Development of a multi-element method using an ICP-QQQ-MS to characterize the chemical status of surface water bodies

Author(s):  
Vera Schmitt ◽  
Henning Schroeder ◽  
Nadine Belkouteb ◽  
Julia Arndt ◽  
Jan Wiederhold ◽  
...  

<p></p><p>An instantaneous assessment of the chemical status of surface water bodies provides the ability to better predict the water quality, react in time, and be able to backtrack sources. Also, it is widely accepted that knowledge of the natural chemistry of surface waters is fundamental for identifying anthropogenic pollution (Menzie et al., 2009). The chemical composition of water bodies is controlled by various factors (i.e. atmospheric, geological, biological, etc.). However, the main impact beside anthropogenic pollution is the geological background (e.g. Filella et al., 2014).</p><p>To monitor and understand the chemical status it is necessary to measure, with the best possible reliability, a wide spectrum of inorganic analytes. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is widely-accepted as versatile instrument in trace element determination due to its low detection limits, fast multi-element ability and wide dynamic range. The appearance of various polyatomic interferences, low analyte abundance and low sensitivity due to high ionization energy are major challenges in accomplishing precise, routine suitable, multi-element analysis to quantify all target elements which often requires complex pre-measurement treatments. The triple quadrupole ICP-MS (ICP-QQQ-MS; resp. ICP-MS/MS) is a promising tool to overcome some of these limitations. Therefore, our aim was to create a multi-element method with about 65 major and trace elements for surface water. In contrast to existing ICP-MS methods, a single-run-measurement of all analytes is envisaged, including also challenging elements like B, C, P, S, Hg, and REE without a pre-concentration or matrix removal step. The development exhibits very low Limits of Quantification for Rhine and Moselle river water (e.g. REE < 10 ppt).</p><p>Our method is based on certified reference material, single element standards (traceable to NIST) and samples from the Rhine and Moselle rivers (Germany). Single element optimized methods were adjusted to the multi-element monitoring purpose. We optimized different collision/reaction cell modes (O<sub>2</sub>, He, H<sub>2</sub>) to eliminate isobaric, polyatomatic and/or double charged interferences and the multi-element calibration cross check for memory effects and uncertainties. Hence, we developed a powerful method for surface water quality monitoring and hydro-chemical fingerprinting adaptable to the specific user requirements.</p><p>Filella, M., Pomian-Srzednicki, I., Nirel, P.M., 2014. Development of a powerful approach for classification of surface waters by geochemical signature. Water Res 50, 221-228.</p><p>Menzie, C.A., Ziccardi, L.M., Lowney, Y.W., Fairbrother, A., Shock, S.S., Tsuji, J.S., Hamai, D., Proctor, D., Henry, E., Su, S.H., 2009. Importance of considering the framework principles in risk assessment for metals. Environ. Sci. Technol. 43, 22, 8478-8482.</p>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Wachholz ◽  
Seifeddine Jomaa ◽  
Olaf Büttner ◽  
Robert Reinecke ◽  
Michael Rode ◽  
...  

<p>Due to global climate change, the past decade has been the warmest for Germany since the beginning of climate records. Not only air temperature but also precipitation patterns are changing and therefore influencing the hydrologic cycle. This will certainly influence the chemical status of ground- and surface water bodies as mobilization, dilution and chemical reactions of contaminants are altered. However, it is uncertain if those alterations will impact water quality for better or worse and how they occur spatially. Since water management in Europe is handled at the regional scale, we suggest that an investigation is needed at the same scale to capture and quantify the different responses of the chemical status of water bodies to climate change and extreme weather conditions. In this study, we use open-access data to (1) quantify changes in temperature, precipitation, streamflow and groundwater levels for the past 40 - 60 years and (2) assess their impacts on nutrient concentrations in surface- and groundwater bodies. To disentangle management from climate effects we pay special attention to extreme weather conditions in the past decade. Referring to the Water Framework Directive, we chose the river basin district Elbe as our area of interest. Preliminary results indicate that especially the nitrate concentrations in surface water bodies of the Elbe catchment were positively affected in the last two years, while no significant impact on nitrate levels in shallow groundwater bodies was witnessed. However, many wells showed the first significant increase in water table depth in both years since 1985, raising the question of how fast groundwater-surface water interactions will change in the next years.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 1204-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Wagner ◽  
S. Hilgert ◽  
T. Kattenborn ◽  
S. Fuchs

