Ana-Maria Blebea-Apostu, Mariana Claudia Gomoiu, Romul Mircea Mărgineanu, Diana Perșa, Stefan Marincea, Octavian G Duliu, Delia-Georgeta Dumitraș, Aurora-Maruta Iancu
{"title":"The Bacau (Romania) phosphogypsum stacks as a source of radioactive threat: a case study.","authors":"Ana-Maria Blebea-Apostu, Mariana Claudia Gomoiu, Romul Mircea Mărgineanu, Diana Perșa, Stefan Marincea, Octavian G Duliu, Delia-Georgeta Dumitraș, Aurora-Maruta Iancu","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2365684","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2365684","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For a detailed characterization of the 5.7 10<sup>6</sup> mt phosphogypsum (PG) stack in the vicinity of Bacau city, Romania, the air dose rate (ADR) was measured in 72 points covering the stack surface, while 10 samples of stack material were collected for future analysis. Radiometric determinations showed for the ADR values varying between 364 ± 53 and 489 ± 8 nSv/h, with some extreme values of 2775 ± 734 nSv/h, significantly exceeding 90 nSv/h, the average value reported for the Romanian territory. High-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy (HRGS), performed on 10 samples collected from the entire PG stack evidenced only the presence of <sup>226</sup>Ra as the major radioactive element with a specific activity varied between 820 ± 150 and 5278 ± 264 Bq/kg for hot spots. Further analysis performed on a similar number of samples by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), evidenced, beside gypsum as the main component, traces of brushite (CaHPO<sub>4</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O) and ardealite (Ca<sub>2</sub>(PO<sub>3</sub>OH)(SO<sub>4</sub>)·4H<sub>2</sub>O), as well as the presence of small acicular celestine (SrSO<sub>4</sub>) agglomerates. XRF determinations of the mass fractions of major elements evidenced values such as SiO<sub>2</sub> (2.31 ± 0.73 %), TiO<sub>2</sub> (0.07 ± 0.01 %), Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (0.17 ± 0.04 %), Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (0.87 ± 0.18 %), MnO (0.01 ± 0.01 %), MgO (0.17 ± 0.02 %), CaO (32.5 ± 0.82 %), Na<sub>2</sub>O (0.04 ± 0.04 %), K<sub>2</sub>O (0.05 ± 0.01 %), P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> (2.12 ± 0.51 %), LOI (20.2 ± 0.3 %), i.e. closer to literature reported data for PG of different provenience while the data concerning the distribution of 20 trace elements, including incompatible Sc, La, Ce, and Th were relatively closer to the upper continental crust (UCC).</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"61-75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141467916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana-Voica Bojar, Natalia Piotrowska, Victor Barbu, Hans-Peter Bojar, Fatima Pawełczyk, Andrei Smeu, Ovidiu Guja
{"title":"<i>Ursus spelaeus</i> (Rosenmüller, 1794) during the MIS 3: new evidence from the Cioclovina Uscată Cave and radiocarbon age overview for the Carpathians.","authors":"Ana-Voica Bojar, Natalia Piotrowska, Victor Barbu, Hans-Peter Bojar, Fatima Pawełczyk, Andrei Smeu, Ovidiu Guja","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2376730","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2376730","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Ursus spelaeus</i>, the Late Pleistocene a cave bear is known from numerous accumulations found in the fossil sector of caves situated in the Carpathian and Apuseni Mountains. In this study, we present new radiocarbon data along a profile of the Cioclovina Uscată Cave, which is situated in the South Carpathians. The data suggest that, during the entire Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) interval, the cave was serving as a shelter for <i>U. spelaeus</i>, with the oldest dated bone indicating an age of > 47,710 and the youngest one, an age of 31,820 ± 400 years cal BP. Histogram plots of 110 radiocarbon data from different caves of the Carpathian and Apuseni Mountains as Cioclovina Uscată, Peștera (Cave) cu Oase, Peștera Muierii, or Peștera Urșilor, respectively, show a maximum expansion of the cave bear population between 50,000 and 40,000, a decline between 40,000 and 35,000 and a partial recovery from 35,000-30,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon data of <i>Homo sapiens</i> remains, younger than 35,000 years cal BP, support the fact that <i>H. sapiens</i> accessed the same caves where the cave bear persisted to hibernate. Besides general cool conditions and restricted food sources, the presence of <i>H. sapiens</i> constituted an additional stress factor driving the cave bear to extinction.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"101-113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141758782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna-Kathrina Jenner, Christoph Malik, Gerd Böttcher, Patricia Roeser, Matthias Gehre, Iris Schmiedinger, Michael Ernst Böttcher
