EVALUATION OF WATER AND SEDIMENT QUALITIES AT RIVER MOUTHS IN THE HAIHE RIVER SYSTEM

Water and sediment qualities are studied by analyzing samples taking from the mouths of the Haihe, Duliujian, New Ziya and Beipai rivers in the Haihe river basin in north China in 2005 and 2001, in order to find the changes of water and sediment pollutions. The concentrations of heavy metals, arsenic, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) are analyzed and results have been compared for the two times. The in-situ measurement for Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Sediment Oxygen Demand (SOD) rates were carried at the Haihe and Duliujian river mouths in 2006. The results show that the waters of the 4 river mouths are still seriously polluted, though much improved in the case of the Haihe and Duliujian rivers. The main pollutants are TP and TN in the New Ziya and Beipai rivers and mercury (Hg) at all 4 river mouths. Compared with those in 2001, the concentrations of almost all metals and arsenic in the 4 river mouths have decreased. Water quality at Haihe and Duliujian shows an improving trend, while the water quality at Beipai is similar to that of 2001. In contrast, water at the New Ziya river mouth is more severely polluted. The sediments in the 4 river mouths are not seriously polluted by heavy metals but are polluted by nitrogen and phosphorus. Most of the pollutant contents in the sediments show little change between 2001 and 2005. The in-situ DO and SOD measurement shows that the waters at the Haihe river mouth is in the state of oxygen depletion, and SOD is important consumer of DO at the river mouths. The overall analysis shows that increasing water pollution and eutrophication in waters far from cities are ongoing causes of concern.     

A study of interaction between surface water and groundwater using environmental isotope in Huaisha River basin

The surface water and groundwater are important components of water cycle, and the interaction between surface water and groundwater is the important part in water cycle research. As the effective tracers in water cycle research, environmental isotope and hydrochemistry can reveal the interrelationships between surface water and groundwater effectively. The study area is the Huaisha River basin, which is located in Huairou district, Beijing. The field surveying and sampling for spring, river and well water were finished in 2002 and 2003. The hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and water quality were measured at the laboratory. The spatial characteristics in isotope and evolution of water quality along river lines at the different area were analyzed. The altitude effect of oxygen isotope in springs was revealed, and then using this equation, theory foundation for deducing recharge source of spring was estimated. By applying the mass balance method, the annual mean groundwater recharge rate at the catchment was estimated. Based on the groundwater recharge analysis, combining the hydrogeological condition analysis, and comparing the rainfall-runoff coefficients from the 1960s to 1990s in the Huaisha River basin and those in the Chaobai River basin, part of the runoff in the Huaisha River basin is recharged outside of this basin, in other words, this basin is an un-enclosed basin. On the basis of synthetically analyses, combining the compositions of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and hydrochemistry, geomorphology, geology, and watershed systems characteristics, the relative contributions between surface water and groundwater flow at the different areas at the catchments were evaluated, and the interaction between surface water and groundwater was re- vealed lastly.     

WATER POLLUTION IN THE RIVER MOUTHS AROUND BOHAI BAY

Twelve water samples were collected and analyzed. The samples were taken from the river mouths around Bohai Bay including the Jiyun. New Yongding, Haihe, Dagu, Duliujian, Qingjinghuang, Qikou, Dakou, and Yellow Rivers, and tested for concentrations of heavy metals, arsenic, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The results show that the river mouths are polluted and the water quality exceeds Class V of the Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water (EQSSW). The main pollutants are Hg, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The concentrations of the other pollutants are within Class II of the Standard. The Hg content in the Haihe River mouth is now 10 times higher than it was 20 years ago, indicating that the accelerating water pollution has reached an alarming level. The high concentrations of N and P cause eutrophication of the waters. Analysis indicates that the terrestrial pollutants and nutrients are the main cause of frequently occurring red tides in the Bohai Sea.     

尼泊尔波哈拉谷地若干湖泊的营养状况：过去、现在与将来

Harnessing the natural resources is one of the basis of natural economy in developing countries. The wise use of such resources is very important to sustain the balance between immediate benefits and maintenance of the ecosystem. In Phewa, Begnas and Rupa lakes of Pokhara Valley, plankton feeding fish farming in net cage,enclosure and open water stocking is one of the effective example of natural resources utilisation which sustains a number of households in surrounding lakes for economic activities. These lakes are also used for drinking water, hydroelectricity, irrigation and recreation etc. However, the understanding of trophic status of the lakes is very important for long term sustainable use of the lakes in harmony with human activities. Here, we present the trophic status of three lakes of Pokhara Valley and discuss the impacts of human and natural activities on the trophic status of the lake. The study shows that heavy rain fall in the valley during monsoon is one of the strongest natural forces which flush out the accumulated nutrients from the lakes and migrate the eutrophication processes. Recommendations for sustainable use of lake water have also been discussed.     