Abstract Many water quality parameters such as concentrations of suspended matter, nutrients and algae directly or indirectly change the electromagnetic reflectance and transmission properties of surface water bodies. Optical measurement approaches have shown great potential to partially substitute water sampling and laboratory analyses, but are obstructed by limited flexibility or high maintenance demands. In order to overcome these problems and to bridge the gap between in situ and remote sensing measurements, the use of close-range, above-surface reflectance measurements in the VIS-NIR domain to measure water quality parameters in surface water bodies was investigated. Remote sensing reflectance in a 1 m³ water tank with increasing, known concentrations of suspended solids was measured. A partial least squares model was trained to predict concentrations from reflectance curves, which performed well, considering the wide range of concentrations and illumination conditions (R²cal = 0.96, R²val = 0.97). The approach was then transferred to the field and further parameters were tested. Using a semi-autonomous spectrometer mounted to a boom stand on a motor boat, we traced substance concentrations in close intervals along a longitudinal gradient from inflow to dam in a drinking water reservoir in Brazil. The method is suitable for parameters directly influencing the reflection properties of the water body (e.g. suspended solids (R²cal = 0.93), chlorophyll-a (R²cal = 0.74)), or for parameters closely related to those (e.g. total phosphorus (R²cal = 0.97)). For chemical oxygen demand, the method is not well suited (R²cal = 0.14, R²val = 0.45). Once calibrated to the local conditions, the spectrometer can be used stationary or on moving platforms to map and monitor surface waters. The integration of the procedure into acoustic and imaging techniques is further investigated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (66) ◽  
pp. 33-61
Author(s):  
V Kozak ◽  
◽  
A Tovmachenko ◽  
M Gertsiuk ◽  
◽  
...  

The main sources of chemical pollution of surface water bodies of Ukraine are shown and it is noted that the ecosystem of the environment and water resources, being under constant man-caused load, tend to steadily deteriorate the ecological condition. Methods for assessing the quality of surface waters using the maximum allowable concentrations of harmful substances in water and a comprehensive assessment of the ecological status of surface water by integrated hydrochemical parameters are described. International approaches to the assessment of the state of surface water bodies are considered. It is noted that the most complete information on the state of the aquatic ecosystem can be obtained using a set of physicochemical and biological parameters. There are shortcomings in the monitoring of organic micro-pollutants in surface waters. The analysis of the international experience of determination of water quality and parameters of toxicological action of organic micro-pollutants with application of chemo-informative methods for modeling of an ecological condition of water systems is carried out.


Author(s):  

Analysis of the Russian legislation novels aimed at implementation of norms of impact upon environment at the best available techniques level applied to surface water bodies has been presented. It is noted that acting regulations do not completely secure realization of the combined approach to water resources management. In particular, there are no mechanisms to create incentives for further reduction of pollutants discharge to water bodies in case when the best available techniques do not secure attainment of water quality norms or the water body status objectives, when surface water bodies water quality norms accounting their natural and anthropogenic features stipulated by the acting Russian legislation are not yet developed. Proposals on accounting of objectives concerning the surface water body status in the process of regulating impacts upon it on the basis of technological norms and norms of permissible discharge have been made: to calculate surface water bodies water quality objective with taking into account natural and unavoidable anthropogenic factors according the proposed algorithm; when calculating norms of permissible impact to use objectives instead of water quality norms till up to development and approval of the latter (in accordance with the standing legislation); when delivering integrated environmental permissions it is necessary to take into account the norms of permissible impact but not only to observe the technological norms. The recommended procedure of obtaining an integrated environmental permission and setting of provisionally permitted discharge volume for water users discharging waste water to surface water bodies has been described. Proposals on elaboration of the legislative basis have been made.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-14
Author(s):  
V. Zaslonovsky ◽  
◽  
N. Sharapov ◽  
M. Bosov ◽  
◽  
...  

