Making 'Chemical Cocktails' - Evolution of Urban Geochemical Processes across the Periodic Table of Elements.
Sujay S Kaushal, Kelsey L Wood, Joseph G Galella, Austin M Gion, Shahan Haq, Phillip J Goodling, Katherine A Haviland, Jenna E Reimer, Carol J Morel, Barret Wessel, William Nguyen, John W Hollingsworth, Kevin Mei, Julian Leal, Jacob Widmer, Rahat Sharif, Paul M Mayer, Tamara A Newcomer Johnson, Katie Delaney Newcomb, Evan Smith, Kenneth T Belt
Author Information
Sujay S Kaushal: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Kelsey L Wood: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Joseph G Galella: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Austin M Gion: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Shahan Haq: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Phillip J Goodling: MD-DE-DC US Geological Survey Water Science Center, 5522 Research Park Drive, Catonsville, Maryland 21228, USA.
Katherine A Haviland: Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 USA.
Jenna E Reimer: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Carol J Morel: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Barret Wessel: Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
William Nguyen: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
John W Hollingsworth: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Kevin Mei: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Julian Leal: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Jacob Widmer: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Rahat Sharif: Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Paul M Mayer: US Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35 Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA.
Tamara A Newcomer Johnson: US Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Watershed and Ecosystem Characterization Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, USA.
Evan Smith: Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA.
Kenneth T Belt: Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250.
Urbanization contributes to the formation of novel elemental combinations and signatures in terrestrial and aquatic watersheds, also known as 'chemical cocktails.' The composition of chemical cocktails evolves across space and time due to: (1) elevated concentrations from anthropogenic sources, (2) accelerated weathering and corrosion of the built environment, (3) increased drainage density and intensification of urban water conveyance systems, and (4) enhanced rates of geochemical transformations due to changes in temperature, ionic strength, pH, and redox potentials. Characterizing chemical cocktails and underlying geochemical processes is necessary for: (1) tracking pollution sources using complex chemical mixtures instead of individual elements or compounds; (2) developing new strategies for co-managing groups of contaminants; (3) identifying proxies for predicting transport of chemical mixtures using continuous sensor data; and (4) determining whether interactive effects of chemical cocktails produce ecosystem-scale impacts greater than the sum of individual chemical stressors. First, we discuss some unique urban geochemical processes which form chemical cocktails, such as urban soil formation, human-accelerated weathering, urban acidification-alkalinization, and freshwater salinization syndrome. Second, we review and synthesize global patterns in concentrations of major ions, carbon and nutrients, and trace elements in urban streams across different world regions and make comparisons with reference conditions. In addition to our global analysis, we highlight examples from some watersheds in the Baltimore-Washington DC region, which show increased transport of major ions, trace metals, and nutrients across streams draining a well-defined land-use gradient. Urbanization increased the concentrations of multiple major and trace elements in streams draining human-dominated watersheds compared to reference conditions. Chemical cocktails of major and trace elements were formed over diurnal cycles coinciding with changes in streamflow, dissolved oxygen, pH, and other variables measured by high-frequency sensors. Some chemical cocktails of major and trace elements were also significantly related to specific conductance (p<0.05), which can be measured by sensors. Concentrations of major and trace elements increased, peaked, or decreased longitudinally along streams as watershed urbanization increased, which is consistent with distinct shifts in chemical mixtures upstream and downstream of other major cities in the world. Our global analysis of urban streams shows that concentrations of multiple elements along the Periodic Table significantly increase when compared with reference conditions. Furthermore, similar biogeochemical patterns and processes can be grouped among distinct mixtures of elements of major ions, dissolved organic matter, nutrients, and trace elements as chemical cocktails. Chemical cocktails form in urban waters over diurnal cycles, decades, and throughout drainage basins. We conclude our global review and synthesis by proposing strategies for monitoring and managing chemical cocktails using source control, ecosystem restoration, and green infrastructure. We discuss future research directions applying the watershed chemical cocktail approach to diagnose and manage environmental problems. Ultimately, a chemical cocktail approach targeting sources, transport, and transformations of different and distinct elemental combinations is necessary to more holistically monitor and manage the emerging impacts of chemical mixtures in the world's fresh waters.
