna E. Reimer
- Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Alexis M. Yaculak
- Water Sciences and Policy Graduate Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
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Kaushal SS, Maas CM, Mayer PM, Newcomer-Johnson TA, Grant SB, Rippy MA, Shatkay RR, Leathers J, Gold AJ, Smith C, McMullen EC, Haq S, Smith R, Duan S, Malin J, Yaculak A, Reimer JE, Newcomb KD, Raley AS, Collison DC, Galella JG, Grese M, Sivirichi G, Doody TR, Vikesland P, Bhide SV, Krauss L, Daugherty M, Stavrou C, Etheredge M, Ziegler J, Kirschnick A, England W, Belt KT. Longitudinal stream synoptic monitoring tracks chemicals along watershed continuums: a typology of trends. Front Environ Sci 2023; 11:1-28. [PMID: 37475839 PMCID: PMC10355011 DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1122485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
There are challenges in monitoring and managing water quality due to spatial and temporal heterogeneity in contaminant sources, transport, and transformations. We demonstrate the importance of longitudinal stream synoptic (LSS) monitoring, which can track combinations of water quality parameters along flowpaths across space and time. Specifically, we analyze longitudinal patterns of chemical mixtures of carbon, nutrients, greenhouse gasses, salts, and metals concentrations along 10 flowpaths draining 1,765 km2 of the Chesapeake Bay region. These 10 longitudinal stream flowpaths are drained by watersheds experiencing either urban degradation, forest and wetland conservation, or stream and floodplain restoration. Along the 10 longitudinal stream flowpaths, we monitored over 300 total sampling sites along a combined stream length of 337 km. Synoptic monitoring along longitudinal flowpaths revealed: (1) increasing, decreasing, piecewise, or no trends and transitions in water quality with increasing distance downstream, which provide insights into water quality processes along flowpaths; (2) longitudinal trends and transitions in water quality along flowpaths can be quantified and compared using simple linear and non-linear statistical relationships with distance downstream and/or land use/land cover attributes, (3) attenuation and transformation of chemical cocktails along flowpaths depend on: spatial scales, pollution sources, and transitions in land use and management, hydrology, and restoration. We compared our LSS patterns with others from the global literature to synthesize a typology of longitudinal water quality trends and transitions in streams and rivers based on hydrological, biological, and geochemical processes. Applications of LSS monitoring along flowpaths from our results and the literature reveal: (1) if there are shifts in pollution sources, trends, and transitions along flowpaths, (2) which pollution sources can spread further downstream to sensitive receiving waters such as drinking water supplies and coastal zones, and (3) if transitions in land use, conservation, management, or restoration can attenuate downstream transport of pollution sources. Our typology of longitudinal water quality responses along flowpaths combines many observations across suites of chemicals that can follow predictable patterns based on watershed characteristics. Our typology of longitudinal water quality responses also provides a foundation for future studies, watershed assessments, evaluating watershed management and stream restoration, and comparing watershed responses to non-point and point pollution sources along streams and rivers. LSS monitoring, which integrates both spatial and temporal dimensions and considers multiple contaminants together (a chemical cocktail approach), can be a comprehensive strategy for tracking sources, fate, and transport of pollutants along stream flowpaths and making comparisons of water quality patterns across different watersheds and regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujay S. Kaushal
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Carly M. Maas
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Paul M. Mayer
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Tammy A. Newcomer-Johnson
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Watershed and Ecosystem Characterization Division, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Stanley B. Grant
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Megan A. Rippy
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Ruth R. Shatkay
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | | | - Arthur J. Gold
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
| | - Cassandra Smith
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Evan C. McMullen
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Shahan Haq
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Rose Smith
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Shuiwang Duan
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Joseph Malin
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Alexis Yaculak
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Jenna E. Reimer
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Katie Delaney Newcomb
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Ashley Sides Raley
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Daniel C. Collison
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Joseph G. Galella
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | | | | | - Thomas R. Doody
- Department of Geology, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Peter Vikesland
- The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Shantanu V. Bhide
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
| | - Lauren Krauss
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kenneth T. Belt
