Sources and behavior of arsenic and trace elements in groundwater and surface water in the Poopo Lake Basin, Bolivian Altiplano
Article
Ramos Ramos, Oswaldo Eduardo, Caceres, Luis Fernando, Ormachea Munoz, Mauricio Rodolfo, Bhattacharya, Prosun, Quino, Israel, Quintanilla, Jorge, Sracek, Ondra, Bundschuh, Jochen and Garcia, Maria Eugenia. 2012. "Sources and behavior of arsenic and trace elements in groundwater and surface water in the Poopo Lake Basin, Bolivian Altiplano." Environmental Earth Sciences. 66 (3), pp. 793-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1288-1
| Article Title | Sources and behavior of arsenic and trace elements in groundwater and surface water in the Poopo Lake Basin, Bolivian Altiplano |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 200438 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Ramos Ramos, Oswaldo Eduardo (Author), Caceres, Luis Fernando (Author), Ormachea Munoz, Mauricio Rodolfo (Author), Bhattacharya, Prosun (Author), Quino, Israel (Author), Quintanilla, Jorge (Author), Sracek, Ondra (Author), Bundschuh, Jochen (Author) and Garcia, Maria Eugenia (Author) |
| Journal Title | Environmental Earth Sciences |
| Journal Citation | 66 (3), pp. 793-807 |
| Number of Pages | 15 |
| Year | 2012 |
| Place of Publication | Germany |
| ISSN | 1866-6280 |
| 1866-6299 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1288-1 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-011-1288-1 |
| Abstract | Water management in semiarid and arid catchments such as the Poopo Lake Basin requires improved understanding of the complex behavior of the various contaminants, which affect the drinking water quality and considered as crucial for sustainable development of the region. Mechanisms of arsenic (As) release in the surface and groundwater were studied. Hydrochemical data for surface water (4 samples) and groundwater (28 samples) were collected in a small watershed in the Poopo catchment at the highland of the Bolivian Andes (Altiplano). All of them show high electrical conductivity values and moderately oxidizing conditions. The surface water contains high concentration of sulfate and the trace elements As, Zn and Pb in the zone affected by acid mine drainage. There is a large variability of the concentration of As and of the trace elements in the groundwater in the five different regions within the Poopo catchment. The metal concentrations sensitive to changes of redox state and results of speciation modeling suggest that As (V) is a predominant aqueous species, which conforms to the prevailing oxidizing conditions in the shallow groundwater environment. Two generalized trends for As distribution were identified in groundwater: (a) high concentrations are found in the arid zone (100–250 μg/L) in the southern (region III) and in the northwestern (region V) regions, and (b) low concentrations (<50 μg/L) are found in the remaining part of the basin (region I, II and IV). However, the spatial distribution within these regions needs to be investigated further. A conclusion from the present study is that there are multiple sources of As as well as other trace elements (such as Cd, Mn and Zn) in the Poopo Lake Basin. Among the sources and the processes which led to the mobility of As and other trace metals in the region are: (a) weathering of sulfide minerals, (b) oxidation of pyrite and/or arsenopyrite in mineralized areas and (c) desorption from hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) surfaces. In non-mining areas, volcanic ash is suggested to be a significant source of As. |
| Keywords | Bolivia; Altiplano; groundwater; hydrochemistry; arsenic; trace elements; mobilization; drinking water quality |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 410402. Environmental assessment and monitoring |
| 370302. Inorganic geochemistry | |
| 410406. Natural resource management | |
| 410404. Environmental management | |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden |
| Bolivia Mining Corporation, Bolivia | |
| Higher University of San Andreas, Bolivia | |
| IDI Chemical Specialties, Bolivia | |
| Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic | |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
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