Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / ABSTRACT Dustin Graves ASSESSING THE ROLE OF GEOLOGIC SETTING ON THE HYDROLOGY AND GROUND WATER GEOCHEMISTRY OF FENS IN THE GLACIATED MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES A water quality investigation of several fens located in the temperate glaciated Midwestern United States, near the southern limit of fen occurrence, was conducted to assess the role of geologic setting on the hydrogeochemical signature of fens and to compare hydrogeochemistry of fens located in different geographic and geologic settings. The five studied fens, located in the Central Till Plain physiographic region of Indiana, receive ground water sourced from glacial tills with very similar petrologic composition. These wetlands are hydrogeomorphically classified as slope wetlands with dominant ground water input. More specifically, these sites are inter-till / intra-till type fens (Type Ia and Ib) or outwash terrace type fens (Type II). Shallow ground water was collected just prior to surface interception (source water), and again after discharging into each fen (fen water) and measured for a suite of cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+) and anions (HCO3- SO42-, NO3-, NO2-, PO43-, and Cl-). Fen water hydroperiods showed similar dynamics, despite some variation in the hydrologic input of these systems (source water). Central Indiana fens are recognized as Ca2+, Mg2+, and HCO3- dominated systems. Fen water showed substantial evolution from source water at each study site, evidently the result of carbonate and gypsum dissolution dynamics. However, when only fen water is analyzed, results suggest that ground water of the southern fens represents geochemical similarity, with the exception of anthropogenic influence. The greatest geochemical variation among central Indiana fens can be attributed to Na+ and Cl-, which has been linked to road salt contamination at two of the study sites. This hydrogeochemical study also reveals that fens (slope wetlands) within this particular geologic setting of central Indiana show strong geochemical similarities to fens located throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. However, statistical analyses provide evidence that the parameters of Ca2+, HCO3-, and SO42- account for the greatest variation among these wetland communities, suggesting that calcium carbonate and gypsum dissolution dynamics are primarily fen specific while other parameters remain relatively homogenous across a wide geographical range. Lenore P. Tedesco, Ph. D.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The transfer of nutrients from US Midwest croplands into surface waters causes eutrophication and a decline in water quality. Temporary retention of nutrient-rich runoff in constructed wetlands can help mitigate these negative impacts through physical entrapment and biological transformation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). However, with the expectation that wet-dry periods will be more frequent in the region, there is a need to better understand the mechanisms that control nutrient retention and release in US Midwest wetlands constructed on former croplands. In this study, soil cores (30 cm long, 20 cm diam) were collected from two constructed wetlands (4 and 8-yr old), and the surface (0-20 cm) and subsurface (40-60 cm) layers of a cropland where a constructed wetland will be constructed in the future. Soil cores were subjected to either a moist or a dry treatment for 5 weeks, and then flooded with stream water (water depth 6 cm). The flux of nutrients, N2O, cations, and variation in floodwater chemistry (pH and ORP) were monitored for another 5 week period. Porewater was tested during the final 3 weeks of the experiment. Nitrate (0.1-130 mg N m-2 d-1) and inorganic P (Pi) fluxes (0.09-2.9 mg P m-2 d-1) were significantly higher in the dry treatment cores. Regardless of site, the dry treatment also resulted in higher floodwater NO3- concentrations suggesting organic matter mineralization and mineral N build up during the drying phase. However, this initial NO3- release was rapidly denitrified as indicated by the sharp increase in N2O production during that period. In contrast to N, the release of Pi was significantly higher in cores from the cropland. Soil at these sites had higher water extractable Pi and total P. Contrary to the study hypothesis and the results of previous studies, Pi concentration in floodwater and porewater was not correlated with dissolved Fe suggesting that reductive dissolution was not the dominant process controlling P release in US Midwest mineral soils developed from calcareous glacial till. Rather, variation in Ca2+ concentration and its relationship with Pi suggest that dissolution of Ca-containing minerals may be more important and should be the focus of future studies examining the geochemistry of P in these constructed wetlands.