Geochemistry of sediment moisture in the Badain Jaran desert: Implications of recent environmental changes and water-rock interaction

Unsaturated zone pore water has the potential to record history of recharge, palaeoenvironment, pollution movement and water-rock interaction as it percolates through and moves towards the water table. In this study, two 6-m cores from the Badain Jaran desert (NW China) were collected to explore this potential using directly extracted moisture. Pore waters in these unsaturated zone sediments (1–5% moisture by wet weight) were directly extracted using immiscible liquid displacement and then analysed for major anions, cations and trace elements. Results show enrichment in pore water chemistry in the top 1–2 m where strong temperature and moisture fluxes occur. The enrichment in cations relative to chloride is primarily due to silicate mineral dissolution during infiltration. High nitrate and low iron concentrations indicate the overall oxidizing environment, which allows the mobility of oxyanions, such as uranium, arsenic and chromium. The trace elements show enrichment in the upper zone of fluctuation where chemical gradients are strong, but with lesser reaction lower in the profile. The calculated groundwater recharge rates using the chloride mass balance are negligible in this arid region between 1.5 and 3.0 mm/year. The modern rainfall infiltration signature contrasts with that of the underlying groundwater body, which has a distant, regional recharge signature.This reconnaissance study demonstrates the potential for a new geochemical approach to studying geochemical processes in the unsaturated sediments in semi-arid environments due to both natural and human influences. The use of directly extracted water, rather than extraction by dilution (elutriation), facilitates an improved understanding of hydrological and geochemical processes in the unsaturated zone and into the capillary fringe at the water table, because it avoids potential chemical changes induced during elutriation.     

包气带在干旱半干旱地区地下水补给研究中的应用

在干旱半干旱地区,包气带的溶质和同位素剖面不但可以提供较长时间尺度上的地下水补给信息,而且记录了过去气候变化与环境变化信息。本文基于学科组近10年的研究成果,以鄂尔多斯盆地为例（包括南部的黄土高原和北部的沙漠高原）,将包气带和饱和带结合起来,利用多种环境示踪技术,提升了包气带在干旱半干旱地区地下水研究中的潜力,并将其应用到地下水补给历史重建、地下水补给机制确定、植被变化对地下水补给影响评价和地下水污染物全过程示踪中。研究表明,由于在干旱半干旱地区,包气带较厚且补给量有限,地下水和现今的浅表水文过程未达到水力平衡,如在沙漠高原西部,近2 500 a降水尚储存在包气带13 m以浅,地下水是4 000 a以前补给的,其水化学特征与浅部包气带水差异巨大;而在黄土高原,补给量较大,但包气带巨厚,年降水仍需要几十到上百年时间入渗到地下水（但并不意味着没有补给,其土壤水在包气带中平均入渗速率为0.1~0.3 m·a-1）,包气带浅部溶质含量较深部和地下水中的高;典型黄土塬区的地下水均不含氚,地下水年龄在几百到上万年。黄土内部层状均匀的土壤质地特征和相对较老的地下水年龄揭示的均匀活塞流入渗是黄土塬区浅层地下水补给的主要方式。黄土高原退耕还林还草和沙漠区植被恢复导致地下水补给呈现不同程度的减少,反映在包气带上表现为溶质含量的增加,可用于定量化确定地下水补给量的变化。本文强化了包气带在干旱半干旱地区地下水补给研究中的作用,在未来地下水资源评价、地下水污染全过程刻画中应得到重视。     

Holistic assessment of groundwater resources and regional environmental problems in the North China Plain

Water balance components of the North China Plain (NCP) were analyzed, indicating the decrease both in precipitation and evaporation. The decreased precipitation and expansion of water use for agriculture, industrial and domestic purposes have caused a water crisis, which was managed until now by diverting water from the Yellow River and over exploitation of groundwater. The groundwater resource was assessed by estimating its recharge in both upper unconfined and lower confined layers, yielding a total value of 1.65 × 10¹⁰ m³/a. Total groundwater use was estimated and judged by the actual water table drawdown. Salt accumulation, water table decrease, fluoride and nitrate pollution were all found to be major regional environmental problems. Furthermore, heavy metals were found in high content in the soil and surface water in suburbs of large cities, posing a potential risk of pollution in the groundwater. It has been verified by isotropic data that dry conditions have occurred since 10 ka and are therefore part of the natural process. Possible solutions for water crises in the NCP are proposed.     

