Anna Szynkiewicz

Anna Szynkiewicz’s interests involve studies of global geochemical and biogeochemical cycles related to the lithosphere and hydrosphere using stable isotope tracers (S-O-H-C-Zn) and chemical methods. This interdisciplinary research integrates areas of low-temperature geochemistry and water-rock interaction, hydrogeology, and environmental studies. Szynkiewicz is trying to integrate these fields in order to better quantify the chemical weathering of crustal rocks as a result of climate and to enhance knowledge and understanding of modern and past hydrological cycles on Earth.

Szynkiewicz also attempts to elucidate human impacts such as land cultivation and hydraulic fracturing on natural ecosystems. Consequently, her recent environmental studies have been focused on characterizing sources of salinity in agricultural districts of Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts as well as investigating sources of methane in groundwater of Central Appalachian Basin impacted by hydraulic fracturing and surface mining. Major research findings of these studies have been published recently in Chemical Geology and Applied Geochemistry.Szynkiewicz’s earliest research focused on the characterization of anthropogenic impacts on freshwater environments in Eastern Europe related to acid rain in mountain and lake ecosystems. She used multiple stable isotope tracers (S-O-H-C) to calculate the sulfate inputs from atmospheric acid wet deposition and performed several incubation experiments to evaluate the buffering capacity of lake sediments in response to anthropogenic acidification of freshwater. Major research findings of these studies have been published in Chemical Geology and Applied Geochemistry.

---

Publications

Mars Analog Research

• Ende J.J., Szynkiewicz A. (2021) Mechanisms of sulfate formation in acidic-volcanic hydrothermal sites of Iceland, Lassen, Valles Caldera and Yellowstone: Implications for possible oxidation pathways in Martian volcanic settings. Icarus 368, 114608.

• Szynkiewicz A. & Bishop J.L. (2021) Assessment of sulfate sources under cold conditions as a geochemical proxy for the origin of sulfates in the circumpolar dunes on Mars. Minerals 11, 507. https://doi.org/10.3390.min11050507
• Hynek B.M., McCollom T.M., Szynkiewicz A. (2019) Sulfur cycling and mass balance at Meridiani, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research 46, doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085115.
• Szynkiewicz A., Goff F., Faiia A.M., & Vaniman, D. (2019b). Sulfur cycle in Valles Caldera volcanic complex, New Mexico – Letter 2: Aqueous sulfate budget and implications for hydrological transport on early Mars. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 506, 552-562.
• Szynkiewicz A., Goff F., Vaniman D.V., Faiia A.M., & Pribil M.J. (2019a). Sulfur cycle in Valles Caldera volcanic complex, New Mexico – Letter 1: Sulfate sources in aqueous system, and implications for S isotope record in Gale Crater on Mars. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 506, 540-551.
• Szynkiewicz A., Borrok D.M., Vaniman D.T. (2014) Efflorescence as a source of hydrated sulphate minerals in valley settings on Mars. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 393: 14-25.
• Szynkiewicz A., Modelska M., Buczyński S., Borrok D.M., Merrison J.P. (2013) The polar sulfur cycle in the Werenskioldbreen, Spitsbergen: Possible implications for understanding the deposition of sulfate minerals in the North Polar Region of Mars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 106: 326-343.
• Szynkiewicz A., Johnson A.P., Pratt L.M.(2012) Sulfur species and biosignatures in Sulphur Springs of Valles Caldera, New Mexico – implications for Mars astrobiology. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 321-322: 1-13.
• Szynkiewicz A., Moore C.H., Glamoclija M., Bustos D., Pratt L.M. (2010b) The origin of coarsely crystalline gypsum domes in a saline playa environment at the White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research,115, F02021, doi:10.1029/2009JF001592.
• Szynkiewicz A., Ewing R.C., Moore C.H., Glamoclija M, Bustos D., Pratt L.M. (2010a) Origin of terrestrial gypsum dunes – implications for Martian gypsum-rich dunes of Olimpia Undae. Geomorphology, 121: 69-83.
• Szynkiewicz A., Moore C.H., Glamoclija M., Pratt L.M. (2009) Sulfur isotope signatures in gypsiferous sediments of the Estancia and Tularosa Basins as paleoindicators of sulfate sources, hydrologic cycle and bacterial activity. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 73, 6162-6186.