The paper is devoted to the development of proposals concerning the improvement of surface water bodies and the appointment of target indicators of the natural waters’ quality. The paper considers a variety of problems of preserving, restoring and improving the quality of natural surface waters: from regional features of the formation of natural water composition, to differences in the requirements for the quality of water consumed. The object of the study is the qualitative indicators of the waters of natural water bodies, and the subject of the study is the methodological approaches to the normalization of these indicators. The purpose of the work is to identify the main shortcomings in the domestic system of rationing the quality of natural waters, and to form appropriate proposals. For this purpose, the following tasks were set and solved: to review the methodological approaches to assessing and rationing the quality of natural waters used in some foreign countries and in the Russian Federation, to identify the main causes and shortcomings; to make proposals for improving the current system of water quality rationing. The result of this work is the conclusions about the lack of impact of the strategy operating in Russia in the development of schemes of complex use and protection of water objects, standards of permissible impact on water bodies, the appointment of permissible discharge limits in terms of maintaining and improving the water quality of natural water bodies. The reasons that led to this are indicated. The necessity of taking into account, in addition to the physical and chemical composition, also hydrobiological parameters is shown. It is concluded that instead of fisheries management standards, environmental standards should serve as the basis for target indicators of water quality of natural water bodies, which determine the well-being of humans and the stable functioning of aquatic ecosystems, taking into account regional factors. Proposals were made to adjust the methodological approaches to the implementation of this strategy. According to the authors, these proposals will speed up the solution of the main objectives of the strategy – the ecological improvement of water bodies, the preservation of unique aquatic ecosystems and the environmentally safe development of territories that previously experienced relatively small anthropogenic impacts (Eastern Siberia and the Far East)


Author(s):  

The authors developed and presented a method of setting objectives in terms of surface water bodies’ water quality; it was elaborated and specified in accordance with the results of its application at a number of river basins. An algorithm of water/protective measures prioritizing in a river basin on the basis of water quality objectives was proposed. Practical application of the proposed approaches was illustrated by examples from the Scheme of Water Bodies; Integrated Use and Protection for the Ob River basin.


Author(s):  
V.K. Khilchevskyi

Over the past five years (2014-2021), there have been significant changes in regulatory methods for assessing water quality for various purposes, which is due to Ukraine’s course towards European integration. An important feature was the cancellation of the acts of sanitary legislation of the Ukrainian SSR and the USSR (from 01.01.2017), which were applied in Ukraine for a long time (order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 2016). The Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Implementation of Integrated Approaches in Water Resources Management Based on the Basin Principle” (2016) amended the Water Code of Ukraine regarding hydrographic zoning and water monitoring in accordance with the provisions of the EU Water Framework Directive. In 2018, by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the “Procedure for the implementation of state monitoring of waters” was approved. In 2019, the Ministry of Natural Resources of Ukraine approved the normative “Methodology for assigning a surface water array to one of the classes of the ecological and chemical states of a surface water array, as well as assigning an artificial or significantly altered surface water array to one of the classes of the ecological potential of an artificial or significantly altered surface water array” The objects of state monitoring of waters are land and ground water bodies and sea waters. Surface water body – a specially defined surface water body or part of it. The body of surface waters can be classified into one of five categories: 1) rivers; 2) lakes; 3) transitional waters; 4) coastal waters; 5) artificial or substantially altered surface water bodies. The program of state monitoring of waters provides for control over four groups of indicators: 1) biological; 2) physical and chemical; 3) chemical; 4) hydromorphological. Based on the data and information obtained as a result of the state monitoring of the waters of surface and groundwater bodies, the ecological and chemical state of the surface water bodies, the ecological potential of artificial or significantly altered surface water bodies, the quantitative and chemical state of the groundwater bodies are determined, taking into account which river basin management plans and assess the level of achievement of environmental objectives. The purpose of this study is to highlight the approaches that have developed at the present stage to the regulation of water quality for various purposes, the main of which are: environmental; hygienic (household and drinking and cultural and household or recreational water use), fishery. If, when assessing the quality of water for environmental purposes, a deviation from the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) was made, then in other areas of water use, the MPC standards remain relevant. The importance of this study also lies in the need to convey generalized information to a wide range of authors who are interested in water quality issues.


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