Abstract
Climate change is accelerating the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to inland and coastal waters through increases in precipitation, thawing of permafrost, and changes in vegetation. Our modeling approach suggests that the selective absorption of ultraviolet radiation (UV) by DOM decreases the valuable ecosystem service wherein sunlight inactivates waterborne pathogens. Here we highlight the sensitivity of waterborne pathogens of humans and wildlife to solar UV, and use the DNA action spectrum to model how differences in water transparency and incident sunlight alter the ability of UV to inactivate waterborne pathogens. A case study demonstrates how heavy precipitation events can reduce the solar inactivation potential in Lake Michigan, which provides drinking water to over 10 million people. These data suggest that widespread increases in DOM and consequent browning of surface waters reduce the potential for solar UV inactivation of pathogens, and increase exposure to infectious diseases in humans and wildlife.
Highlights
Climate change is profoundly altering ecosystems and the goods and services that they provide[1]
We present a case study from Lake Michigan that demonstrates the effects of storm events on the potential for solar disinfection, and discuss the implications of changes in ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure in inland and coastal waters for waterborne pathogens and the spread of infectious disease globally
This study is a first step and further empirical surveys and experimental studies are needed to confirm the importance of solar UV inactivation relative to other environmental controls of pathogen abundance
Summary
The potential for solar radiation to inactivate pathogens in drinking water in various types of UV-transparent containers (SODIS) is well established and recently has been reviewed[16,17]. Quantifying the effects of solar UV on pathogens in aquatic environments requires knowledge of (1) the number of photons and spectral composition (how many photons at each wavelength) of the UV reaching the surface of the water, (2) the transparency of the water to UV, including spectral absorption, and (3) the spectral sensitivity of the pathogen, referred to as an action spectrum or biological weighting function. As a first order estimate, we used available data on UV-C inactivation and the DNA action spectrum to estimate the SIP of several pathogens and indicator species for natural solar radiation (Table 1). The value of this modeling approach has been developed and explored for viruses and found to be well supported by experimental data[11]. Target Adenovirus Adenovirus Coliphage MS-2 Coliphage PRD-1 Poliovirus type 1 Hepatitis A
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