Landscape linkages between geothermal activity and solute composition and ecological response in surface waters draining the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica.
Abstract: 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 mug 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.
Pringle, C. M., G. L. Rowe, F. J. Triska, J. F. Fernandez and J. West. 1993. Landscape linkages between geothermal activity and solute composition and ecological response in surface waters draining the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica. Limnology and Oceanography 38: 753-774.
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