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  • 1
    Publication Date: 2013-11-14
    Description: A microbial survey of hydrocarbon-impacted groundwater and vadose zone at a Midwestern refinery employed molecular biological tools to elucidate the microbial processes involved in bioremediation occurring in the subsurface. qPCR analysis of bio-traps incubated in groundwater indicated that a large and diverse microbial community was present throughout the site and suggested that mechanisms of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) biodegradation included aerobic oxidation, sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, and possibly Fe +3 reduction. To assess the role of vadose zone microorganisms in hydrocarbon attenuation, RNA was extracted from soil core samples, and reverse transcriptase-qPCR (RT-qPCR) analysis indicated that microbial activity in the vadose zone generally increased with depth, likely supported by hydrocarbons and methane volatilizing from the groundwater. Stable isotope probing (SIP) with 13 C 6 -benzene provided direct evidence of benzene biodegradation in six of the eight wells studied. The highest levels of 13 C were detected in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) extracted from the two monitoring wells closest to the river. The influx of nutrients and oxygen coming from the river may help to maintain a robust population of hydrocarbon degraders in these wells. While qPCR analysis indicated that microorganisms with the genetic potential for hydrocarbon biodegradation were ubiquitous at the site, RT-qPCR and SIP results were used to refine the site conceptual model by identifying areas where that genetic potential was actively being expressed and locations where biodegradation was lagging.
    Print ISSN: 1069-3629
    Electronic ISSN: 1745-6592
    Topics: Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering , Geosciences
    Published by Wiley-Blackwell
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  • 2
    Publication Date: 2024-02-07
    Description: First reported in the 1960s, offshore freshened groundwater (OFG) has now been documented in most continental margins around the world. In this review we compile a database documenting OFG occurrences and analyse it to establish the general characteristics and controlling factors. We also assess methods used to map and characterise OFG, identify major knowledge gaps and propose strategies to address them. OFG has a global volume of 1 million km3; it predominantly occurs within 55 km of the coast and down to a water depth of 100 m. OFG is mainly hosted within siliciclastic aquifers on passive margins and recharged by meteoric water during Pleistocene sea‐level lowstands. Key factors influencing OFG distribution are topography‐driven flow, salinisation via haline convection, permeability contrasts, and the continuity/connectivity of permeable and confining strata. Geochemical and stable isotope measurements of pore waters from boreholes have provided insights into OFG emplacement mechanisms, while recent advances in seismic reflection, electromagnetic surveys and mathematical models have improved our understanding of OFG geometry and controls. Key knowledge gaps, such as the extent and function of OFG, and the timing of their emplacement, can be addressed by the application of isotopic age tracers, joint inversion of electromagnetic and seismic reflection data, and development of three‐dimensional hydrological models. We show that such advances, combined with site‐specific modelling, are necessary to assess the potential use of OFG as an unconventional source of water and its role in sub‐seafloor geomicrobiology.
    Type: Article , PeerReviewed
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  • 3
    Publication Date: 2013-10-04
    Description: Although the anaerobic biodegradation of methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE) and tert -butyl alcohol (TBA) has been documented in the laboratory and the field, knowledge of the microorganisms and mechanisms involved is still lacking. In this study, DNA-stable isotope probing (SIP) was used to identify microorganisms involved in anaerobic fuel oxygenate biodegradation in a sulfate-reducing MTBE and TBA plume. Microorganisms were collected in the field using Bio-Sep® beads amended with 13 C 5 -MTBE, 13 C 1 -MTBE (only methoxy carbon labeled), or 13 C 4 -TBA. 13 C-DNA and 12 C-DNA extracted from the Bio-Sep beads were cloned and 16S rRNA gene sequences were used to identify the indigenous microorganisms involved in degrading the methoxy group of MTBE and the tert -butyl group of MTBE and TBA. Results indicated that microorganisms were actively degrading 13 C-labeled MTBE and TBA in situ and the 13 C was incorporated into their DNA. Several sequences related to known MTBE- and TBA-degraders in the Burkholderiales and the Sphingomonadales orders were detected in all three 13 C clone libraries and were likely to be primary degraders at the site. Sequences related to sulfate-reducing bacteria and iron-reducers, such as Geobacter and Geothrix , were only detected in the clone libraries where MTBE and TBA were fully labeled with 13 C, suggesting that they were involved in processing carbon from the tert -butyl group. Sequences similar to the Pseudomonas genus predominated in the clone library where only the methoxy carbon of MTBE was labeled with 13 C. It is likely that members of this genus were secondary degraders cross-feeding on 13 C-labeled metabolites such as acetate.
