PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München

Goldhammer, T.* ; Einsiedl, F. ; Blodau, C.*

In situ determination of sulfate turnover in peatlands: A down-scaled push-pull tracer technique.

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 171, 740-750 (2008)
DOI
Open Access Green as soon as Postprint is submitted to ZB.
Bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) is a key process in anaerobic respiration in wetlands and may have considerable impacts on methane emissions. A method to determine sulfate production and consumption in situ is lacking to date. We applied a single-well, injection-withdrawal tracer test for the in situ determination of potential sulfate turnover in a northern temperate peatland. Piezometers were installed in three peat depth levels (20, 30, and 50 cm) during summer 2004, and three series of injection-withdrawal cycles were carried out over a period of several days. Turnover rates of sulfate, calculated from first-order-reaction constant k (-0.097 to 0.053 h-1) and pore-water sulfate concentrations (approx. 10 μmol L-1), ranged from -1.3 to -9.0 nmol cm-3 d-1 for reduction and from +0.7 to +25.4 nmol cm-2 d-1 for production, which occurred after infiltration of water following a heavy rainstorm. Analysis of stable isotopes in peat-water sulfate revealed slightly increasing δ34S values and decreasing sulfate concentrations indicating the presence of BSR. The calculated low sulfur-fractionation factors of <2‰ are in line with high sulfate-reduction rates during BSR. Routine application will require technical optimization, but the method seems a promising addition to common ex situ techniques, as the investigated soil is not structurally altered. The method can furthermore be applied at low expense even in remote locations. © 2008 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
Altmetric
Additional Metrics?
Edit extra informations Login
Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
Keywords sulfate reduction; sulfur cycling/wetland; carbon mineralization
ISSN (print) / ISBN 1436-8730
e-ISSN 1522-2624
Quellenangaben Volume: 171, Issue: 5, Pages: 740-750 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher Wiley
Publishing Place Weinheim
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed