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Plant and Groundwater Interactions Under Pristine Conditions

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Introduction to Phytoremediation of Contaminated Groundwater

Abstract

An initial understanding of plant and groundwater interactions did not follow a straightforward path. For example, it took many years and developments in forensic chemistry to elucidate that the oxygen released by plants during photosynthesis was derived from water absorbed by roots rather than from atmospheric CO2 absorbed by the leaves. Also, geochemical techniques that involved stable isotopes revealed that trees that grow on the banks of rivers tap groundwater rather than the seemingly more available source provided by surface water. Moreover, the facts that groundwater is not readily observed and that plants release invisible water vapor makes it easy to forget that plants move enormous volumes of water on a daily basis, a process that is essentially hidden in plain sight.

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  1. South Carolina Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 720 Gracern Road, Columbia, SC, 29210, USA

    Dr. James E. Landmeyer

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Landmeyer, J.E. (2012). Plant and Groundwater Interactions Under Pristine Conditions. In: Introduction to Phytoremediation of Contaminated Groundwater. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1957-6_5

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