2017
Author(s): Das N, Sarma KP, Patel AK, Deka JP, Das A, Kumar A, Shea PJ, Kumar M
Arsenic (As) and fluoride (F-) in groundwater are increasing global water quality and public health concerns. The present study provides a deeper understanding of the impact of seasonal change on the co-occurrence of As and F-, as both contaminants vary with climatic patterns. Groundwater samples were collected in pre- and post-monsoon seasons (n = 40 in each season) from the Brahmaputra flood plains (BFP) in northeast India to study the effect of season on As and F- levels. Weathering is a key hydrogeochemical process in the BFP and both silicate and carbonate weathering are enhanced in the post-monsoon season. The increase in carbonate weathering is linked to an elevation in pH during the post-monsoon season. A Piper diagram revealed that bicarbonate-type water, with Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ cations, is common in both seasons. Correlation between Cl- and NO3- (r = 0.74, p = 0.01) in the post-monsoon indicates mobilization of anthropogenic deposits during the rainy season. As was within the 10 mu g L-1 WHO limit for drinking water and F- was under the 1.5 mu g L-1 limit. A negative correlation between oxidation reduction potential and groundwater As in both seasons (r = -0.26 and -0.49, respectively, for pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, p = 0.05) indicates enhanced As levels due to prevailing reducing conditions. Reductive hydrolysis of Fe (hydr) oxides appears to be the predominant process of As release, consistent with a positive correlation between As and Fe in both seasons (r = 0.75 and 0.73 for pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively, at p = 0.01). Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed grouping of Fe and As in both seasons. F- and sulfate were also clustered during the pre-monsoon season, which could be due to their similar interactions with Fe (hydr) oxides. Higher As levels in the post-monsoon appears driven by the influx of water into the aquifer, which drives out oxygen and creates a more reducing condition suitable for reductive dissolution of Fe (hydr) oxides. An increase in pH promotes desorption of As oxyanions AsO43- (arsenate) and AsO33- (arsenite) from Fe (hydr) oxide surfaces. Fluoride appears mainly released from F--bearing minerals, but Fe (hydr) oxides can be a secondary source of F-, as suggested by the positive correlation between As and F- in the pre-monsoon season.
DOI: 10.1007/s12665-017-6488-x
Journal: Environmental Earth Sciences