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Galella JG, Kaushal SS, Mayer PM, Maas CM, Shatkay RR, Stutzke RA. Stormwater Best Management Practices: Experimental Evaluation of Chemical Cocktails Mobilized by Freshwater Salinization Syndrome. Front Environ Sci 2023; 11:1-20. [PMID: 37234950 PMCID: PMC10208307 DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1020914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater Salinization Syndrome (FSS) refers to the suite of physical, biological, and chemical impacts of salt ions on the degradation of natural, engineered, and social systems. Impacts of FSS on mobilization of chemical cocktails has been documented in streams and groundwater, but little research has focused on the effects of FSS on stormwater best management practices (BMPs) such as: constructed wetlands, bioswales, ponds, and bioretention. However emerging research suggests that stormwater BMPs may be both sources and sinks of contaminants, shifting seasonally with road salt applications. We conducted lab experiments to investigate this premise; replicate water and soil samples were collected from four distinct stormwater feature types (bioretention, bioswale, constructed wetlands and retention ponds) and were used in salt incubation experiments conducted under six different salinities with three different salts (NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2). Increased salt concentrations had profound effects on major and trace element mobilization, with all three salts showing significant positive relationships across nearly all elements analyzed. Across all sites, mean salt retention was 34%, 28%, and 26% for Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ respectively, and there were significant differences among stormwater BMPs. Salt type showed preferential mobilization of certain elements. NaCl mobilized Cu, a potent toxicant to aquatic biota, at rates over an order of magnitude greater than both CaCl2 and MgCl2. Stormwater BMP type also had a significant effect on elemental mobilization, with ponds mobilizing significantly more Mn than other sites. However, salt concentration and salt type consistently had significant effects on mean concentrations of elements mobilized across all stormwater BMPs (p<0.05), suggesting that processes such as ion exchange mobilize metals mobilize metals and salt ions regardless of BMP type. Our results suggest that decisions regarding the amounts and types of salts used as deicers can have significant effects on reducing contaminant mobilization to freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph G Galella
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland College Park, MD 20140
| | - Sujay S Kaushal
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland College Park, MD 20140
| | - Paul M Mayer
- US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment Corvallis, OR 97333
| | - Carly M Maas
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland College Park, MD 20140
| | - Ruth R Shatkay
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland College Park, MD 20140
| | - Robert A Stutzke
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland College Park, MD 20140
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7
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Kaushal SS, Mayer PM, Likens GE, Reimer JE, Maas CM, Rippy MA, Grant SB, Hart I, Utz RM, Shatkay RR, Wessel BM, Maietta CE, Pace ML, Duan S, Boger WL, Yaculak AM, Galella JG, Wood KL, Morel CJ, Nguyen W, Querubin SEC, Sukert RA, Lowien A, Houde AW, Roussel A, Houston AJ, Cacopardo A, Ho C, Talbot-Wendlandt H, Widmer JM, Slagle J, Bader JA, Chong JH, Wollney J, Kim J, Shepherd L, Wilfong MT, Houlihan M, Sedghi N, Butcher R, Chaudhary S, Becker WD. Five state factors control progressive stages of freshwater salinization syndrome. Limnol Oceanogr Lett 2023; 8:190-211. [PMID: 37539375 PMCID: PMC10395323 DOI: 10.1002/lol2.10248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Factors driving freshwater salinization syndrome (FSS) influence the severity of impacts and chances for recovery. We hypothesize that spread of FSS across ecosystems is a function of interactions among five state factors: human activities, geology, flowpaths, climate, and time. (1) Human activities drive pulsed or chronic inputs of salt ions and mobilization of chemical contaminants. (2) Geology drives rates of erosion, weathering, ion exchange, and acidification-alkalinization. (3) Flowpaths drive salinization and contaminant mobilization along hydrologic cycles. (4) Climate drives rising water temperatures, salt stress, and evaporative concentration of ions and saltwater intrusion. (5) Time influences consequences, thresholds, and potentials for ecosystem recovery. We hypothesize that state factors advance FSS in distinct stages, which eventually contribute to failures in systems-level functions (supporting drinking water, crops, biodiversity, infrastructure, etc.). We present future research directions for protecting freshwaters at risk based on five state factors and stages from diagnosis to prognosis to cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujay S. Kaushal
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Paul M. Mayer
- Pacific Ecological Systems Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Corvallis, Oregon
| | - Gene E. Likens
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
| | - Jenna E. Reimer
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Carly M. Maas
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Megan A. Rippy
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, Virginia
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Stanley B. Grant
- Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, The Charles E. Via Jr Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, Virginia
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Ian Hart
- Chatham University, Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Ruth R. Shatkay
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Barret M. Wessel
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Christine E. Maietta
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Michael L. Pace
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Shuiwang Duan
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Walter L. Boger
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Alexis M. Yaculak
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Joseph G. Galella
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Kelsey L. Wood
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Carol J. Morel
