title: New field method: gas push-pull test for the in-situ quantification of microbial activities in the vadose zone.
abstract: Quantitative information on microbial processes in the field is important. Here we propose a new field method, the "gas push-pull test" (GPPT) for the in-situ quantification of microbial activities in the vadose zone. To evaluate the new method, we studied microbial methane oxidation above an anaerobic, petroleum-contaminated aquifer. A GPPT consists of the injection of a gas mixture of reactants (e.g., methane, oxygen) and nonreactive tracer gases (e.g., neon, argon) into the vadose zone and the subsequent extraction of the injection gas mixture together with soil air from the same location. Rate constants of gas conversion are calculated from breakthrough curves of extracted reactants and tracers. In agreement with expectations from previously measured gas profiles, we determined first-order rate constants of 0.68 h(-1) at 1.1 m below soil surface and 2.19 h(-1) at 2.7 m, close to the groundwater table. Co-injection of a specific inhibitor (acetylene) for methanotrophs showed that the observed methane consumption was microbially mediated. This was confirmed by increases of stable carbon isotope ratios in methane by up to 42.6 %. In the future, GPPTs should provide useful quantitative information on a range of microbial processes in the vadose zone.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH Zürich), CH-8952 Schlieren, Switzerland. karina.urmann@env.ethz.ch
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Urmann
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Gil
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Schroth
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeyer
mesh_terms: D000392:Air Movements; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000502:physiology; D002273:Carcinogens; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005740:Gases; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010578:Petroleum; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D005740:Gases; D010578:Petroleum; D008697:Methane