{"title":"Sources and fate of dissolved sulphate, carbonate, and nitrate in groundwater of the temperate climate zone: a high-resolution multi-isotope (H, C, O, S) study in north-eastern Germany*.","authors":"Anna-Kathrina Jenner, Christoph Malik, Gerd Böttcher, Patricia Roeser, Matthias Gehre, Iris Schmiedinger, Michael Ernst Böttcher","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2025.2461474","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2025.2461474","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Different natural and anthropogenic drivers impact the groundwater in the catchment area of the southern Baltic Sea, north-eastern Germany. To understand the sources and fate of dissolved sulphate, carbonate, and nitrate on a regional scale, in the present study, the hydrogeochemical and multi-stable isotope (H, C, O, S) composition of groundwater samples from up to more than 300 sites (depths from near-surface down to 291 m) was studied. To investigate the element sources and the water-rock-microbe interaction processes that took place along the groundwater flow path, a mass balance approach is combined with physico-chemical modelling. Microbial oxidation of pyrite using nitrate as electron acceptor and a superimposition by dissimilatory sulphate reduction at depth is shown in a drilled vertical profile at one site. This trend frames the behaviour of sulphate at many investigated groundwater wells. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the groundwater was found to be controlled by the uptake of biogenic carbon dioxide, the dissolution of carbonate minerals, the <i>in situ</i> oxidation of DOC and, at a few sites, the formation and/or oxidation of biogenic methane. Enhanced groundwater DIC loads may potentially increase future CO<sub>2</sub> degassing to the atmosphere upon release of groundwaters to the surface. These results form a comprehensive base for understanding the present situation and for future investigations.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"20-41"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143585622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana-Voica Bojar, Christophe Lécuyer, Hans-Peter Bojar, François Fourel, Stanislaw Chmiel
{"title":"Monitoring of stable isotope composition of precipitation reveals thunderstorm dynamics.","authors":"Ana-Voica Bojar, Christophe Lécuyer, Hans-Peter Bojar, François Fourel, Stanislaw Chmiel","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2380059","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2380059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The summer of 2019 is particularly well known for the famous heatwaves that swept across the European continent, with its associated drought and record-breaking air temperatures. This was followed by powerful thunderstorms, characterised by hail and heavy rain that damaged the crops on a regional scale. Here, we investigated one of the largest storm cells, lasting more than 6 h, which struck southwestern Romania. High-temporal resolution sampling of storm precipitation was performed for stable isotope measurements, rainfall and air temperature, to follow the storm dynamics. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope measurements show an abrupt decreasing temporal trend followed by superimposed V-shaped patterns interpreted as reflecting moisture replenishment by successive rain bands. To model the stable isotope values of precipitation in relation to the general trend of decreasing air temperatures, we applied a numerical Rayleigh condensation model for a non-constant α isotopic fractionation factor between liquid water and water vapour. The storm is powered by four consecutive moisture fronts, each following a Rayleigh distribution. About 40 % of the water vapour condenses during the sampled storm due to adiabatic expansion and cooling, which lowers saturation. Condensation ceases when cooling and absolute humidity can no longer sustain the dew point, stopping the rain. The timing of the event, occurring late at night and early in the morning, its duration of over 6 h as well as its synoptic scale may indicate a mesoscale convective complex.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"4-19"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141788028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Franz Neubauer, Ruihong Chang, Yunpeng Dong, Johann Genser, Yongjiang Liu