    Print ISSN: 1069-3629
    Electronic ISSN: 1745-6592
    Topics: Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering , Geosciences
    Published by Wiley-Blackwell
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  • 4
    Publication Date: 2021-07-04
    Description: First reported in the 1960s, offshore freshened groundwater (OFG) has now been documented in most continental margins around the world. In this review we compile a database documenting OFG occurrences and analyze it to establish the general characteristics and controlling factors. We also assess methods used to map and characterize OFG, identify major knowledge gaps, and propose strategies to address them. OFG has a global volume of 1 × 106 km3; it predominantly occurs within 55 km of the coast and down to a water depth of 100 m. OFG is mainly hosted within siliciclastic aquifers on passive margins and recharged by meteoric water during Pleistocene sea level lowstands. Key factors influencing OFG distribution are topography‐driven flow, salinization via haline convection, permeability contrasts, and the continuity/connectivity of permeable and confining strata. Geochemical and stable isotope measurements of pore waters from boreholes have provided insights into OFG emplacement mechanisms, while recent advances in seismic reflection profiling, electromagnetic surveying, and numerical models have improved our understanding of OFG geometry and controls. Key knowledge gaps, such as the extent and function of OFG, and the timing of their emplacement, can be addressed by the application of isotopic age tracers, joint inversion of electromagnetic and seismic reflection data, and development of three‐dimensional hydrological models. We show that such advances, combined with site‐specific modeling, are necessary to assess the potential use of OFG as an unconventional source of water and its role in sub‐seafloor geomicrobiology.
    Description: Plain Language Summary: This review paper considers offshore freshened groundwater (OFG), which is water hosted in sediments and rocks below the seafloor, with a total dissolved solid concentration lower than seawater. We have compiled 〉300 records to demonstrate that freshened groundwater occurs offshore on most continents around the world and has a global volume of 1 × 106 km3. The majority of OFG was deposited when sea level was lower than today and is hosted in sandy sub‐seafloor layers that are located within 55 km of coasts in water depths less than 100 m. We present a range of geochemical, geophysical, and modeling approaches that have successfully been used to investigate OFG systems. We also propose approaches to address key scientific questions related to OFG, including whether it may be used as an unconventional source of potable water in coastal areas.
    Description: Key Points: Most known OFG is located at water depths of 〈100 m within 55 km of the coast, hosted in siliciclastic aquifers in passive margins. Key gaps in knowledge include the extent and function of OFG systems, as well as the mechanism and timing of emplacement. Isotopic tracers, jointly inverted geophysical data and 3‐D hydrological models can help address these knowledge gaps.
    Description: EC | H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (ERC) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010663
    Description: National Science Foundation (NSF) http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001
    Keywords: 551 ; offshore freshened groundwater ; continental margin ; marine hydrogeology ; geochemistry ; geophysics ; modeling
    Type: article
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  • 5
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2013. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 14 (2013): 1685–1692, doi:10.1002/ggge.20103.
    Description: Our knowledge of magma dynamics would be improved if geophysical data could be used to infer rheological constraints in melt-bearing zones. Geophysical images of the Earth's interior provide frozen snapshots of a dynamical system. However, knowledge of a rheological parameter such as viscosity would constrain the time-dependent dynamics of melt bearing zones. We propose a model that relates melt viscosity to electrical conductivity for naturally occurring melt compositions (including H2O) and temperature. Based on laboratory measurements of melt conductivity and viscosity, our model provides a rheological dimension to the interpretation of electromagnetic anomalies caused by melt and partially molten rocks (melt fraction ~ 〉0.7).
    Description: We acknowledge partial support under NASA USRA subaward 02153–04, NSF EAR 0739050, and the ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) Exploration Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
    Description: 2013-12-12
    Keywords: Electrical conductivity ; Magnetotellurics ; Viscosity ; Silicate melts ; Magma mixing
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: text/plain
    Format: application/msword
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  • 6
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 16 (2015): 2582–2597, doi:10.1002/2015GC005927.
    Description: The portion of the Central American margin that encompasses Nicaragua is considered to represent an end-member system where multiple lines of evidence point to a substantial flux of subducted fluids. The seafloor spreading fabric of the incoming Cocos plate is oriented parallel to the trench such that flexural bending at the outer rise optimally reactivates a dense network of normal faults that extend several kilometers into the upper mantle. Bending faults are thought to provide fluid pathways that lead to serpentinization of the upper mantle. While geophysical anomalies detected beneath the outer rise have been interpreted as broad crustal and upper mantle hydration, no observational evidence exists to confirm that bending faults behave as fluid pathways. Here we use seafloor electromagnetic data collected across the Middle America Trench (MAT) offshore of Nicaragua to create a comprehensive electrical resistivity image that illuminates the infiltration of seawater along bending faults. We quantify porosity from the resistivity with Archie's law and find that our estimates for the abyssal plain oceanic crust are in good agreement with independent observations. As the Cocos crust traverses the outer rise, the porosity of the dikes and gabbros progressively increase from 2.7% and 0.7% to 4.8% and 1.7%, peaking within 20 km of the trench axis. We conclude that the intrusive crust subducts twice as much pore water as previously thought, significantly raising the flux of fluid to the seismogenic zone and the mantle wedge.
