Geochemical behavior of heavy metals and radionuclides in a pit lake affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) in the Muskau Arch (Poland).

Autor: Sekudewicz I; Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00818 Warszawa, Twarda 51/55, Poland. Electronic address: i.sekudewicz@twarda.pan.pl., Syczewski M; Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany., Rohovec J; Institute of Geology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 16500 Praha, Rozvojová 269, Czech Republic., Matoušková Š; Institute of Geology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 16500 Praha, Rozvojová 269, Czech Republic., Kowalewska U; Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00818 Warszawa, Twarda 51/55, Poland., Blukis R; Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung, Max-Born-Str. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany., Geibert W; Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany., Stimac I; Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany., Gąsiorowski M; Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00818 Warszawa, Twarda 51/55, Poland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Jan 15; Vol. 908, pp. 168245. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 02.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168245
Abstrakt: Pit lakes in the 'anthropogenic lake district' in the Muskau Arch (western Poland; central Europe) are strongly affected by acid mine drainage (AMD). The studied acidic pit lake, ŁK-61 (pH <3), is also exposed to floods due to its location in the flood hazard area, which may significantly influence the geochemical behavior of elements. The elemental compositions of water and lake sediment samples were measured with ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The sediment profile was also examined for 137 Cs and 210 Po activity concentrations using gamma and alpha spectrometry, respectively. Grain size distribution, mineralogical composition, diatoms, and organic matter content in the collected core were also determined. The key factors responsible for the distribution of selected heavy metals (e.g., Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and radioisotopes ( 137 Cs and 210 Po) in the bottom sediments of Lake ŁK-61 are their coprecipitation/precipitation with Fe and Al secondary minerals and their sorption onto authigenic and allogenic phases. These processes are likely driven by the lake tributary, which is an important source of dissolved elements. The data also showed that the physiochemical parameters of Lake ŁK-61 water changed during an episodic depositional event, i.e., the flood of the Nysa Łużycka River in the summer of 2010. The flood caused an increase in the water pH, as interpreted from the subfossil diatom studies. The down-core profiles of the studied heavy metal and radionuclide (HMRs) contents were probably affected by this depositional event, which prevented a detailed age determination of the collected lake sediments with 137 Cs and 210 Pb dating methods. Geochemical modeling indicates that the flood-related shift in the physicochemical parameters of the lake water could have caused the scavenging of dissolved elements by the precipitation of fresh secondary minerals. Moreover, particles contaminated with HMRs have also possibly been delivered by the river, along with the nutrients (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen).
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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