Earth Research Studies

• Lyons W.B., Carey A.E., Gardner C.B., Welch S.A., Smith D.F., Szynkiewicz A., Diaz M., Croot P., Henry T., Flynn R. (2021) The geochemistry of Irish rivers. Journal of Hydrology 37, 100881.

• Bishop J.L., Unger R., Faiia A.M., Szynkiewicz A., Auxier II J.D., Hall H.L., & Lang M. (2020) Thermal signatures of Cu metal revealed through oxygen isotope fractionation. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07456-3
• Szynkiewicz A., Olichwer T., & Tarka R. (2020) Delineation of groundwater provenance in Arctic environment using isotopic composition of water and sulfate. Journal of Hydrology 580, 124232.
• Ramsey A. B. & Szynkiewicz A. (2019) Coupled chemical-isotope assessment of potential metal releases to the water column from river sediments impacted by coal ash spill. Applied Geochemistry 107, 34-44.
• Buongiornoa J., Herbert L. C., Wehrmann L. M., Michaud A., Laufer K., Roy H., Jorgensen B.B., Szynkiewicz A., Faiia A.M., Yeager K.M., Schindler K. & Lloyd, K. (2019). Complex microbial communities drive iron and sulfur cycling in Arctic fjord sediments". Applied and Environmental Microbiology 85: e00949-19.
• Ramsey A. B., Faiia A. M., & Szynkiewicz A. (2019). Eight years after the coal ash spill – Fate of trace metals in the contaminated river sediments near Kingston, Eastern Tennessee. Applied Geochemistry 104, 158-167.
• Sanchez D.A., Szynkiewicz A., & Faiia A.M. (2017). Determining sources of nitrate in the semi-arid Rio Grande using nitrogen and oxygen isotopes. Applied Geochemistry, 86, 59-69.
• LeDoux S.M., Szynkiewicz A., Faiia A.M., Mayes M.A., McKinney M.L., Dean W.G. (2016): Chemical and isotope compositions of shallow groundwater in areas impacted by hydraulic fracturing and surface mining in the Central Appalachian Basin, Eastern United States. Applied Geochemistry 71: 73-85.
• Szynkiewicz A., Borrok D.B. (2016): Isotope variations of dissolved Zn in the Rio Grande watershed, USA: The role of adsorption on Zn isotope composition. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 433: 293-302
• Szynkiewicz A., Borrok D.B., Ganjegunte G.K., Skrzypek G., Ma L., Rearick M., Perkins G. (2015b): Isotopic studies of the Rio Grande. Part 2 – Salt loads and human impact in south New Mexico and west Texas. Chemical Geology 411: 336-350.
• Szynkiewicz A., Borrok D.B., Skrzypek G., Rearick M. (2015a): Isotopic studies of the Rio Grande. Part 1 – Importance of sulfide weathering in the riverine sulfate budget in south Colorado and north/central New Mexico. Chemical Geology 411: 323-335.
• Szynkiewicz A., Modelska M., Rangel-Medina M., Farmer G.L., Rabago P.H., Monreal R. (2014) Age and shape of paleo-seawater intrusions in the semi-arid coastal aquifer of Sonora Desert, northern Mexico. Geoscience Notes 2.2: 12-38.
• Szynkiewicz A., Newton B.T., Timmons S.S., Borrok D.M. (2012) The sources and budget for dissolved sulfate in a fractured carbonate aquifer, Southern Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA. Applied Geochemistry 27: 1451-1462.
• Szynkiewicz A., Witcher J., Modelska M., Borrok D.B., Pratt L.M. (2011) Anthropogenic sulfate loads in the Rio Grande, New Mexico. Chemical Geology 283: 194-209.
• Skrzypek G., Jezierski P., Szynkiewicz A. (2010) Preservation of primary stable isotope signatures of peat-forming plants during early decomposition – observation along an altitudinal transect. Chemical Geology, 273: 238-249.
• Szynkiewicz A., Medina M.R., Modelska M., Monreal R., Pratt L.M. (2008d) Sulfur isotopic study of sulfate in the aquifer of Costa de Hermosillo (Sonora, Mexico) in relation to upward intrusion of saline groundwater, irrigation pumping and land cultivation. Review Paper in Applied Geochemistry, 23: 2539-2558.
• Szynkiewicz A., Modelska M., Kurasiewicz M., Jędrysek M.O., Mastalerz M. (2008c) Aging of organic matter in the incubated freshwater sediments; Inferences from C and H isotopic ratios in methane. Geological Quarterly, 52(4): 383-396.
• Szynkiewicz A., Modelska M., Jędrysek M.O., Mastalerz M. (2008b) The effect of acid rain and altitude on concentration, d34S, and d18O of sulfate in the water from Sudety Mountains, Poland. Chemical Geology, 249: 36-51.
• Szynkiewicz A., Jędrysek M.O., Kurasiewicz M., Mastalerz M. (2008a) Influence of sulfate input on freshwater sediments: Insights from incubation experiments. Applied Geochemistry, 23: 1607-1622.
• Jezierski P., Szynkiewicz A., Jędrysek M.O. (2006) Natural and anthropogenic origin sulphate in a mountainous aquatic system: S and O isotope evidences. Water Air and Soil Pollution, 173: 81-101.
• Szynkiewicz A., Jędrysek M.O., Kurasiewicz M. (2006) Carbon isotope effects during precipitation of barium carbonate: implications for environmental studies. Environmental Chemistry Letters. 4(1), 29-35.

