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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Index Terms

  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Pollution: urban and regional
  • Global Change: Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling
  • Hydrology: Desertification
  • Hydrology: Limnology
  • Hydrology: Surface water quality

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 32, L01401, 4 PP., 2005
doi:10.1029/2004GL020807

Sediments of salt lakes as a new source of volatile highly chlorinated C1/C2 hydrocarbons

L. Weissflog

Department of Analytical Chemistry, UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

C. A. Lange

Department of Analytical Chemistry, UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

A. Pfennigsdorff

Department of Analytical Chemistry, UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

K. Kotte

Department of Analytical Chemistry, UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

N. Elansky

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

L. Lisitzyna

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

E. Putz

Institute for Geophysic, Astronomy and Meteorology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

G. Krueger

Northwest University, Potchefstroom Campus, Section Botany, South Africa

It is shown for the first time that the volatile highly chlorinated C2 hydrocarbons (VCHCs) trichloroethene (TRI; C 2 HCl 3), tetrachloroethene (PER; C 2 Cl 4) and methyl chloroform (MC; C 2 H 3 Cl 3), but also C1 hydrocarbons tetrachloromethane and chloroform can be naturally formed in the sediment of salt lakes (ssl). Archaic halobacteria appear to play a key role in the microbial formation involved. TRI, PER and MC can be transformed into trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in the atmosphere. TRI and PER can also be metabolised into TCA following uptake by plants. Already considerably phytotoxic by itself, TCA's phytotoxicity is exacerbated if the vegetation concerned is simultaneously exposed to drought-stress. TRI and PER, emitted by these newly identified natural sources, can accelerate desertification in semi-arid and arid climate zones in consequence of the destabilisation of vegetation by its phytotoxic metabolite TCA.

Received 22 June 2004; accepted 3 December 2004; published 4 January 2005.

Citation: Weissflog, L., C. A. Lange, A. Pfennigsdorff, K. Kotte, N. Elansky, L. Lisitzyna, E. Putz, and G. Krueger (2005), Sediments of salt lakes as a new source of volatile highly chlorinated C1/C2 hydrocarbons, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L01401, doi:10.1029/2004GL020807.

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