试论悬河补给—悬河的类型及其成因

文中依据我国西北干旱地区广泛发育悬河这一现象,从地表水—地下水转化和河水位—地下水位关系的角度出发,讨论了悬河的定义,划分了松散层上发育的悬河类型;从河床下非饱和带的介质组成和结构、水动力学条件和外界影响等三个方面探讨了悬河的成因。     

Soil moisture potential and water content in the unsaturated zone within the arid Ejina Oasis in Northwest China

Three soil profiles were selected in the Ejina Oasis, northwest China, to determine water content profiles and evolution of soil moisture potentials in the unsaturated zone within the arid area. The total soil moisture potentials have been monitored for about 3 months in 2001 at different depths in the soil profiles. The occurrence and movement of water in the unsaturated zone was analyzed using the zero flux plane (ZFP) method. It is shown that convergent ZFPs and divergent ZFPs may occur at depths between 0.5 and 3.0 m, and that the depth of the ZFPs was controlled by the root zone of plants growing on the land surface. Profiles of the total soil moisture potentials were observed to be coincident with those of the water contents at the three experimental sites. The total soil moisture potential showed a slight increasing trend and the ZFPs tend to vanish from summer to winter as the water extraction by roots decreased. Evapotranspiration through vegetation has an important bearing on the water content and the total potential in the unsaturated zone.     

Prediction of agriculture derived groundwater nitrate distribution in North China Plain with GIS-based BPNN

In recent years, nitrate contamination of groundwater has become a growing concern for people in rural areas in North China Plain (NCP) where groundwater is used as drinking water. The objective of this study was to simulate agriculture derived groundwater nitrate pollution patterns with artificial neural network (ANN), which has been proved to be an effective tool for prediction in many branches of hydrology when data are not sufficient to understand the physical process of the systems but relative accurate predictions is needed. In our study, a back propagation neural network (BPNN) was developed to simulate spatial distribution of NO₃-N concentrations in groundwater with land use information and site-specific hydrogeological properties in Huantai County, a typical agriculture dominated region of NCP. Geographic information system (GIS) tools were used in preparing and processing input–output vectors data for the BPNN. The circular buffer zones centered on the sampling wells were designated so as to consider the nitrate contamination of groundwater due to neighboring field. The result showed that the GIS-based BPNN simulated groundwater NO₃-N concentration efficiently and captured the general trend of groundwater nitrate pollution patterns. The optimal result was obtained with a learning rate of 0.02, a 4-7-1 architecture and a buffer zone radius of 400 m. Nitrogen budget combined with GIS-based BPNN can serve as a cost-effective tool for prediction and management of groundwater nitrate pollution in an agriculture dominated regions in North China Plain.     

干旱,半干旱地区水文地质研究现状

世界上近一半的国家都不同程度地受到干旱问题的影响,因而干旱、半干旱区的水文地质研究多年来一直是世界水文地质学界的研究热点。本文根据几年来所阅读的关于该方面的近百篇国内外文献资料,对干旱和半干旱地区地下水开发利用概况、地下水形成机理研究进展、干旱区大型盆地地下水运移所采用的两种模型、环境同位素技术在干旱区地下水研究中的应用、地下水流系统研究进展、地下水数值模拟及管理模型现状、干旱区包水带水文地质研究     

西北地区额济纳绿洲非饱和带水分和盐分分布

在西北地区黑河流域下游的额济纳绿洲选择3个土壤剖面采集不同深度土壤样品和潜水样品进行测试,并在野外观测非饱和带不同深度的水土势变化。结果表明,SO4^2-是非饱和带土壤和地下水中的主要离子成分,土壤和地下水呈偏碱性。土壤易溶离子含量随深度大体上呈减少趋势。绿洲非饱和带发育有收敛型和发散型零通量面,自夏季至冬季,零通量面变得不清晰直至消失。在非饱和带中,土壤易溶盐含量、含水量和总水土势随深度的变化趋势基本相同,植物根系的吸收对水分和盐分的垂直分布有着重要的影响。     

