Subsurface Biological Activity in Relation to Ground Water Pollution

Book excerpt: Biological activity occurring in subsurface regions below the soil zone may be of considerable importance in determining the fate and effect of pollutants in ground water, but this possibility has received little previous attention. This paper comprises a discussion of subsurface biological activity in regard to ground-water pollution as reflected by available literature references. The subsurface environment is discussed in terms of factors likely to be of greatest significance in regard to the development of biological systems, and previous investigations of subsurface microbial activity are reviewed. Available information indicates the presence in the upper continental crust of the earth of numerous regions, particularly those of sedimentary origin, which are probably suitable habitats for many microbial species. Previous investigations of subsurface microbial activity clearly show the presence of diverse microbial populations in many subsurface regions below the soil zone. Hence, microbial activity appears both possible and probable in most subsurface regions of importance in regard to ground water. Further elucidation of the extent and nature of microbial activity in subsurface regions is needed in developing methods for predicting the impact on ground-water quality of pollutants released into the earth's crust.