Numerical modeling of regional groundwater flow in the Heihe River Basin,China:Advances and new insights

Numerical groundwater modeling is an effective tool to guide water resources management and explore complex groundwater-dependent ecosystems in arid regions.In the Heihe River Basin(HRB),China’s second largest inland river basin located in arid northwest China,a series of groundwater flow models have been developed for those purposes over the past 20 years.These models have elucidated the characteristics of groundwater flow systems and provided the scientific basis for a more sustainable management of groundwater resources and ecosystem services.The first part of this paper presents an overview of previous groundwater modeling studies and key lessons learned based on seven different groundwater models in the middle and lower HRB at sub-basin scales.The second part reviews the rationale for development of a regional basin-scale groundwater flow model that unifies previous sub-basin models.In addition,this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges in developing a regional groundwater flow model in an arid river basin such as the HRB.     

贝加尔湖的污染与富营养化

The long term systematic investigations of ion composition components (bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphates, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium) and trophic status components (suspension, chlorophyll-a, mineral and organic forms phosphorus and nitrogen, carbon, silica) of water from the lake proper, its tributaries and atmospheric precipitation, which make up the main share of substance supply in to the lake, as well as the Angara river, being the source of substance discharge allowed the lake recent state to be evaluated in terms of both chemical pollution and possible eutrophication of its water. The similar (in terms of river runojf) periods of 50-ies and 80-ies have been compared. It was revealed that as a result of industrial activity 409 thousand tons of mineral substances (27.2 thousand tons of chlorides, 162 thousand tons of sulphates and over 200 thousand tons of organic substances) are supplied in the lake annually. The supply of substances of the anthropogenic origin is higher for the South Baikal than that for the North and Middle Baikal (the sum of mineral substances in 3.6 times; sulphates in 5 times, organic substances, including hydrocarbons in 7 times).The absence of abundant phytoplankton in the period studied when the ratio of silica to phosphorus is optimum (over 100), as well as a revers correlation between winter nitrogen content and spring of chlorophyll-a concentration in the Baikal water and revers dependence between the suspension and chlorophyll-a along the Selenga river valley lead to the conclusion that Baikal water contains toxicants. It is verified by the presence of polychlorbiphenyls (PCB), poly-chlordibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) for the whole food web with the maximum PCDD/PCDF (TEQ to 175 P g · g^-1) concentration in the seal blubber. The levels are comparable with those reported for ringed seal (phoca hispida), living in the Baltic sea and Bar-row Strait Inlet in the Canadian Arctic.     

富营养湖泊中的微囊藻优势：原因—后果—对策

Cyanobacterial dominance in lakes has received much attention in the past because of the great success and frequent bloom formation in lakes of higher trophic levels. In this paper underlying mechanism of cyanobacterial dominance are analyzed and discussed using both original and literature data from various shallow mixed and deep stratifying lakes from temperate and (subtropical regions. Examples include all four ecotypes of cyanobacteria sensu MUR et al. (1993), because their behavior in the water column is entirely different.Colony forming species (Microcystis) are exemplified from the large shallow Lake Taihu, China. Data from a shallow urban lake, Alte Donau in Austria are used to characterize well mixed species (Cylindrospermopsis) while stratifying species (Planktothrix) are analyzed from the deep alpine lake Mondsee. Nitrogen fixing species (Aphanizomenon) are typified from a shallow river-run lake in Germany.Factors causing the dominance of one or the other group are discussed as well as consequences for restoration measures. Existing knowledge on cyanobacterial dominance is summarized.     