包气带硝酸盐分布的差异性及其形成机理:以正定、栾城为例

在地表等量氮输入条件下,包气带中硝酸盐含量分布是其抗污染能力的直接表征。阐明不同包气带中硝酸盐分布的差异并分析其成因对于评价下覆含水层的硝酸盐污染脆弱性、保护地下水资源免遭硝酸盐污染,具有重要意义。本文基于太行山山前冲洪积扇上栾城和正定两个16m深包气带硝酸盐含量数据,指出两个剖面上包气带中硝酸盐分布特征的差异性。分析研究区的施肥历史、大气降水的入渗补给强度及土壤有机质含量,认为包气带水分运移速度和反硝化能力是导致包气带硝酸盐分布差异的两个关键因素。在分析N同位素测试技术进步的基础上,指出利用同位素技术对包气带中的反硝化能力的定量化研究有望取得新进展。     

Occurrence of soluble salts and moisture in the unsaturated zone and groundwater hydrochemistry along the middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River in northwest China

Deforestation, over-development of water resources and population growth have contributed to degeneration of vegetation in the Heihe River Basin in northwest China. Salts and water contents are the most important factors affecting the growth of vegetation in this arid area. This study was conducted to determine soluble salt levels of soils in the unsaturated zone and the hydrochemistry of groundwater at 14 sites in this region. Concentrations of soluble ions in the soils deceased with depth. Soil ion contents increased at depths below the root system of native plants. Sulfate was the dominant anion in both the unsaturated zone and the groundwater. Total dissolved solids (TDS) in groundwater ranged from less than 1 g/L in the middle reaches of the watershed to about 10 g/L in the arid lower reaches. In the middle and upper reaches of the watershed, salinity in soil and groundwater decreased. Groundwater was highly variable in hydrochemistry. The lower reaches was predominated by SO₄–Na•Mg and SO₄–Mg•Na type water, whereas in the middle reaches groundwater is characterized by lower TDS and HCO₃-dominated type water. Evapotranspiration is responsible for occurrence of the soluble salts in the soil profiles. Dissolution is the dominant chemical process in the middle reaches, whereas evapotranspiration prevails in the lower reaches of the Heihe River.     

Influence of south-to-north water diversion on major cones of depression in North China Plain

The developments of cones of depression in the North China Plain (NCP) were studied to determine the possible impact of the proposed South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) on groundwater levels. In the past five decades, the exploitation of groundwater in the NCP has been excessive. Numerous hydrological and hydrogeological problems were caused by the gradual decline of the water table in the NCP. In order to protect groundwater resources and alleviate hydrogeological problems, the SNWDP was proposed to progressively solve the shortage of water resources in northern China. In this paper, the development of cones of depression was studied to determine the possible impact of the hydrological engineering, the SNWDP. In the study, a numerical model for regional groundwater flow was created using MODFLOW. The results showed that the SNWDP is beneficial for groundwater recovery in the NCP. The area of cones of depression will be reduced to varying degrees. Some immense groundwater cones will gradually shrink. However, it will take a long time to recover groundwater environment in the NCP.     

毛乌素沙地植被与地下水关系

以植被的种群和盖度、地下水埋深、包气带含水率、地下水矿化度和包气带含盐量等指标,研究毛乌素沙漠腹地地区植被与地下水的关系,确立了研究区优势植被沙蒿（Artemisia）、沙柳（Salix psammophila）和苔草（Carex）的适生地下水埋深、包气带含水率、地下水矿化度和包气带含盐量。研究表明：地下水埋深、包气带含水量对植被种群影响非常敏感,而地下水矿化度和包气带含盐量则为不敏感指标。另外,地下水埋深对以地下水为水分来源的植被盖度较为敏感,而总盖度为不敏感指标。     

