Sources and processes affecting sulfate in a karstic groundwater system of the Franconian Alb, southern Germany.

Chemical and isotope analyses on groundwater sulfate and 3H measurements on groundwaterwere used to determine the sulfate sources and sulfur transformation processes in a heterogeneous karst aquifer of the Franconian Alb, southern Germany. Sulfate was found to be derived from atmospheric deposition. Young groundwater was characterized by high sulfate concentrations and delta34S values similar to those of recent atmospheric sulfate deposition. However, the delta18O values of groundwater SO4(2-) were depleted by several per mil with respect to those of atmospheric deposition. This isotopic shift is indicative of mineralization of carbon-bonded S in the vadose zone of the karst system. In groundwater with mean residence times of more than 60 years, a trend of increasing delta34S values and delta18O values with decreasing sulfate concentrations was observed. This trend could not be solely explained by preindustrial atmospheric sulfate deposition with higher delta34S values, and hence, we conclude that bacterial (dissimilatory) sulfate reduction in the porous matrix of the karst aquifer must have occurred. This process has the potential to contribute to long-term biodegradation of contaminants in the porous rock matrix representing the dominantwater reservoir of the fissured porous karst aquifer.