Sediment pollution and its effect on fish through food chain in the Yangtze River

Suspended sediment adsorbs pollutants from flowing water in rivers and deposits onto the bed. However, the pollutants accumulated in the river bed sediment may affect the bio-community through food chain for a long period of time. To study the problem the concentration of heavy metals （Cr, Cd, Hg, Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb and As） in water, sediment, and fish/invertebrate were investigated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during 2006-2007. The concentrations of heavy metals were 100-10,000 times higher in the sediment than in the water. Benthic invertebrates had relatively high concentrations of heavy metals in their tissues due to their proximity to contaminated sediments. Benthic invertivore fish had moderately high concentrations of heavy metals whereas phytoplanktivore fish, such as the silver carp, accumulated the lowest concentration of heavy metals. The concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Fe were higher than Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr, and As in the tissue samples. The concentration of heavy metals was lower in the river sediments than in the lake sediments. Conversely, the concentration of heavy metals was higher in river water than in lake water. While a pollution event into a water body is often transitory, the effects of the pollutants may be long-lived due to their tendency to be absorbed in the sediments and then released into the food chain. The heavy metals were concentrated in the following order： bottom material 〉 demersal fish and benthic fauna 〉 middle-lower layer fish 〉 upper-middle layer fish 〉 water.     

Spatial distribution and comparative evaluation of phosphorus release rate in benthic sediments of an estuary dam

A series of experiments and simulations were performed to ascertain the rate at which phosphorus is released using a water quality model in Saemangeum Lake, an artificially constructed lake located in an estuary. The general inflow of seawater once a day contributed to the formation of a halocline in the lake water, which caused variation in the vertical concentration of dissolved oxygen. The halocline was mainly observed in the deep downstream regions of Saemangeum Lake that are close to the op...     

The nutrient forms, cycling and exchange flux in the sediment and overlying water system in lakes from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

This paper is a review of research works concerning the nutrient transportation, transformation and exchange between water, sediment and biota in the lakes from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River conducted in the context of project entitled "The Processes and Mechanism of Lake Eutrophication in Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River". All the lakes from this area are shallow lakes. According to the typical lake site research, the lakes from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River have a higher baseline of nutrition in the history. Normally the trophic status of these lakes can be categorized into medium-trophic or eutrophic. Human activities have been enhanced during the last decades, which speed up the lake eutrophic process. Lake eutrophication control needs to reduce not only the external nutrient inputs from watershed but also the internal loading from the sediments. Investigations revealed that the lake sediments in this area are considerablly high in nutrition in which at most about 30% of phosphorus exists in the form of bio-available in the sediment. The surface sediment will exert great effects on the nutrient exchange between water-sediment interface via adsorption and release of nutrient. The nutrient release from the sediment in these shallow lakes is mainly in two ways, i.e. in the undisturbed condition the nutrient is released through diffusion created by the nutrient gradient from sediment to overlying water; whereas in disturbed condition, the nutrient release is determined by the hydrodynamic forcing intensity and the sediment resuspension. Metallic elements such as the iron, manganese and aluminium and the aerobic-anaerobic ambience will affect the release of nutrients. The disturbed release will increase the total nutrients in the water column significantly in the short period. At the beginning of sediment resuspension, the dissolved nutrient concentration will increase. This increase will be damped if the ferric oxide and aluminium are rich in sediment because of the adsorption and flocculation. This means that the lakes have capability of eliminating the nutrient loadings. Investigations for the lakes from middle and down stream of Yangtze River have suggested that most lakes have the self-cleaning capability. Dredging the control of the internal loading, therefore, is only applicable to the small lakes or undisturbed bays which normally are situated nearby the city or town and rich in organic materials in the sediment. In addition, the strong reduction condition and weak aeration of these lakes and bays make these small lakes and bays release much more bio-available nutrient and without much self-eliminating capability. Moreover, eutrophication induced algal bloom in these lakes will change the pH of water, which further induces the increase in the nutrient release. In turn, the increase in nutrient release promotes the growth of phytoplankton and results in severe algal bloom. For the heavily polluted water, research suggests that the biomass of bacteria and alkaline phosphatase activity will be higher corresponding to the higher concentration of nutrients, which accelerates the nutrient recycling between water, sediment and biota. Quick recycling of nutrient, in turn, promotes the production and biomass growth of microorganism and leads to more severe eutrophication. Further research work should focus on the nutrient transformation mechanism and the effects of microbial loop on the eutrophication.     

