Hydrogeochemical overview and natural arsenic occurrence in groundwater from alpine springs (upper Valtellina, Northern Italy)

Reyes, Fredy Alexander Peña; Crosta, Giovanni B.; Frattini, Paolo; Basiricò, Stefano; Pergola, Roberto Della

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.08.029

Cited by 28 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In Europe, As in drinking waters represents a risk for humans in different countries like Greece, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Spain (Katsoyiannis et al, 2015), and Ireland (McGrory et al, 2017). Particularly, in Italy As is present in groundwater at concentrations that are above the WHO limit of 10 μg L -1 , due to geological history and substratum rock types, i.e., volcanic rocks in Central Italy and Pleistocene sedimentary rocks in Northern Italy (Mantelli et al, 1999; World Health Organization [WHO], 2001; Ungaro et al, 2008; Carraro et al, 2015; Peña Reyes et al, 2015). Specifically, in South-Eastern part of Lombardy (Po Plain) high levels of As can be measured in groundwaters characterized by low redox and oxygen content, high concentration of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and ammonium (NH 4 ), and by the presence of peat (Rotiroti et al, 2014, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Biodiversity and Arsenic Metabolism of Microbiota Inhabiting Arsenic-Rich Groundwaters in Northern Italy

et al. 2019

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Arsenic contamination of groundwater aquifers is an issue of global concern. Among the affected sites, in several Italian groundwater aquifers arsenic levels above the WHO limits for drinking water are present, with consequent issues of public concern. In this study, for the first time, the role of microbial communities in metalloid cycling in groundwater samples from Northern Italy lying on Pleistocene sediments deriving from Alps mountains has been investigated combining environmental genomics and cultivation approaches. 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed a high number of yet uncultured species, which in some of the study sites accounted for more of the 50% of the total community. Sequences related to arsenic-resistant bacteria (arsenate-reducing and arsenite-oxidizing) were abundant in most of the sites, while arsenate-respiring bacteria were negligible. In some of the sites, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria of the genus Sulfuricurvum accounted for more than 50% of the microbial community, whereas iron-cycling bacteria were less represented. In some aquifers, arsenotrophy, growth coupled to autotrophic arsenite oxidation, was suggested by detection of arsenite monooxygenase ( aioA ) and 1,5-ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBisCO) cbbL genes of microorganisms belonging to Rhizobiales and Burkholderiales . Enrichment cultures established from sampled groundwaters in laboratory conditions with 1.5 mmol L -1 of arsenite as sole electron donor were able to oxidize up to 100% of arsenite, suggesting that this metabolism is active in groundwaters. The presence of heterotrophic arsenic resistant bacteria was confirmed by enrichment cultures in most of the sites. The overall results provided a first overview of the microorganisms inhabiting arsenic-contaminated aquifers in Northern Italy and suggested the importance of sulfur-cycling bacteria in the biogeochemistry of arsenic in these ecosystems. The presence of active arsenite-oxidizing bacteria indicates that biological oxidation of arsenite, in combination with arsenate-adsorbing materials, could be employed for metalloid removal.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Biodiversity and Arsenic Metabolism of Microbiota Inhabiting Arsenic-Rich Groundwaters in Northern Italy

et al. 2019

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“…The study was conducted on the north-facing Castelletto rock glacier (46°29’56’’N, 10°11’26’’E, Figures 1A-C ) in the Upper Valtellina valley, Italian Alps ( Calderoni et al., 1998 ). The region is part of the Austroalpine domain ( Froitzheim et al., 2008 ) and is situated between the Periadriatic and the Engadine tectonic lines ( Peña Reyes et al., 2015 ). Geomorphic surveys of the Castelletto rock glacier indicate a history comprising a glacial expansion during the Late Glacial overprinted by subsequent periglacial and slope processes ( Guglielmin et al., 1994 ; Calderoni et al., 1998 ) which then led to the deposition of slope materials and rock glacier development during the Holocene ( Calderoni et al., 1998 ; Guglielmin et al., 2004 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vessels in a Rhododendron ferrugineum (L.) population do not trace temperature anymore at the alpine shrubline

Piccinelli

Francon²,

Corona³

et al. 2023

Front. Plant Sci.

