CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 116Arsenic contamination and mitigationGroundwater and Isotope GeochemistryMine drainage and remediation techniques

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 4 of the 4 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Advection of surface-derived organic carbon fuels microbial reduction in Bangladesh groundwater

Open access
Mailloux, Brian J., Trembath-Reichert, Elizabeth, Cheung, Jennifer, Watson, Marlena, Stute, Martin, Freyer, Greg A., Ferguson, Andrew S., Ahmed, Kazi Matin, Alam, Md. Jahangir, Buchholz, Bruce A., Thomas, James, Layton, Alice C., Zheng, Yan, Bostick, Benjamin C., van Geen, Alexander·2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1213141110PMC PMC3619377
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) by drinking shallow groundwater causes widespread disease in Bangladesh and neighboring countries. The release of As naturally present in sediment to groundwater has been linked to the reductive dissolution of iron oxides coupled to the microbial respiration of organic carbon (OC). The source of OC driving this microbial reduction—carbon deposited with the sediments or exogenous carbon transported by groundwater—is still debated despite its importance in regulating aquifer redox status and groundwater As levels. Here, we used the radiocarbon ( 14 C) signature of microbial DNA isolated from groundwater samples to determine the relative importance of surface and sediment-derived OC. Three DNA samples collected from the shallow, high-As aquifer and one sample from the underlying, low-As aquifer were consistently younger than the total sediment carbon, by as much as several thousand years. This difference and the dominance of heterotrophic microorganisms implies that younger, surface-derived OC is advected within the aquifer, albeit more slowly than groundwater, and represents a critical pool of OC for aquifer microbial communities. The vertical profile shows that downward transport of dissolved OC is occurring on anthropogenic timescales, but bomb 14 C-labeled dissolved OC has not yet accumulated in DNA and is not fueling reduction. These results indicate that advected OC controls aquifer redox status and confirm that As release is a natural process that predates human perturbations to groundwater flow. Anthropogenic perturbations, however, could affect groundwater redox conditions and As levels in the future.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1213141110

Cites

4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • High concentrations (5-50 mM) of easily bioavailable carbon sources such as acetate, lactate, glucose, polypepton or urea stimulate microbial activity and trigger reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals, with subsequent mobilization of As associated with the minerals.

    “It has been demonstrated both in microcosms as well as in in-situ experiments that high concentrations (5-50 mM) of easily bioavailable carbon sources such as acetate, lactate, glucose, polypepton or urea stimulate microbial activity and trigger the reductive dissolution of Fe(III) minerals, with the subsequent mobilization of As that was associated with the minerals 12,15-20 .”

    From Role of in Situ Natural Organic Matter in Mobilizing As during Microbial Reduction of FeIII-Mineral-Bearing Aquifer Sediments from Hanoi (Vietnam). (2020) · cites this paper as [18]

    Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Most laboratory studies used simple fatty acids or sugars, often at relatively high concentrations, instead of NOM.

    “However, to investigate this process, instead of using NOM, most laboratory studies used simple fatty acids or sugars, often at relatively high concentrations.”

    From Role of in Situ Natural Organic Matter in Mobilizing As during Microbial Reduction of FeIII-Mineral-Bearing Aquifer Sediments from Hanoi (Vietnam). (2020) · cites this paper as [18]

    The Results (Radiocarbon Analysis of DNA; page unavailable) describe an E. coli control grown on acetate, but do not characterize what most laboratory studies used. Searches for fatty acids, sugars, NOM, and high concentrations found no passage comparing laboratory substrates with NOM or reporting their typical concentrations. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 30

