Identification and regional quantification of hydrochemical processes at the contact zone between anoxic groundwater and surface water in poldered floodplains (Oderbruch polder, Germany)

The hydrochemistry in the largest polder of the Oder River, named Oderbruch, is affected by long-term infiltration of water from the Oder into the aquifer below an alluvial loamy top layer of the polder. These exceptional hydraulic conditions are a result of dyke constructions which were built more than 250 a ago. The objective of this investigation is a better understanding and a characterisation of the contact zone between the anaerobic groundwater and the surface water of a vast drainage system. Induced by changing water levels, different hydraulic conditions occur, which strongly influence the hydrochemistry of the shallow aquifer and therefore the natural sink function of the polder area. Field investigations with a hydrochemical and hydraulic characterisation of selected drainage ditch locations show considerable chemical interactions between groundwater and surface water. Depending on the drainage ditch type, which is defined by the hydraulic situation, the redox processes create a chemical gradient combined with a distinct enrichment of Fe and Mn. The source of the high amounts of Fe and Mn in the groundwater are reduced Fe- and Mn-hydroxides from the aquifer sediments. Under exfiltrating conditions interrupted by dry phases, more than 50 g kg(-1) Fe and 0.25 g kg(-1) Mn have accumulated in the drainage ditch floor sediments since the construction of the drainage ditches 35 a ago. The results show a very effective fixation of trace metals in the drainage ditch sediments under these conditions. Under permanent exfiltration conditions, the enrichment of Fe and Mn is relatively low. The maximum Fe content was 4 g kg(-1) sediment and the Mn content reached only 0.4 g kg(-1). This is less than 10% of the mobile Fe2+ and less than 1% of the Mn2+ which migrates from the aquifer into the surface water. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.