---

Research Projects

2020-2021 “Sourcing runoff and chemical origins in urban storm water runoff: An application in Knoxville, TN” – Tennessee Water Resources Research Center & US Geological Survey grant awarded to multiple Co-PIs, including Hathaway & Szynkiewicz ($16,535)

2018-2021 "Determining mechanisms of sulfate formation on Mars using terrestrial analogs" - NASA grant awarded to PI-Szynkiewicz ($208,907)

2016-2017 "Environmental impacts of coal ash spill on nutrient cycling and surface water quality in eastern Tennessee" – US Department of Interior & US Geological Survey grant awarded to PI-Szynkiewicz ($9,000).

2014-2017 "Collaborative research: a multi-tracer (U, S, B, and Sr) approach to fingerprint and quantify anthropogenic salinity sources in the semi-arid Rio Grande watershed" - PI–Lin Ma, University of Texas at El Paso. NSF grant awarded to Co-PI Szynkiewicz ($23,148).

2014-2015 "Characterizing groundwater pollution from hydraulic fracturing using environmental tracers" – Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) grant awarded to PI-Szynkiewicz ($10,000).

2012-2016 "Sulfur cycling during the volcanic and climatic evolution of Valles Caldera – A geochemical analogue for sulfate-mineral deposition on Mars" – NASA grant awarded to PI-Szynkiewicz ($243,895).

---

Public Outreach

---

Contact

Phone: 865-974-6006

Email: aszynkie@utk.edu

Professional Website: faculty.utk.edu/Anna.Szynkiewicz

---

Research Interests

I am a geologist and stable isotope geochemist using chemical and light isotope tracers to study surface processes related to water activity on Earth and Mars. I also investigate the origin of sulfur-bearing minerals on Mars.

---

Education

• Jan 2004 - Ph.D. in Geology, University of Wrocław, Poland
• Jun 2000 - M.Sc. in Geology, University of Wrocław, Poland
• Jun 1998 - B.Sc. in Geology, University of Wrocław, Poland