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Ntarlagiannis et al. 2005
Ntarlagiannis, D., Yee, N. and Slater, L. (2005). On the low-frequency electrical polarization of bacterial cells in sands. Geophysical Research Letters 32: doi: 10.1029/2005GL024751. issn: 0094-8276.

We performed electrical measurements on sands flushed with bacterial suspensions of varying concentration. The first experiment was conducted with Shewanella putrefaciens (biomass 0--0.5 mg/L) and the second with Escherichia coli (biomass 0--42 mg/L). We measured a biomass-dependent low-frequency (10 Hz) polarization. At cell density 12 mg/L polarization increased (up to 15%). We attribute the decrease in polarization at low cell density to alteration of the mineral-fluid interface due to mineral-cell interactions. The polarization enhancement at higher cell density is possibly a pore throat mechanism resulting from decreased ionic mobility and/or electron transfer due to cell accumulation in pores.

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Abstract

Keywords
Biogeosciences, Biogeophysics, Exploration Geophysics, Magnetic and electrical methods, Physical Properties of Rocks, Magnetic and electrical properties
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
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American Geophysical Union
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