{"title":"Unravelling the history of mountain belts through U-Pb and Lu-Hf dating of zircon and <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar dating of detrital white mica: a case study from the Eastern Alps.","authors":"Franz Neubauer, Ruihong Chang, Yunpeng Dong, Johann Genser, Yongjiang Liu","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2367099","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2367099","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Radiogenic isotopes of igneous and detrital minerals from various clastic rocks of mountain belts are used to reveal tectonic and sedimentary processes, which are otherwise difficult to detect. Here, we discuss the results of U-Pb and Lu-Hf zircon systems, and <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar on detrital white mica in Eastern Alps. Zircon and white mica are chemically and mechanically stable and occur in magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. During subsequent metamorphism, zircon is resistant against high temperature, >650 °C (U-Pb) and 900 °C (Lu-Hf). The Lu-Hf zircon system is used as a tracer of initial magma separation from the mantle, and the U-Pb zircon system records magmatic crystallization. The <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar white mica system is stable up to 400-450 °C dating either formation or cooling after high-grade metamorphism. Detrital U-Pb zircon ages on two major rivers draining the Eastern Alps do not record any sign of Alpine orogeny or metamorphism. Consequently, U-Pb zircon studies can entirely miss the record of collisional orogeny in cool, magma-poor collision orogens. In contrast, <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar white mica ages record Early and Late Alpine metamorphism but are limited to revealing the pre-orogenic history. U-Pb zircon and <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar white mica yield different information in provenance studies. In the Eastern Alps, U-Pb zircon dating of magmatic and clastic rocks indicates intense formation of magmatic rocks between 630 and 230 Ma. Felsic rocks dominate the older age groups, and increasingly young mafic rocks were dated, specifically between 265 and 230 Ma. Hf isotopes record increasing juvenile input since ∼630 Ma. Two different groups with respect to Mesoproterozoic depleted mantle ages are shown: (1) one group with a Mesoproterozoic age gap typical for Gondwana-derived units, and (2) a rare group with Mesoproterozoic ages recording a new tectonic element in the Austroalpine basement in Alps.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"114-132"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141751723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ana-Voica Bojar, Andrzej Pelc, Michael Ernst Böttcher
{"title":"Isotopes as recorders of environmental change. Special issue related to ESIR 2023 - Workshop XVI of the European Society for Isotope Research, Graz, Austria.","authors":"Ana-Voica Bojar, Andrzej Pelc, Michael Ernst Böttcher","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2025.2465449","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2025.2465449","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143557084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna-Kathrina Jenner, Rhodelyn Saban, Cátia M Ehlert von Ahn, Patricia Roeser, Iris Schmiedinger, Jürgen Sültenfuß, Anja Reckhardt, Michael Ernst Böttcher
{"title":"Different continuous freshwater contributions to submarine groundwater discharge at a coastal peatland, southern Baltic Sea.","authors":"Anna-Kathrina Jenner, Rhodelyn Saban, Cátia M Ehlert von Ahn, Patricia Roeser, Iris Schmiedinger, Jürgen Sültenfuß, Anja Reckhardt, Michael Ernst Böttcher","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2422864","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2422864","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The impact of freshwater sources like surface river runoff and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) on coastal waters is currently in focus of intense debate and investigation. One of the ongoing challenges in SGD research is the characterization and quantification of the freshwater endmember contributions to the subsurface mixing zone and their influences on element balance and biogeochemical transformations. Long-term investigations of the sediment porewater composition provide characterization and understanding of the physical, hydrological and biogeochemical processes controlling the substance exchanges. In this study, we focus on the hydrochemical and stable isotope (<i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H, <i>δ</i><sup>18</sup>O) compositions of sediment porewaters along the coastline of a southern Baltic Sea peatland. Coastal surface water and groundwater dynamics were monitored at two coastal sites using 5-m-long stationary lances over a 5-year period.The vertical compositional gradients were used to extrapolate to zero-salinity (ZS) components applying a binary mixing model on the