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Landscape linkages between geothermal activity and solute composition and ecological response in surface waters draining the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica
Author(s) -
Pringle Catherine M.,
Rowe Gary L.,
Triska Frank J.,
Fernandez Jose F.,
West John
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1993.38.4.0753
Subject(s) - geothermal gradient , volcano , biota , geology , environmental science , earth science , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , ecology , geochemistry , chemistry , geotechnical engineering , geophysics , biology
Surface waters draining three different volcanoes in Costa Rica, ranging from dormant to moderately active to explosive, have a wide range of solute compositions that partly reflects the contribution of different types of solute‐rich, geothermal waters. Three major physical transport vectors affect flows of geothermally derived solutes: thermally driven convection of volcanic gases and geothermal fluids; lateral and gravity‐driven downward transport of geothermal fluids; and wind dispersion of ash, gases, and acid rain. Specific vector combinations interact to determine landscape patterns in solute chemistry and biota: indicator taxa of algae and bacteria reflect factors such as high temperature, wind‐driven or hydrologically transported acidity, high concentrations of various solutes, and chemical precipitation reactions. Many streams receiving geothermally derived solutes have high levels of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) (up to 400 µ g liter −1 ), a nutrient that is typically not measured in geochemical studies of geothermal waters. Regional differences in levels of SRP and other solutes among volcanoes were typically not significant due to high local variation in solute levels among geothermally modified streams and between geothermally modified and unmodified streams on each volcano. Geothermal activity along the volcanic spine of Costa Rica provides a natural source of phosphorus, silica, and other solutes and plays an important role in determining emergent landscape patterns in the solute chemistry of surface waters and aquatic biota.