Residence times in river basins as determined by analysis of long-term tritium records

The US Geological Survey has maintained a network of stations to collect samples for the measurement of tritium concentrations in precipitation and streamflow since the early 1960s. Tritium data from outflow waters of river basins draining 4500–75000 km² are used to determine average residence times of water within the basins. The basins studied are the Colorado River above Cisco, Utah; the Kissimmee River above Lake Okeechobee, Florida; the Mississippi River above Anoka, Minnesota; the Neuse River above Streets Ferry Bridge near Vanceboro, North Carolina; the Potomac River above Point of Rocks, Maryland; the Sacramento River above Sacramento, California; the Susquehanna River above Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The basins are modeled with the assumption that the outflow in the river comes from two sources—prompt (within-year) runoff from precipitation, and flow from the long-term reservoirs of the basin. Tritium concentration in the outflow water of the basin is dependent on three factors: (1) tritium concentration in runoff from the long-term reservoir, which depends on the residence time for the reservoir and historical tritium concentrations in precipitation; (2) tritium concentrations in precipitation (the within-year runoff component); (3) relative contributions of flow from the long-term and within-year components. Predicted tritium concentrations for the outflow water in the river basins were calculated for different residence times and for different relative contributions from the two reservoirs. A box model was used to calculate tritium concentrations in the long-term reservoir. Calculated values of outflow tritium concentrations for the basin were regressed against the measured data to obtain a slope as close as possible to 1. These regressions assumed an intercept of zero and were carried out for different values of residence time and reservoir contribution to maximize the fit of modeled versus actual data for all the above rivers. The final slopes of the fitted regression lines ranged from 0.95 to 1.01 (correlation coefficient > 0.96) for the basins studied. Values for the residence time of waters within the basins and average relative contributions of the within-year and long-term reservoirs to outflow were obtained. Values for river basin residence times ranged from 2 years for the Kissimmee River basin to 20 years for the Potomac River basin. The residence times indicate the time scale in which the basin responds to anthropogenic inputs. The modeled tritium concentrations for the basins also furnish input data for urban and agricultural settings where these river waters are used.     

Tritium hydrology of the Mississippi River basin

In the early 1960s, the US Geological Survey began routinely analysing river water samples for tritium concentrations at locations within the Mississippi River basin. The sites included the main stem of the Mississippi River (at Luling Ferry, Louisiana), and three of its major tributaries, the Ohio River (at Markland Dam, Kentucky), the upper Missouri River (at Nebraska City, Nebraska) and the Arkansas River (near Van Buren, Arkansas). The measurements cover the period during the peak of the bomb‐produced tritium transient when tritium concentrations in precipitation rose above natural levels by two to three orders of magnitude. Using measurements of tritium concentrations in precipitation, a tritium input function was established for the river basins above the Ohio River, Missouri River and Arkansas River sampling locations. Owing to the extent of the basin above the Luling Ferry site, no input function was developed for that location. The input functions for the Ohio and Missouri Rivers were then used in a two‐component mixing model to estimate residence times of water within these two basins. (The Arkansas River was not modelled because of extremely large yearly variations in flow during the peak of the tritium transient.) The two components used were: (i) recent precipitation (prompt outflow) and (ii) waters derived from the long‐term groundwater reservoir of the basin. The tritium concentration of the second component is a function of the atmospheric input and the residence times of the groundwaters within the basin. Using yearly time periods, the parameters of the model were varied until a best fit was obtained between modelled and measured tritium data. The results from the model indicate that about 40% of the flow in the Ohio River was from prompt outflow, as compared with 10% for the Missouri River. Mean residence times of 10 years were calculated for the groundwater component of the Ohio River versus 4 years for the Missouri River. The mass flux of tritium through the Mississippi Basin and its tributaries was calculated during the years that tritium measurements were made. The cumulative fluxes, calculated in grams of ³H were: (i) 160 g for the Ohio (1961–1986), (ii) 98 g for the upper Missouri (1963–1997), (iii) 30 g for the Arkansas (1961–1997) and (iv) 780 g for the Mississippi (1961–1997). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Higher tritium concentrations measured in permafrost thaw lakes in northern Alberta

Tritium concentrations were measured in a survey of 24 lakes, 15 wetlands, and 133 groundwaters in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta and compared with both recent precipitation and precipitation sampled during the 1960s tritium peak caused by atmospheric thermonuclear weapons testing. Water samples from lakes included a group of 14 thaw lakes that had higher runoff attributed to melting of permafrost in peat plateaus within their watersheds. While tritium in all lakes was found to be intermediate between recent and 1960s concentrations, the thaw lakes were found to be significantly enriched in tritium compared with other lakes, as were unfrozen wetlands characterized by a thick sequence of low‐hydraulic conductivity peat. The results provide further evidence of different water sources to the thaw lakes and may indicate that melting of modern permafrost in part formed since the 1950s is occurring in these systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological and isotopic characterization of river water,groundwater, and groundwater recharge in the Heihe River basin,northwestern China