    Description: This work was supported by National Science Foundation grants OCE-0841114 and OCE-0840894, and the Seafloor Electromagnetic Methods Consortium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
    Description: 2016-02-16
    Keywords: Subduction zones ; Fluids ; Oceanic crust ; Bending faults
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
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  • 7
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 18 (2017): 676–696, doi:10.1002/2016GC006667.
    Description: Tectonic plate motion and mantle dynamics processes are heavily influenced by the characteristics of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), yet this boundary remains enigmatic regarding its properties and geometry. The processes involved in rifting at passive margins result in substantial alteration of the lithosphere through the transition from continental to oceanic lithologies. Here we employ marine magnetotelluric (MT) data acquired along a ∼135 km long profile, offshore Martha's Vineyard, New England, USA, to image the electrical conductivity structure beneath the New England continental margin for the first time. We invert the data using two different MT 2-D inversion algorithms and present a series of models that are obtained using three different parameterizations: fully unconstrained, unconstrained with an imposed LAB discontinuity and a priori constrained lithosphere resistivity. This suite of models infers variability in the depth of the LAB, with an average depth of 115 km at the eastern North America passive margin. Models robustly detect a ∼350 Ωm lithospheric anomalous conductivity zone (LACZ) that extends vertically through the entire lithosphere. Our preferred conductivity model is consistent with regional P-to-S receiver function data, shear-wave velocity, gravity anomalies, and prominent geological features. We propose that the LACZ is indicative of paleolithospheric thinning, either resulting from kimberlite intrusions associated with rifting and the New England Great Meteor hot spot track, or from shear-driven localized deformation related to rifting.
    Description: NSF Grant Number: OCE-0958878, OCE-1459035, OCE-1458392, and OCE-1536161
    Description: 2017-08-25
    Keywords: Lithosphere-asthensphere boundary (LAB) ; Magnetotelluric (MT) ; 2-D MT inversion ; Conductivity structure ; Kimberlite intrusion ; Shear-driven deformation
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
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  • 8
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: Author Posting. © The Authors, 2019. This article is posted here by permission of The Royal Astronomical Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Journal International 218(3), (2019): 1822-1837, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggz253.
    Description: Joint inversion of multiple electromagnetic data sets, such as controlled source electromagnetic and magnetotelluric data, has the potential to significantly reduce uncertainty in the inverted electrical resistivity when the two data sets contain complementary information about the subsurface. However, evaluating quantitatively the model uncertainty reduction is made difficult by the fact that conventional inversion methods—using gradients and model regularization—typically produce just one model, with no associated estimate of model parameter uncertainty. Bayesian inverse methods can provide quantitative estimates of inverted model parameter uncertainty by generating an ensemble of models, sampled proportional to data fit. The resulting posterior distribution represents a combination of a priori assumptions about the model parameters and information contained in field data. Bayesian inversion is therefore able to quantify the impact of jointly inverting multiple data sets by using the statistical information contained in the posterior distribution. We illustrate, for synthetic data generated from a simple 1-D model, the shape of parameter space compatible with controlled source electromagnetic and magnetotelluric data, separately and jointly. We also demonstrate that when data sets contain complementary information about the model, the region of parameter space compatible with the joint data set is less than or equal to the intersection of the regions compatible with the individual data sets. We adapt a trans-dimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for jointly inverting multiple electromagnetic data sets for 1-D earth models and apply it to surface-towed controlled source electromagnetic and magnetotelluric data collected offshore New Jersey, USA, to evaluate the extent of a low salinity aquifer within the continental shelf. Our inversion results identify a region of high resistivity of varying depth and thickness in the upper 500 m of the continental shelf, corroborating results from a previous study that used regularized, gradient-based inversion methods. We evaluate the joint model parameter uncertainty in comparison to the uncertainty obtained from the individual data sets and demonstrate quantitatively that joint inversion offers reduced uncertainty. In addition, we show how the Bayesian model ensemble can subsequently be used to derive uncertainty estimates of pore water salinity within the low salinity aquifer.
