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Title: Groundwater residence time estimates obscured by anthropogenic carbonate
Groundwater is an important source of drinking and irrigation water. Dating groundwater informs its vulnerability to contamination and aids in calibrating flow models. Here, we report measurements of multiple age tracers ( 14 C, 3 H, 39 Ar, and 85 Kr) and parameters relevant to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from 17 wells in California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV), an agricultural region that is heavily reliant on groundwater. We find evidence for a major mid-20th century shift in groundwater DIC input from mostly closed- to mostly open-system carbonate dissolution, which we suggest is driven by input of anthropogenic carbonate soil amendments. Crucially, enhanced open-system dissolution, in which DIC equilibrates with soil CO 2 , fundamentally affects the initial 14 C activity of recently recharged groundwater. Conventional 14 C dating of deeper SJV groundwater, assuming an open system, substantially overestimates residence time and thereby underestimates susceptibility to modern contamination. Because carbonate soil amendments are ubiquitous, other groundwater-reliant agricultural regions may be similarly affected.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1923915
PAR ID:
10289020
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Science Advances
Volume:
7
Issue:
17
ISSN:
2375-2548
Page Range / eLocation ID:
eabf3503
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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