基于GRACE 和GLDAS 的塔里木河流域地下水储量演变规律研究

塔里木河流域位于中国西北干旱区,降水稀少,生态脆弱,水资源是维系当地社会经济发展和生态健康的关键因素。文章利用GRACE重力卫星数据和GLDAS全球陆面同化系统数据识别了塔里木河流域2003~2019年地下水储量变化,并分析其时空分布规律。结果显示,2003~2019年间塔里木河流域地下水储量整体呈下降趋势,速率为-2.13 mm/a。在空间分布上,由北向南,地下水储量的下降降幅逐渐减少,天山南坡中段地区地下水亏损最大,而塔里木河下游地下水储量稳步回升,与近十多年的应急生态输水有关。此外,塔里木河流域地下水储量变化与年降水量存在比较一致的年际变化特征。2004、2006~2009年降水量偏少,地下水储量显著减少,降水量多的年份,地下水储量出现回升。基于GRACE和GLDAS的地下水储量分析方法对于对监测缺乏地下水站网的塔里木河流域地下水资源具有较大应用潜力。     

土壤包气带中气体对入渗水流运动影响的实验研究

利用专门的实验系统,研究了降雨入渗过程中土壤包气中气压势形成、发展和消亡的规律及其对下渗水流运动的影响。结合成因分析,探讨了气压势形成的条件;审视和解释了气压势与土壤水总势能和地下水位的相互关系。实验结果表明,在地下水位埋深较浅的条件下(<2m),积水入渗时所形成的气压势将使下渗量减少1/3。     

Nitrate in groundwater and surface water related to land use in the Karup Basin,Denmark

The content and distribution of nitrate in groundwater and surface water in the Karup Basin area have been investigated and analyzed. In addition to existing analyses, chemical profiles of the groundwater of the upper part of the water table sand aquifer were measured at a number of sites. The profiles indicate, in general, an upper oxidation zone with nitrate and a lower reduction zone free of nitrate. However, below plantation areas, the nitrate content in the oxidation zone is significantly low as well. The eight profiles are graphed separately, and all results are finally plotted on a single map by a graphic method that takes into consideration both the concentration and the level of the sampled water. The great variation in the nitrate content of the water from one water-supply well to another can easily be explained by plotting the values on maps using this graphing procedure, in conjunction with an examination of the nitrate zonation found in the profiles. The influence of agricultural activities is significantly related to the concentration of nitrate in surface water and groundwater under such water table conditions and circumstances as are found in the Karup Basin.     

Advances in Moisture Migration in Vadose Zone of Dryland and Recharge Effects on Groundwater Dynamics

The vadose zone is the zone in between the land surface and above the groundwater table at vertical profile with partial water saturation and under the unsaturation condition, which constitutes the connections among atmospheric water, surface water and groundwater. Soil moisture migration in the vadose zone is a rather complicate process, which controls the rates of groundwater depletion and recharge, and has close hydraulic connections with highly frequent water transfers on the interfaces among the irrigation farmland, sand dunes, wetlands, lakes, and other landscape types. Recent development on soil moisture migration simulations and the application of tracer techniques, geophysical techniques and other geological methods in the vadose zone research, the factors affecting soil moisture migration and groundwater recharge,and soil moisture migration effects on moisture exchange between different landscapes were reviewed in this paper. Several suggestions on the future research were presented here: ① An intense field observation and research database should be initiated and constructed to determine the soil hydraulic parameters, and quantify the influence of moisture migration in vadose zone on the groundwater recharge; ② The proposed observations and researches should learn from the “Critical Zone Observatory”, and focus on the coupling of the soil moisture migration, solute transport and groundwater recharge.     