We used hydrochemistry and environmental isotope data (δ¹⁸O, δD, tritium, and ¹⁴C) to investigate the characteristics of river water, groundwater, and groundwater recharge in China's Heihe River basin. The river water and groundwater could be characterized as Ca²⁺? Mg²⁺? HCO₃^?? SO₄^2? and Na⁺? Mg²⁺? SO₄^2?? Cl^? types, respectively. Hydrogeochemical modelling using PHREEQC software revealed that the main hydrogeochemical processes are dissolution (except for gypsum and anhydrite) along groundwater flow paths from the upper to middle Heihe reaches. Towards the lower reaches, dolomite and calcite tend to precipitate. The isotopic data for most of the river water and groundwater lie on the global meteoric water line (GMWL) or between the GMWL and the meteoric water line in northwestern China, indicating weak evaporation. No direct relationship existed between recharge and discharge of groundwater in the middle and lower reaches based on the isotope ratios, d‐excess, and ¹⁴C values. On the basis of tritium in precipitation and by adopting an exponential piston‐flow model, we evaluated the mean residence time of shallow groundwater with high tritium activities, which was around 50 years (a). Furthermore, based on the several popular models, it is calculated that the deep groundwaters in piedmont alluvial fan zone of the middle reaches and in southern part of the lower reaches are modern water, whereas the deep groundwaters in the edge of the middle reaches and around Juyan Lake in the lower reaches of Heihe river basin are old water. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A stable isotope study of the Garda lake, northern Italy: Its hydrological balance

Discontinuous measurements of the isotopic composition of surface water samples of the Garda lake carried out between 1998 and 2006 showed almost constant δ¹⁸O, δD and d-excess values through time. During 2006 and 2007 monthly vertical profiles of water samples were collected in the northernmost section of the lake, not far from the main inflow (Sarca river) to check whether there was any detectable influence from this inflowing river and whether there was a vertical isotopic stratification of the lake water. The isotopic measurement of water samples from the vertical profiles yielded isotopic values which were almost equal to those obtained from surface waters showing no detectable effect of the inflowing river water and no isotopic vertical stratification. The attempt to evaluate the evaporation rate of lake water by means of current models was totally unsuccessful. Despite the marked summer warming of the surface layer no isotopic fractionation related to evaporation processes could be detected. This anomalous behaviour may be related to the large amount of spring and summer precipitation characteristic of this area. The water balance of the lake calculated according to the amount of the inflowing water (Sarca river water plus rain water on the lake plus 20% of the precipitations on the whole catchment basin) and to the amount of outflowing water (Mincio river) showed a large imbalance, the river outflow alone resulting on average, during the last decade, at least double the inflow. To explain this imbalance of the lake, a large recharge by concealed groundwater is suggested: its isotopic composition should be quite close to the mean isotopic composition of precipitations over that area. This would be in agreement with the almost constant isotopic composition of both surface and deep waters and with the lack of vertical isotopic stratification. A few measurements of the tritium concentration carried out on lake water show values that are considerably higher than modern tritium values either in precipitation or in the Sarca river water: these results are in good agreement with the hypothesis of a recharge of the lake by deep aquifers.     

Environmental isotope study on hydrodynamics of Lake Naini,Uttar Pradesh,India

Environmental isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δD and ³H) were used to understand the hydrodynamics of Lake Naini in the State of Uttar Pradesh, India. The data was correlated with the in situ physico‐chemical parameters, namely temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen. The analysis of the data shows that Lake Naini is a warm monomictic lake [i.e. in a year, the lake is stratified during the summer months (March/April to October/November) and well mixed during the remaining months]. The presence of a centrally submerged ridge inhibits the mixing of deeper waters of the lake's two sub‐basins, and they exhibit differential behaviour. The rates of change of isotopic composition of hypolimnion and epilimnion waters of the lake indicate that the water retention time of the lake is very short, and the two have independent inflow components. A few groundwater inflow points to the lake are inferred along the existing fractures, fault planes and dykes. In addition to poor vertical mixing of the lake due to the temperature‐induced seasonal stratification, the lake also shows poor horizontal mixing at certain locations of the lake. The lake–groundwater system appears to be a flow‐through type. Also, a tritium and water‐balance model was developed to estimate the water retention time of well‐mixed and hydrologically steady state lakes. The model assumes a piston flow of groundwater contributing to the lake. The developed model was verified for (a) Finger Lakes, New York; (b) Lake Neusiedlersee, Austria; and (c) Blue Lake, Australia based on literature data. The predicted water retention times of the lakes were close to those reported or calculated from the hydrological parameters given in the references. On application of this model to Lake Naini, a water retention time of ～2 years and age of groundwater contributing to the lake ～14 years is obtained. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopic study of alluvial groundwaters,south-west lockyer valley,queensland, australia