    Description: We gratefully acknowledge funding support from National Science Foundation grants 1458392 and 1459035. We thank the captain and crew of the R.V. Marcus G. Langseth for a successful cruise and the Marine EM Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography for providing the instrumentation. We also thank Chris Armerding, Marah Dahn, John Desanto, Jimmy Elsenbeck, Matt Folsom, Keiichi Ishizu, Jeff Pepin, Charlotte Wiman and Georgie Zelenak for participating in the cruise. We gratefully acknowledge Alberto Malinverno for the idea to use a Monte Carlo scheme to estimate the distribution of pore fluid salinity, and William Menke for many constructive conversations and suggestions.
    Keywords: Controlled source electromagnetics (CSEM) ; Joint inversion ; Magnetotellurics ; Statistical methods ; Marine electromagnetics ; Probability distributions
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
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  • 9
    Publication Date: 2022-05-27
    Description: © The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Micallef, A., Person, M., Berndt, C., Bertoni, C., Cohen, D., Dugan, B., Evans, R., Haroon, A., Hensen, C., Jegen, M., Key, K., Kooi, H., Liebetrau, V., Lofi, J., Mailloux, B. J., Martin-Nagle, R., Michael, H. A., Mueller, T., Schmidt, M., Schwalenberg, K., Trembath-Reichert, E., Weymer, B., Zhang, Y., & Thomas, A. T. Offshore freshened groundwater in continental margins. Reviews of Geophysics, 59(1), (2021): e2020RG000706, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000706.
    Description: First reported in the 1960s, offshore freshened groundwater (OFG) has now been documented in most continental margins around the world. In this review we compile a database documenting OFG occurrences and analyze it to establish the general characteristics and controlling factors. We also assess methods used to map and characterize OFG, identify major knowledge gaps, and propose strategies to address them. OFG has a global volume of 1 × 106 km3; it predominantly occurs within 55 km of the coast and down to a water depth of 100 m. OFG is mainly hosted within siliciclastic aquifers on passive margins and recharged by meteoric water during Pleistocene sea level lowstands. Key factors influencing OFG distribution are topography-driven flow, salinization via haline convection, permeability contrasts, and the continuity/connectivity of permeable and confining strata. Geochemical and stable isotope measurements of pore waters from boreholes have provided insights into OFG emplacement mechanisms, while recent advances in seismic reflection profiling, electromagnetic surveying, and numerical models have improved our understanding of OFG geometry and controls. Key knowledge gaps, such as the extent and function of OFG, and the timing of their emplacement, can be addressed by the application of isotopic age tracers, joint inversion of electromagnetic and seismic reflection data, and development of three-dimensional hydrological models. We show that such advances, combined with site-specific modeling, are necessary to assess the potential use of OFG as an unconventional source of water and its role in sub-seafloor geomicrobiology.
    Description: This study has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC), under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 677898 (MARCAN) to A. M.) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF FRES 1925974 to M. P.; NSF OCE 0824368 to B. D.; and NSF EAR 1151733 to H. A. M.). T. M., B. W. and Y. Z. were funded by the SMART project through the Helmholtz European Partnering Initiative (Project ID Number PIE-0004) involving GEOMAR and the University of Malta.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
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  • 10
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 17 (2016): 4495–4516, doi:10.1002/2016GC006556.
    Description: At convergent margins, the distribution of fluids released from the downgoing slab modulates the state of stress and seismic coupling at the megathrust plate interface. However, existing geophysical data are unable to quantify the porosity along this interface. Here we use controlled-source electromagnetic data collected across the Middle America Trench offshore Nicaragua to image the electrical conductivity structure of the outer fore arc. Our results detect a highly conductive channel, inferred to be the region around the décollement, showing the entire section of water-rich seafloor sediments underthrust with the subducting lithosphere. We use an empirical model of the electrical conductivity of porous media to quantify the channel porosity. Our estimates are consistent with sediment compaction studies, showing a rapid decay of 65%–10% porosity from the trench to 25 km landward. We constrain the channel thickness and use the porosity estimates to determine the water budget, which represents the fraction taken up by fluid. The porosity and water budget estimates show significant lateral variations that we attribute to changes in subducted sediment thickness caused by outer rise bending faults. Between 18 and 23 km from the trench, the conductive channel broadens greatly to 1.5–2 km thick, possibly due to concentrated blind faults or sediment underplating, which suggests a sudden change in hydrogeologic structure at the plate interface. The impact of the anomalous conductor on the seismic coupling and mechanical properties of the megathrust is potentially related to the discrepancy in estimated fault slip between seismic and tsunami source inversions for the 1992 Nicaragua tsunami earthquake.
    Description: National Science Foundation Grant Numbers: OCE-0841114 , OCE-0840894; Scripps Institution of Oceanography
    Description: 2017-05-16
    Keywords: Subduction zone ; Electrical conductivity ; Fluids ; Megathrust ; Fore arc
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
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