scaricabile in rete - Enea

Fig. 3 – Correlation between 13 CDIC and CO2 for samples collected
in channels (Δ ), lake (▲ ) and Incrociata sandipit (+ ).
The δ 13 CDIC of channels draining the farmed land ranges from -8 to -11‰. Although the
natural vegetation mainly of the area follows the C3 photosynthetic pathway, in the farmed
land the dominating crop (70 %) is corn (C4). Thus, the δ 13 CDIC of drainage channels is
mainly controlled by the C4 plant decay, as drainage water from farmed land is supersaturated
in CO2 with respect to air CO2.
In summer, photosynthesis is prevailing and thus the concentration of dissolved CO2 is low,
the δ 13 CDIC increases because of the preferential uptake of isotopically light CO2 from the DIC
pool and the consequent 13 C enrichment of remaining DIC, as observed for algae (Fry and
Sherr, 1984; Mook and Tan, 1991). This process is accompanied by partial re-equilibration
with the air CO2 producing δ 13 CDIC ranging from +1 to –3 ‰ [2, 3, 4]. As a consequence, the
lake, where photosynthesis prevails, exhibits the highest δ 13 CDIC values.
3.2.2 Boron isotopes in surface waters
The isotopic composition of dissolved boron ranges from +37 to +17 ‰ (in δ 11 B). The highest
values (+30 to +37 ‰) are observed in the Burlamacca canal close to the sea, values which
are consistent with the δ 11 B mean value for seawater (+39.5‰, [5]).
The δ 11 B values decreases progressively as the distance from the sea increases. In Lake
Massaciuccoli and in channels draining the farmed land, the δ 11 B can be as low as +15 ‰ and
the values decrease as the B/Cl ratio increases, that is with the increase of boron of nonmarine
origin released in the system by the drainage water. A δ 11 B ranging from +15 to +20‰
is probably typical of boron. The only exception is a sample from a drain channel (L12) with
high B/Cl ratio and intermediate δ 11 B value.
Different types of water usually exhibit different isotopic compositions of dissolved boron.
For the Massaciuccoli basin, however, isotopic data of boron for sediments, soils, fertilizers,
manure, and farming and domestic drains, are not yet available, because our investigation on
boron isotopes started only recently. Therefore, literature values have been used in Figure 4.
At this stage of our investigation, boron isotopes show once more the penetration of seawater
in the whole system lakeponds-Burlamacca, but it is hoped that they will help in identifying
the major sources of boron released in the basin. The isotope geochemistry of dissolved
boron, however, is quite complex because of the isotopic fractionations occurring in
adsorption/desorption processes with clay minerals of soil and aquifer matrix [6, 7, 8].
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