The isotopic chemistry of alluvial groundwaters from two adjacent valleys are described and hydrological processes within related aquifers are identified as evidenced by oxygen-¹⁸, deuterium, tritium and chloride data. A plot of δ¹⁸O against δD values reveals isotopic enrichment of the groundwater by the recycling of spray irrigation water. A plot of tritium versus chloride concentrations displays separate linear correlations for alluvial groundwaters within the two valleys. The salinity has a common source, therefore the separate correlations are interpreted as the past transfer of low salinity groundwater from the alluvial aquifers in one valley to the underlying sandstone aquifers.     

鄱阳湖洪泛区碟形湖湿地系统地表—地下水交互作用

洪泛系统具有复杂动态的水文环境,在季节性洪水脉冲影响下,地表-地下水交互转化对洪泛区水循环和生态环境保护等方面具有重要意义.本文采用野外试验、统计分析和达西定律等研究方法,开展了鄱阳湖洪泛区碟形湖湿地系统(河流-洲滩湿地-碟形湖)地表-地下水文学特征、相互作用和交换通量研究.数据资料显示,在地形地貌影响下,研究区洲滩地下水位明显低于碟形湖水位,但总体上略高于周边河流水位,统计结果进一步表明,在控制洪泛湿地的地下水动态方面,河流水文情势变化对地下水的影响作用要强于碟形湖水文变化.就河流-地下水转化关系而言,研究区湿地系统的地下水与周边河流水体之间存在动态转化关系,地下水对河流的补给通量以及河流对地下水的补给通量分别约为0.4和0.2 m/d.就湖泊-地下水转化关系而言,碟形湖一般来说补给周边滩地的地下水系统,但两者之间的交换通量基本小于0.1 m/d.在年尺度上,研究区地表-地下水之间的累积交换通量变化约介于7.5~48.2 m/a,其中河流-地下水的累积交换通量约是碟形湖-地下水的4~7倍,且秋、冬季的累积交换通量要明显大于春、夏季.本文研究结果可为洪泛区河湖系统的水资源联合管理、水环境整治和生态环境保护等方面提供科学支撑.     

Isotopic time series partitioning of streamflow components under regional climate change in the Urumqi River,northwest China

ABSTRACT

We investigated the isotopic composition of the Urumqi River and documented seasonal variability attributable to the mixing of various flow sources. Next, we applied these isotopic signals to partition the sources and studied their temporal variability in summer. The isotope hydrology separation results indicated that groundwater is the dominant streamflow source (approximately 62.7%) in the Urumqi River. Precipitation is an important source for the Urumqi River; approximately 19.1–20.7% of the runoff came from precipitation during summer and early autumn. In summer, approximately 21.1% of the runoff is derived from glacial meltwater. In summer, with the increasing distance to the glacier front, groundwater accounts for a larger and larger percentage of the river water, and the contributions of precipitation and glacial meltwater gradually diminish. Throughout 2012, the proportions of precipitation and glacial meltwater in the streamflow were 17.6% and 14.7%, respectively, and only 5% of the streamflow was derived from snowmelt.

Editor Z. W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor not assigned     

Deduction of groundwater flow regime in a basaltic aquifer using geochemical and isotopic data: The Golan Heights, Israel case study

Groundwater flow-paths through shallow-perch and deep-regional basaltic aquifers at the Golan Heights, Israel, are reconstructed by using groundwater chemical and isotopic compositions. Groundwater chemical composition, which changes gradually along flow-paths due to mineral dissolution and water–rock interaction, is used to distinguish between shallow-perched and deep-regional aquifers. Groundwater replenishment areas of several springs are identified based on the regional depletion in rainwater δ¹⁸O values as a function of elevation (−0.25‰ per 100 m). Tritium concentrations assist in distinguishing between pre-bomb and post-bomb recharged rainwater.

It was found that waters emerging through the larger springs are lower in δ¹⁸O than surrounding meteoric water and poor in tritium; thus, they are inferred to originate in high-elevation regions up to 20 km away from their discharge points and at least several decades ago. These results verify the numerically simulated groundwater flow field proposed in a previous study, which considered the geological configuration, water mass balance and hydraulic head spatial distribution.