Geochemical Monitoring of Rivers – Theory, Practice, and Data

Interpretation
Date: 22/11 to 27/11/2018
Venue: IIT Kanpur

Overview

Global warming and environmental change are adversely affecting the environmental health
of river ecosystems, which provide water and food security to billions of people on Earth.
Questions and concerns have been raised about future river flows and water resources, impacts of
urbanization and deforestation on river ecosystem health, effects of rapid industrialization,
discharge of industrial effluents, sewage and agricultural runoff on river ecology, and the
repercussions that construction of dams, barrages, and other anthropogenic interventions have on
the overall health of rivers. Ongoing changes can only be fully understood if time-series data on
these fragile ecosystems are collected in a systematic way. One of the best ways to monitor rivers
is to study river water chemistry, which responds to processes occurring in rivers’ watersheds. The
isotopic composition of the water molecule provides insights into sources of water within a
watershed, whereas the chemical and isotopic composition of river water reflects interactions of the
hydrologic cycle with the natural or anthropogenically altered land surface.
This short course on Geochemical Monitoring of Rivers – Theory, Practice, and Data
Interpretation focuses on the fundamental principles and processes that govern river water
chemistry and how river water chemistry can be used to understand the impact of climate change
and anthropogenic interventions on river flow and water composition. In addition, the course will
have strong laboratory- and field-based components. We will introduce important parameters of
river monitoring such as river discharge measurements, suspended sediment and bed load sampling,
as well as basic field measurements of physical and chemical parameters. This course will also
provide hands-on training on several state-of-the-art analytical instruments such as Quadrupole
Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (Q-ICPMS) and will teach participants the skills of
measuring major and trace element concentrations, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of
water molecules as well as interpretation and reporting of geochemical data. Successful completion
of the course will enable participants to understand the fundamental principles of river
geochemistry, and equip them with knowledge of sediment and water sampling techniques. The
focus on taking appropriate samples, making sound field and laboratory analyses, as well as
interpreting geochemical data will enable participants to integrate geochemical information with the
goal of understanding watershed processes.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the course are as follows:

i) Exposing participants to the fundamentals of river biogeochemistry

ii) Teach various river sampling and in-situ sensing techniques (field based)
iii) Hands-on introduction to analytical instrumentation that can be used to measure chemical com-
position of river water (laboratory based)
iv) Teach participants on how to use river water chemistry to understand watershed processes
v) Provide exposure on how to study a problem and devise solutions through case study and live
project
Course Details

Day 1
Lecture 1: 9:30 to 10:30 AM
Introduction to aqeous geochemistry. This lecture provides an introduction to the chemical and
mineralogical structure of Earth, as well as the origin and properties of elements and their
isotopes. Earth’s surface processes, the chemical evolution of Earth’s surface and how it has
affected the chemical evolution of surface waters.
Lecture 2: 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Fundamentals of isotope geochemistry. We introduce participants to the origin and properties of
isotopes as well as processes that lead to natural variability in isotope abundance.
LUNCH BREAK

Lecture 3: 2:00 to 3:00 PM

In this lecture we will introduce participants to the wide spectrum of rivers and river
biogeochemistry.
Lecture 4: 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Application of radiogenic isotopes in river science. This lecture focuses on the utility of
radionuclides with long and short half lifes in river biogeochemistry.

Day 2
Lecture 5: 9:30 to 10:30 AM
Application of stable isotopes in river science.
Lecture 6: 10:30 to 11:30 AM
The water cycle. This lecture will highlight the role rivers play in the global water cycle. River
hydrology and related measurements.
LUNCH BREAK

Laboratory 1: 2:00 to 5:00 PM

Field visit: Monitoring the river.

Day 3

Lecture 7: 9:30 to 10:30 AM

Biogeochemical composition of the dissolved load and strategies to sample it in representative
fashion.
Lecture 8: 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Geochemical and mineralogical composition of the particulate load and sediment transport.
LUNCH BREAK

Laboratory 2: 2:00 to 5:00 PM

 Chemical composition of water samples: Various geochemical measurements using various IIT
Kanpur facilities. This lab will be assisted by trained technicians and volunteer students.

Day 4
Lecture 9: 9:30 to 10:30 AM
Introduction to river monitoring instrumentations and related chemical and physical principles.
Lecture 10: 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Fundamentals of making sound analytical measurements, including methods for quantifying
elemental concentrations (standard calibration curve, standard addition, isotope dilution) and
isotope ratios.
LUNCH BREAK

Laboratory 3: 2:00 to 5:00 PM

Data reduction techniques using Microsoft Excel. Real data sets will be used to introduce
participants to the data reduction process. Integration of generated data. Best practice of
reporting geochemical data. How to properly archive datasets.

Day 5

Lecture 11: 9:30 to 10:30 AM

Interpretation of the data.

Final Exam: 11:00 AM onwards

[No class on Sunday]

Teaching Faculty

6.1: CV of Dr. Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink

Dr. Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink is the co-Director of the Global

Rivers Observatory (globalrivers.org), a global collaborative network of
time-series observatories on large rivers. The Global Rivers
Observatory is presently observing large rivers in 5 different continents
and studying how climate change, deforestation, and other disturbances
are impacting river chemistry and land-ocean linkages. Dr. Peucker-
Ehrenbrink received his PhD in geochemistry in 1994 from the Max-
Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Johannes Gutenberg-University
in Mainz, Germany, before joining the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI) as a postdoctoral scholar. He is also a Senior
Scientist and J. Seward Johnson Chair in Oceanography (Education
Coordinator) in WHOI’s Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry. Peucker-Ehrenbrink
teaches Marine Isotope Geochemistry in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and
Ocean Engineering. His research interests in geology and geochemistry are broad, and for the past
decade have focused on the biogeochemistry and sediment transport of global river systems and
their relation to the changing chemistry of seawater. He has published 75 peer-reviewed articles,
including multiple papers in high-impact Science and Nature journals, and nearly 185 conference
abstracts. His research is widely cited (Web of Science h-index: 31). He has also edited a book on
the Accretion of Extraterrestrial Matter throughout Earth’s History.

6.2: CV of Dr. Indra Sekhar Sen

Dr. Indra Sen is a geochemist by training who has the unique ability and
appropriate research training to apply long-lived radioisotopes to trace both
solid Earth and Earth surface system processes. Dr. Sen obtained his PhD
degree from Florida International University (USA) in 2010, and completed
his postdoctoral training (2010-2013) at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI) in the USA, one of leading oceanographic institutions in
the world. Since 2014 he is working as an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur.
Dr. Sen teaches isotope geochemistry, geochemistry, and petroleum exploration and production,
and was recognized by IIT-Kanpur Academic Senate for his excellent performance as an instructor
for the Geochemistry course in the 2014-15 academic session. His major research interests are in
the areas of river sciences and investigating the impact of climate change on large river systems, in
particular river-glacier linkages. He is also recipient of the INSPIRE Faculty Award from
Government of India, long-term Guest Investigator at WHOI, and recipient of the Young Scientist
Award from Ministry of Mines, Goverment of India. Dr. Sen has published his research work in
highly reputable peer-revied journals such as Environmental Science and Technology, Analaytical
Chemistry, and Chemical Geology.