一维土壤水分运动模拟在土壤水分特征研究中的应用——以华北平原衡水实验站为例

受地形特征以及人类活动的影响,华北平原地下水浅埋区水循环主要以垂直方向上的入渗和蒸发为主,其中,非饱和带对降水和地下水之间的转化具有重要作用。本文选择衡水作为华北平原地下水浅埋区的典型代表点,利用HYDRUS-1D建立了一维数值模型,以平水年2005年夏季作为模拟期,通过计算降水入渗量、蒸散发量、土壤水储存量的变化及地下水补给量等,揭示了该实验点的土壤水分运动特征以及土壤水在降水和地下水转化之间的作用。结果表明降水后土壤水和地下水都得到补给,土壤水储量增加,但由于强烈的蒸发和蒸腾作用(分别占降水补给量的63%和12%),水分消耗较快,因此总的入渗补给量为25%,土壤总储量增加不大;此外,土壤水和地下水联系密切,土壤深层水分在饱和和非饱和状态之间频繁转换,其间没有明确的界面分割,由此说明土壤水在"三水转化"过程中的重要性。     

Impact of recharge variations on water quality as indicated by excess air in groundwater of the Kalahari, Botswana

Groundwater is an important and often exclusive water resource in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of the present paper was to gain insight into the processes and conditions that control the deterioration of groundwater quality in the semi-arid Kalahari of Botswana. Measurements of ³He, ⁴He, ²⁰Ne, ²²Ne, and of ¹⁴C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were combined with existing isotopic and hydrochemical data to investigate groundwater from the Ntane Sandstone Aquifer, which is affected by high nitrate concentrations of non-anthropogenic origin. All groundwater samples revealed neon concentrations in excess to air-saturated water, which we attributed to the addition of excess air during recharge. Neon concentrations ranged from values close to air saturation for ¹⁴C DIC rich samples (up to 80.5%MC) up to values of 90% in excess to air-saturated water for lower ¹⁴C DIC contents (2.6-61.3%MC). A strong linear correlation of excess Ne with nitrate concentrations suggests an intimate connection between groundwater quality and the processes and conditions during groundwater recharge. Low groundwater recharge rates under present-day semi-arid conditions are associated with low amounts of excess Ne and elevated nitrate concentrations. In contrast to this, higher excess Ne values in groundwater of lower ¹⁴C DIC and nitrate contents indicate that the high quality groundwater end-member presumably is related to higher groundwater table fluctuations during wetter climatic conditions in the past. We attribute the decline in groundwater quality with respect to nitrate to a decreasing rate and temporal variability of groundwater recharge, and to concurrent changes in biogeochemical activities following a transition to a drier climate during the Holocene. Under such conditions, a much stronger decrease in groundwater recharge compared to the release of nitrate from soil organic matter may result in elevated nitrate concentrations in the vadose zone and groundwater. This implies a strong impact of climate change on the transport of solutes like nitrate through the vadose zone which needs to be considered in predictions of future groundwater quality.     

美国Sand Hills地区地下水数值模拟及水量平衡分析

利用地下水数值模型MODFLOW和非饱和带水平衡模型对处于半干旱半湿润沙丘地区(Sand Hills)地下水位进行了模拟,并分析了含水层补排水量,河流与地下水补排关系,以及区域水平衡过程。揭示了独特沙丘地形和土壤特性对地下水补排量的影响。模拟结果表明,入渗率大、非饱和带厚的沙丘有利于降水入渗补给,减少了地下水蒸散发损失。加上下覆含水层具有良好的地下水储水空间,是该地区储存丰富的地下水量,以维持河流稳定流量,供给众多湖泊和湿地的原因。该研究对我国地下水资源评价和生态环境脆弱地区水资源保护具有指导意义。     

鲁中南岩溶水资源综合类型及合理调蓄研究

鲁中南岩溶区是中国北方半干旱温带岩溶区中具有代表性的地区之一。该区岩水资源分布具有明显的不均匀性和大面积分散补给而局部富集等特征。岩溶形态以溶蚀裂隙洞穴为主，地下水类型多为裂隙溶洞型。在对该区岩溶水补给，富集，径流及排泄特征的研究基础上，初步将本区地表水和地下水资源划分为两大类型，即地下岩溶水径带变化带水资源类型和排泄带水资源及地下岩溶水资源类型。对该地区地表水和地下水的合理调蓄问题进行了系统的分析和总结，并提出了相关的对策。