Sea Level Rise Enhanced Halocarbon Production in Low-lying Coastal Ecosystem in the Southeastern US

Saltwater tides bring high concentrations of chloride and bromide inland where it mixes with terrestrial humic substances from surrounding forested watersheds and ferric/ferrous ions from shallow groundwater. With all the essential precursors (i.e., chloride, bromide, and humic substances) and catalysts (ferric/ferrous ions with sunlight), low-lying coastal ecosystems could be a hotspot for halocarbon formation. Fluctuating water levels and salinity due to the tidal cycle alter both redox reactions and water chemistry, influencing the formation and fate of halocarbons. A controlled study was conducted to confirm the abiotic formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) by the photo-Fenton reaction and the effects of the precursors on their formation. Four THM species, including chloroform (CHCl3), bromodichloromethane (CHBrCl2), dibromochloromethane (CHBr2Cl), and bromoform (CHBr3), were examined. Sets of aqueous solutions were prepared using filtered Waccamaw River samples and synthesized NaCl / NaBr, and Fe2(SO4)3 and H2O2 solutions. Solutions were enclosed in quartz tubes and exposed for 7 days to natural sunlight. Although total THM formation increased with DOC concentration, the reactivity of C in forming THM was relatively consistent across DOC concentrations, with an average of 2.6 nmol-THM mmol-C-1. The reactivity in forming THMs through the photo-Fenton reaction was significantly lower than that in chlorinated water. Reactivity generally ranged from 3-20 mmol-THM mol-C-1. The differences in reactivity suggested that greater yield of THMs could be produced under the right reaction condition. In particular, the study showed that bromide increases the reactivity of DOC in forming THMs and enhances the formation of brominated THMs. The bromine substitution factor in the NaCl treatment ranged from 19 to 24% but increased to 43 and 46% when NaBr was added. Results suggest that increased salinity and bromide concentration in saltwater-impacted coastal ecosystems could produce a greater amount of halocarbon compared to freshwater ecosystems.