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - William Nguyen
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Shane Elizabeth C. Querubin
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Rebecca A. Sukert
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Anna Lowien
- Environmental Science & Policy Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Alyssa Wellman Houde
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Anaïs Roussel
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Andrew J. Houston
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Ari Cacopardo
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Cristy Ho
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | | | - Jacob M. Widmer
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Jairus Slagle
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - James A. Bader
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Jeng Hann Chong
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Jenna Wollney
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Jordan Kim
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Lauren Shepherd
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Matthew T. Wilfong
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Megan Houlihan
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Nathan Sedghi
- Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Rebecca Butcher
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Sona Chaudhary
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - William D. Becker
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
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Kaushal SS, Reimer JE, Mayer PM, Shatkay RR, Maas CM, Nguyen WD, Boger WL, Yaculak AM, Doody TR, Pennino MJ, Bailey NW, Galella JG, Weingrad A, Collison DC, Wood KL, Haq S, Johnson TAN, Duan S, Belt KT. Freshwater Salinization Syndrome Alters Retention and Release of 'Chemical Cocktails' along Flowpaths: from Stormwater Management to Urban Streams. Freshw Sci 2022; 41:420-441. [PMID: 36213200 PMCID: PMC9533665 DOI: 10.1086/721469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We investigate impacts of Freshwater Salinization Syndrome (FSS) on mobilization of salts, nutrients, and metals in urban streams and stormwater BMPs by analyzing original data on concentrations and fluxes of salts, nutrients, and metals from 7 urban watersheds in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. and synthesizing literature data. We also explore future critical research needs through a survey of practitioners and scientists. Our original data show: (1) sharp pulses in concentrations of salt ions and metals in urban streams directly following both road salt events and stream restoration construction (e.g., similar to the way concentrations increase during other soil disturbance activities); (2) sharp declines in pH (acidification) in response to road salt applications due to mobilization of H+ from soil exchange sites by Na+; (3) sharp increases in organic matter from microbial and algal sources (based on fluorescence spectroscopy) in response to road salt applications likely due to lysing cells and/or changes in solubility; (4) significant retention (~30-40%) of Na+ in stormwater BMP sediments and floodplains in response to salinization; (5) increased ion exchange and mobilization of diverse salt ions (Na+, Ca2+, K+, Mg2+), nutrients (N, P), and trace metals (Cu, Sr) from stormwater BMPs and restored streams in response to FSS; (6) downstream increasing loads of Cl-, SO4 2-, Br-, F-, and I- along flowpaths through urban streams, and P release from urban stormwater BMPs in response to salinization, and (7) a significant annual reduction (> 50%) in Na+ concentrations in an urban stream when road salt applications were dramatically reduced, which suggests potential for ecosystem recovery. We compared our original results to published metrics of contaminant retention and release across a broad range of stormwater management BMPs from North America and Europe. Overall, urban streams and stormwater management BMPs consistently retain Na+ and Cl- but mobilize multiple contaminants based on salt types and salinity levels. Finally, we present our top 10 research questions regarding FSS impacts on urban streams and stormwater management BMPs. Reducing diverse 'chemical cocktails' of contaminants mobilized by freshwater salinization is now a priority for effectively and holistically restoring urban waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujay S Kaushal
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Jenna E Reimer
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, Oregon, 97333, USA
| | - Paul M Mayer
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Ruth R Shatkay
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Carly M Maas
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - William D Nguyen
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Walter L Boger
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Alexis M Yaculak
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Thomas R Doody
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Michael J Pennino
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Integrate Environmental Assessment Branch, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20460, USA
| | - Nathan W Bailey
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Joseph G Galella
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Aaron Weingrad
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Daniel C Collison
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Kelsey L Wood
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Shahan Haq
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Tamara A Newcomer Johnson
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Watershed and Ecosystem Characterization Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, USA
| | - Shuiwang Duan
- Department of Geology & Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
| | - Kenneth T Belt
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA
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