Professor Richard Yuretich of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and coworkers are supported by the Biocomplexity-Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles program to study the microbiology, hydrology and environmental science of acid mine drainage (AMD) sites. The team will study the processes of Fe(III) and sulfate reduction in an AMD site in western Massachusetts through field studies, modeling and laboratory experiments, and will quantify the roles of acidophilic and acid-tolerant anaerobic microorganisms. Changes in hydrology and geochemistry of the stream and groundwater will be monitored as a function of distance from the AMD source. Sediment from the stream and surrounding aquifer will be examined for anaerobic microorganisms, for iron and sulfate reducing microorganisms and for the metabolic potential of these species. A variety of molecular genetic probes and polymerase chain reactions (PCR) will be used in the identification of species. Additional experiments will involve in situ microcosms in the laboratory that will be modeled in order to study attenuation. International collaboration will enable comparisons with similar mines in the United Kingdom. K12 teachers in training will act as research assistants, and real pedagogical work will be done on the effects of teaching style.
Acid mine drainage results from the oxidation of pyrite and other sulfide minerals in streams and shallow groundwater. Much research has been directed toward understanding the formation of these conditions, however, the biogeochemistry of natural attenuation is relatively unknown. Organisms discovered here might have global significance in the reduction of iron and sulfate in other environments. Knowledge about microbial cycling of iron and sulfur can be applied to other ecosystems.
