Identification of biogeochemical processes leading to acidification of ground- and freshwater systems in Western Australia

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This project aims to identify how contemporary biogeochemical processes in both the vadose zone and the ground water contribute to the creation and maintenance of extremely acidic (pH < 3) that occur naturally across the southwest of Western Australia. Our research is driven by the conceptual model proposed in Peiffer et al (2009) according to which the occurrence of extremely low pH values is related to an acidic iron cycle and requires biogeochemical processes exchanging HCO3 - versus SO42- dissolved in the pore waters. To test this hypothesis we will perform a joint field study with colleagues from Australia at an already established field site to study the dynamics of dissolved species during rain events and to perform sampling for mineralogical, isotopic and microbial analysis to performed in Germany.