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IntroductionMean xylem vessel or tracheid area have been demonstrated to represent powerful proxies to better understand the response of woody plants to changing climatic conditions. Yet, to date, this approach has rarely been applied to shrubs.MethodsHere, we developed a multidecadal, annually-resolved chronology of vessel sizes for Rhododendron ferrugineum shrubs sampled at the upper shrubline (2,550 m asl) on a north-facing, inactive rock glacier in the Italian Alps.Results and DiscussionOver the 1960-1989 period, the vessel size chronology shares 64% of common variability with summer temperatures, thus confirming the potential of wood anatomical analyses on shrubs to track past climate variability in alpine environments above treeline. The strong winter precipitation signal recorded in the chronology also confirms the negative effect of long-lasting snow cover on shrub growth. By contrast, the loss of a climate-growth relation signal since the 1990s for both temperature and precipitation, significantly stronger than the one found in radial growth, contrasts with findings in other QWA studies according to which stable correlations between series of anatomical features and climatic parameters have been reported. In a context of global warming, we hypothesize that this signal loss might be induced by winter droughts, late frost, or complex relations between increasing air temperatures, permafrost degradation, and its impacts on shrub growth. We recommend future studies to validate these hypotheses on monitored rock glaciers.

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“…As bearing minerals (Bedogné et al 1993;Burkhard 1989) and other authors highlighted the high concentration background of As in freshwater in other areas of the central Alps (Peña Reyes et al 2015).…”

Section: Source Apportionment For Concerning Ptes: Ni and Asmentioning

confidence: 97%

An integrated interdisciplinary approach to evaluate potentially toxic element sources in a mountainous watershed

Binda

Pozzi

Livio

2019

Environ Geochem Health

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Potentially toxic elements (PTEs; i.e., Cd, Ni, Cr) and their source apportionment in waters are of major environmental concern. Different approaches can be used to evaluate PTEs sources in environment, but single-way approaches are often limited and can easily fail. PTEs sources apportionment should include the evaluation of geochemical background and spatiotemporal trends analyses. We propose an integrated approach and we apply it to a mountain catchment in the italian central Alps, where ultramafic terranes crop out. We collected water and glacial sediment samples during the melting season. Then we analyzed major ions and PTEs in waters, and we quantified the total PTEs load in sediments through acid digestion. Data were then processed through spatial and temporal trends analysis, clustering of variables and the evaluation of partition between the different compartments. We found a high geochemical background of part of the PTEs, consistently with results from other areas worldwide on mafic and ultramafic terranes (high concentrations of Ni, Cr and Fe). Thanks to this integrated approach, an additional atmospheric deposition source for Zn, Cd and Ag has been identified. Also, redundant observations on Cu, As and Pb indicated a possible mixed source. This study elucidates the need of an integrated approach to avoid un-necessary or misleading assumptions in the PTE's source appointment. A single-way approach application, in fact, can fail in understanding element source in a complicated and dynamic compartment like surface water. Response to Reviewers:Dear editor, We would like to thank you for considering our manuscript for publication after major revision to your journal. Thanks to the reviewer and the coordinating editor for their helpful comments. We here address their comments and briefly list the main changes made to our manuscript. We are also grateful to the reviewer for their appreciation of the scientific quality of our manuscript.

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Hydrogeochemical overview and natural arsenic occurrence in groundwater from alpine springs (upper Valtellina, Northern Italy)

Cited by 28 publications

References 20 publications

Exploring Biodiversity and Arsenic Metabolism of Microbiota Inhabiting Arsenic-Rich Groundwaters in Northern Italy

Exploring Biodiversity and Arsenic Metabolism of Microbiota Inhabiting Arsenic-Rich Groundwaters in Northern Italy

Vessels in a Rhododendron ferrugineum (L.) population do not trace temperature anymore at the alpine shrubline

An integrated interdisciplinary approach to evaluate potentially toxic element sources in a mountainous watershed

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