  1. M Argos, et al., Arsenic exposure from drinking water, and all-cause and chronic-disease mortalities in Bangladesh (HEALS): A prospective cohort study. Lancet 376, 252–258 (2010). · DOI
  2. CF Harvey, et al., Arsenic mobility and groundwater extraction in Bangladesh. Science 298, 1602–1606 (2002). · DOI · Paper page
  3. RB Neumann, et al., Anthropogenic influences on groundwater arsenic concentrations in Bangladesh. Nat Geosci 3, 46–52 (2010). · DOI
  4. KA Radloff, et al., Arsenic migration to deep groundwater in Bangladesh influenced by adsorption and water demand. Nat Geosci 4, 793–798 (2011). · DOI
  5. JM McArthur, et al., Natural organic matter in sedimentary basins and its relation to arsenic in anoxic ground water: The example of West Bengal and its worldwide implications. Appl Geochem 19, 1255–1293 (2004). · DOI · Paper page
  6. AA Meharg, et al., Codeposition of organic carbon and arsenic in Bengal Delta aquifers. Environ Sci Technol 40, 4928–4935 (2006). · DOI
  7. BP Kelleher, AJ Simpson, Humic substances in soils: Are they really chemically distinct? Environ Sci Technol 40, 4605–4611 (2006). · DOI
  8. J Lehmann, et al., Spatial complexity of soil organic matter forms at nanometre scales. Nat Geosci 1, 238–242 (2008). · DOI
  9. S Fontaine, et al., Stability of organic carbon in deep soil layers controlled by fresh carbon supply. Nature 450, 277–280 (2007). · DOI · Paper page
  10. R Mikutta, M Kleber, MS Torn, R Jahn, Stabilization of soil organic matter: Association with minerals or chemical recalcitrance? Biogeochemistry 77, 25–56 (2006). · DOI
  11. K Eusterhues, C Rumpel, M Kleber, I Kögel-Knabner, Stabilisation of soil organic matter by interactions with minerals as revealed by mineral dissolution and oxidative degradation. Org Geochem 34, 1591–1600 (2003). · DOI
  12. AL Brady, G Slater, B Laval, DS Lim, Constraining carbon sources and growth rates of freshwater microbialites in Pavilion Lake using (14)C analysis. Geobiology 7, 544–555 (2009). · DOI
  13. BR Cowie, BM Greenberg, GF Slater, Determination of microbial carbon sources and cycling during remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil using natural abundance (14)C analysis of PLFA. Environ Sci Technol 44, 2322–2327 (2010). · DOI
  14. GF Slater, HK White, TI Eglinton, CM Reddy, Determination of microbial carbon sources in petroleum contaminated sediments using molecular 14C analysis. Environ Sci Technol 39, 2552–2558 (2005). · DOI
  15. ST Petsch, TI Eglington, KJ Edwards, 14C-dead living biomass: Evidence for microbial assimilation of ancient organic carbon during shale weathering. Science 292, 1127–1131 (2001). · DOI
  16. J Cherrier, JE Bauer, ERM Druffel, RB Coffin, JP Chanton, Radiocarbon in marine bacteria: Evidence for the ages of assimilated carbon. Limnol Oceanogr 44, 730–736 (1999). · DOI
  17. SL McCallister, JE Bauer, JE Cherrier, HW Ducklow, Assessing sources and ages of organic matter supporting river and estuarine bacterial production: A multiple-isotope (Delta C-14, delta C-13, and delta N-15) approach. Limnol Oceanogr 49, 1687–1702 (2004). · DOI
  18. RL Hansman, et al., The radiocarbon signature of microorganisms in the mesopelagic ocean. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106, 6513–6518 (2009). · DOI
  19. KL Spalding, RD Bhardwaj, BA Buchholz, H Druid, J Frisén, Retrospective birth dating of cells in humans. Cell 122, 133–143 (2005). · DOI
  20. RK Dhar, et al., Temporal variability of groundwater chemistry in shallow and deep aquifers of Araihazar, Bangladesh. J Contam Hydrol 99, 97–111 (2008). · DOI
  21. A Horneman, et al., Decoupling of As and Fe release to Bangladesh groundwater under reducing conditions. Part I: Evidence from sediment profiles. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 68, 3459–3473 (2004). · DOI
  22. J Routh, EL Grossman, EM Murphy, R Benner, Characterization and origin of dissolved organic carbon in Yegua ground water in Brazos County, Texas. Ground Water 39, 760–767 (2001). · DOI
  23. I Levin, et al., 25 years of tropospheric C-14 observations in Central-Europe. Radiocarbon 27, 1–19 (1985). · DOI
  24. M Stute, et al., Hydrological control of as concentrations in Bangladesh groundwater. Water Resour Res 43, W09417 (2007). · DOI
  25. HAL Rowland, DA Polya, JR Lloyd, RD Pancost, Characterisation of organic matter in a shallow, reducing, arsenic-rich aquifer, West Bengal. Org Geochem 37, 1101–1114 (2006). · DOI
  26. Z Aziz, et al., Impact of local recharge on arsenic concentrations in shallow aquifers inferred from the electromagnetic conductivity of soils in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Water Resour Res 44, 15 (2008). · DOI
  27. ML Sogin, et al., Microbial diversity in the deep sea and the underexplored “rare biosphere”. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103, 12115–12120 (2006). · DOI
  28. V Acosta-Martínez, S Dowd, Y Sun, V Allen, Tag-encoded pyrosequencing analysis of bacterial diversity in a single soil type as affected by management and land use. Soil Biol Biochem 40, 2762–2770 (2008). · DOI
  29. A van Geen, et al., Spatial variability of arsenic in 6000 tube wells in a 25km2 area of Bangladesh. Water Resour Res 39, 1140 (2003). · DOI
  30. SL Goodbred, SA Kuehl, The significance of large sediment supply, active tectonism, and eustasy on margin sequence development: Late Quaternary stratigraphy and evolution of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. Sedimentary Geology 133, 227–248 (2000). · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Metadata

Authors
Mailloux, B. J., Trembath-Reichert, E., Cheung, J., Watson, M., Stute, M., Freyer, G. A., Ferguson, A. S., Ahmed, K. M., Alam, M. J., Buchholz, B. A., Thomas, J., Layton, A. C., Zheng, Y., Bostick, B. C., & van Geen, A.
Affiliations
  • Barnard College (US)
  • Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027;
  • Columbia University (US)
  • University of Dhaka (BD)
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
  • Desert Research Institute (US)
  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
  • Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (US)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2013-03-04
Volume
110
Issue
14
Pages
5331-5335
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1213141110
PMC
PMC3619377
OpenAlex
W2025711010
Cited by
116
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 3
FWCI
8.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • U.S. Department of Energy (DEAC5207NA27344, AC52‐07NA27344, Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344)
  • Earth Institute, Columbia University
  • Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P42ES010349, ES010349)
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (DE‐AC5207NA27344, Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, AC52-07NA27344)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Arsenic contamination and mitigation
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Mine drainage and remediation techniques
Keywords
arsenic contamination, groundwater, organic carbon, microbial respiration, carbon-14, bomb carbon, microbial DNA, iron oxide reduction, shallow aquifers, Bangladesh
MeSH terms
Arsenic, Bangladesh, Base Sequence, Carbon Radioisotopes, DNA, Molecular Sequence Data, Oxidation-Reduction, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Geologic Sediments, Metagenome, Groundwater

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review