salinity and water isotope composition. The results characterize a subterranean estuary (STE) with three potential mixing endmembers: two fresh groundwaters and the brackish Baltic Sea. Tritium-helium (<sup>3</sup>H-<sup>3</sup>He) porewater dating gave ages of more than about 20 years for the freshwater components. The ZS components were compared with other SGD sites along the southern Baltic Sea and North Sea and highlight the importance of local SGD studies for a proper groundwater endmember characterization as basis to understand hydrological and biogeochemical developments at the land-ocean continuum in times of current climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"42-60"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142620717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New chloromethane preparation line for the stable chlorine isotope composition analysis.","authors":"Andrzej Pelc","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2379414","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2379414","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stable isotopes of chlorine have great application potential due to the widespread occurrence of the chlorine anion in water, minerals, living organisms and the environment. In most studies, the chloride ion from the samples is converted to chloromethane, which is then analysed isotopically using a mass spectrometer. In the present study, a new design for a chloromethane preparation line is proposed. In particular, the new chloromethane preparation line uses a new system for injecting iodomethane into the preparation system, as well as ampoules with Teflon valves and the u-shaped freezers. These improvements reduced the preparation time to about 1 h, and also achieved a decent measurement uncertainty of 0.05 permil.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"92-100"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141758783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sulphur and oxygen stable isotopes in acid mine drainage impacted rivers of Meghalaya (India): deciphering the sulphide oxidation pathways.","authors":"Vivek Kumar, Dibyendu Paul, Sudhir Kumar","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2025.2456557","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10256016.2025.2456557","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sulphur and oxygen stable isotopes of sulphate have been used to trace the sources of sulphur into aquatic systems. These isotopes have also been used to understand the transformation and fate of sulphur in the water bodies contaminated by AMD discharge from active and/or abandoned mines. Stable isotopes of oxygen in dissolved sulphate (δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>SO4</sub>) and water (δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>H2O</sub>) have helped to decipher the sulphide oxidation pathways and estimate their contributions. The present study is focused on analysing the composition of sulphur and oxygen stable isotopes of sulphate and oxygen stable isotope in AMD and Lunar-Lukha River water flowing through the coal mining area of the East Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya, in order to decipher the sulphide oxidation pathways. The results showed that the sulphur stable isotope of sulphate (δ<sup>34</sup>S<sub>SO4</sub>) ranged between -12.5 and -8.0 ‰ (VCDT). The oxygen isotope of sulphate (δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>SO4</sub>) ranged between 1.4 and 2.0 ‰ (VSMOW). The oxygen isotope of water (δ<sup>18</sup>O<sub>H2O</sub>) was distributed between -6.2 and -4.2 ‰ (VSMOW). Pyrite oxidation was found to be the dominant source of sulphate in the Lunar-Lukha Rivers. The results of the stoichiometric isotope balance model showed that 68-83 % of sulphate derived Fe<sup>3+</sup> oxidation pathway, with a high portion of sulphate oxygen derived from water. The sulphite-water oxygen exchange model revealed the release of intermediate sulphoxyanions, suggesting the presence of an oxidation pathway of sulphide minerals to sulphate via sulphoxyanions. The results from this study will be helpful in defining effective remediation strategies to mitigate AMD impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"76-91"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143189299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In memoriam: Dr. Keith Alan Hobson, a pioneer of stable isotope ecology.","authors":"Leonard I Wassenaar","doi":"10.1080/10256016.2024.2434511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10256016.2024.2434511","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14597,"journal":{"name":"Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142768968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}