1. Assessing Pyrite-Derived Sulfate in the Mississippi River with Four Years of Sulfur and Triple-Oxygen Isotope Data.
- Author
-
Killingsworth BA, Bao H, and Kohl IE
- Subjects
- Environmental Monitoring, Iron, Mississippi, Oxygen Isotopes, Sulfides, Sulfur, Sulfur Isotopes, Rivers, Sulfates
- Abstract
Riverine dissolved sulfate (SO
4 2- ) sulfur and oxygen isotope variations reflect their controls such as SO4 2- reduction and reoxidation, and source mixing. However, unconstrained temporal variability of riverine SO4 2- isotope compositions due to short sampling durations may lead to mischaracterization of SO4 O) of Mississippi River SO2- sources, particularly for the pyrite-derived sulfate load. We measured the sulfur and triple-oxygen isotopes (δ34 S, δ18 O ranged from -6.3‰ to -0.2‰ and -3.6‰ to +8.8‰, respectively. Our sampling period captured the most severe flooding and drought in the Mississippi River basin since 1927 and 1956, respectively, and a first year of sampling that was unrepresentative of long-term average SO17 O) of Mississippi River SO4 2- with biweekly sampling between 2009 and 2013 to test isotopic variability and constrain sources. Sulfate δ34 sources are 74 ± 10% of the Mississippi River sulfate budget. Furthermore, pyrite oxidation is implicated as the dominant process supplying SO18 to the Mississippi River, whereas the Δ'4 2- . The δ34 SSO4 data indicate pyrite-derived SO4 2- sources are 74 ± 10% of the Mississippi River sulfate budget. Furthermore, pyrite oxidation is implicated as the dominant process supplying SO4 2- to the Mississippi River, whereas the Δ'17 OSO4 data shows 18 ± 9% of oxygen in this sulfate is sourced from air O2 .- Published
- 2018
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