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Reply to 'Aquifer arsenic source'

Nature Geoscience volume 4, page 656 (2011)Cite this article

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A Correspondence to this article was published on 30 September 2011

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McArthur et al. argue that a single process, termed aquifer flushing, explains the pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations we observe in groundwater in Bangladesh. We concur that rice-field recharge has the potential to flush out arsenic-contaminated groundwater at shallow depths; we have shown that rice-field recharge carries little arsenic or biologically available organic carbon that could mobilize arsenic from the aquifer1,2,3. However, we contend that their interpretation explains neither the origin of the high arsenic concentrations in groundwater located at intermediate depths, nor why concentrations decline at greater depths.

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References

  1. Harvey, C. F. et al. Science 300, 584D–U3 (2003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachussetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Rebecca B. Neumann, Khandaker N. Ashfaque & Charles F. Harvey

  2. University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, Washington, USA

    Rebecca B. Neumann

  3. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 1000, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    A. B. M. Badruzzaman & M. Ashraf Ali

  4. Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Julie K. Shoemaker

Authors
  1. Rebecca B. Neumann
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  2. Khandaker N. Ashfaque
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  3. A. B. M. Badruzzaman
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  4. M. Ashraf Ali
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  5. Julie K. Shoemaker
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  6. Charles F. Harvey
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Correspondence to Charles F. Harvey.

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Neumann, R., Ashfaque, K., Badruzzaman, A. et al. Reply to 'Aquifer arsenic source'. Nature Geosci 4, 656 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1278

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