Estimating the contribution of glacial meltwater to Ranwu Lake,a proglacial lake in SE Tibet,using observation data and stable isotopic analyses

It is important for both current monitoring and paleoenvironmental research conducted on proglacial lakes and their adjacent glaciers to clarify the hydrological processes operating on these lakes. However, in remote regions with limited accessibility it may be difficult to study hydrological processes by direct monitoring. In this study, we use measurements of stable isotopic compositions to trace the multiple water sources contributing to Ranwu Lake, a proglacial lake in south-eastern Tibet. Using stable isotopic data from precipitation, inflowing rivers and the lake water, a water and isotope mass balance modelling method was used to calculate the ratio of evaporation to input. Subsequently, using hydrological and climatic data for the outflow, the largest inflow and precipitation, other hydrological elements of the lake water balance were also calculated. The results demonstrate that the ratio of evaporation to inflow is as low as 0.009, the lowest value observed for the Tibetan Plateau, indicating that Ranwu Lake is a through-flow lake with a very short retention time. Glacial meltwater accounts for at least 55% of total runoff, the highest value observed for the Tibetan Plateau, indicating that the sediments of Ranwu Lake may have considerable potential for reconstructing variations in the activity of the local glaciers. Finally, we note that it may be inappropriate in this glacier-fed lake to use the intersection of the local meteoric water line with the lake water line for determining the isotopic composition of the input water, and this possibility must be carefully considered when stable isotope mass modelling is used in proglacial lakes.     

Study on the mechanism of isotope fractionation in soil water during the evaporation process under equilibrium condition

In this study, with the method of vacuum extraction, two evaporative processes of soil water and free water under equilibrium condition were simulated. For each sample, water vapor was condensed by liquid nitrogen and was collected in four time intervals. From the analysis of hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of the water collected at different times, it was discovered that the isotope fractionation of soil water also follows the mode, which is just the same as the evaporative process of free water. The relationship between the stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in residual water showed that the simulative evaporation line was close to the global meteoric water line (GMWL) under the equilibrium condition at about 20°C. Comparison of the two types of evaporative processes indicated that the isotope fractionation and evaporation velocity of soil water were only slightly modified by the Van der Waals force.     

Geochemical and isotopic constraints on the interaction between saline lakes and groundwater in southeast Australia

Major ion and stable isotope geochemistry allow groundwater/surface-water interaction associated with saline to hypersaline lakes from the Willaura region of Australia to be understood. Ephemeral lakes lie above the water table and locally contain saline water (total dissolved solids, TDS, contents up to 119,000 mg/L). Saline lakes that lack halite crusts and which have Cl/Br ratios similar to local surface water and groundwater are throughflow lakes with high relative rates of groundwater outflows. Permanent hypersaline lakes contain brines with TDS contents of up to 280,000 mg/L and low Cl/Br ratios due to the formation of halite in evaporite crusts. These lakes are throughflow lakes with relatively low throughflow rates relative to evaporation or terminal discharge lakes. Variations in stable isotope and major ion geochemistry show that the hypersaline lakes undergo seasonal cycles of mineral dissolution and precipitation driven by the influx of surface water and evaporation. Despite the generation of highly saline brines in these lakes, leakage from the adjacent ephemeral lakes or saline throughflow lakes that lack evaporite crusts is mainly responsible for the high salinity of shallow groundwater in this region.     

Hydrogen and oxygen in brine shrimp chitin reflect environmental water and dietary isotopic composition

Hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of the common structural biopolymer chitin are a potential recorder of ecological and environmental information, but our understanding of the mechanisms of incorporation of H and O from environmental substrates into chitin is limited. We report the results of a set of experiments in which the isotopic compositions of environmental water and diet were varied independently in order to assess the contribution of these variables to the H and O isotopic composition of Artemia franciscana chitin. Hydrogen isotope ratios of chitin were strongly linearly correlated with both food and water, with approximately 26% of the hydrogen signal reflecting food and approximately 38% reflecting water. Oxygen isotopes were also strongly correlated with the isotopic composition of water and food, but whereas 69% of oxygen in chitin exchanged with environmental water, only 10% was derived from food. We propose that these observations reflect the position-specific, partial exchange of H and O atoms with brine shrimp body water during the processes of digestion and chitin biosynthesis. Comparison of culture experiments with a set of natural samples collected from the Great Salt Lake, UT in 2006 shows that, with some exceptions, oxygen isotope compositions of chitin track those of water, whereas hydrogen isotopes vary inversely with those of lake water. The different behavior of the two isotopic systems can be explained in terms of a dietary shift from allochthonous particulate matter with relatively higher δ²H values in the early spring to autochthonous particulate matter with significantly lower δ²H values in the late summer to autumn. These results suggest oxygen in chitin may be a valuable proxy for the oxygen isotopic composition of environmental water, whereas hydrogen isotope values from the same molecule may reveal ecological and biogeochemical changes within lakes.     

Water quality in pit lakes in disseminated gold deposits compared to two natural, terminal lakes in Nevada

 Within the next 10–15 years, over 35 mines in Nevada will have a lake in their open pit mines after dewatering and cessation of mining. Of the ten past or existing pit lakes at eight different gold mines for which temporal data are available, most had near neutral pH, yet most had at least one constituent (e.g., As, SO₄, TDS) that exceeded drinking water standards for at least one sampling event. Most samples from pit lakes had TDS exceeding drinking water standards, but lower than that in the natural Pyramid (TDS≈5,500 mg/l) and Walker (TDS≈14,000 mg/l) Lakes. In the past century, salinity increased in both natural, terminal lakes, in part due to irrigation withdrawals and evapoconcentration. The salinity in the pit lakes may also increase through time via evapoconcentration. However, water balance models indicate that up to 132% (Walker Lake) of the total yearly inflow evaporates from the terminal lakes, whereas steady-state may be reached in the pit lakes modelled, where evaporative losses account for only ≈6% of the total pit lake volume annually and ≈100% of the net inflow (groundwater inflow minus outflow, precipitation and runoff into the lake). The effects of evapoconcentration are expected to be less significant at most pit lakes than at the natural, terminal lakes because (1) evaporation rates are lower at many pit lakes because they are located at higher elevations than the terminal lakes, and (2) the surface area to depth ratio of the pit lakes is >1000 times smaller than that of the terminal lakes. Received: 1 March 1999 · Accepted: 13 April 1999     

Conservative mixing of stable isotopes across estuarine salinity gradients: A conceptual framework for monitoring watershed influences on downstream fisheries production

Strong changes in stable isotope tracers commonly occur across estuarine salinity gradients from freshwater to the sea. The tracer gradients reflect the different geochemistries and mixing of freshwater and seawater, and these bottom-up geochemical influences are recorded in estuarine food webs in the isotopic compositions of animals. Conservative mixing calculations suggest that watershed-level inputs of freshwater and nutrients should exert strong influences on isotopic values of estuarine consumers, especially consumers such as bivalves that largely depend on phytoplankton production. Deviations from conservative isotope mixing also occur, and the magnitude of these deviations measures the strength of within-estuary organic matter cycling for estuarine food webs, especially inputs of non-phytoplankton foods such as macrophyte detritus and benthic algae. Measuring consumer isotopes across salinity gradients should be a relatively simple way to monitor effects of watershed nutrient loading and hydrologic flushing in supporting estuarine fisheries production.     

黄土梁峁地貌矿井水水质时空变异评估与关键控制因子水源识别

针对黄土梁峁地区砂岩-泥岩互层覆岩突水水源难以准确判别以及不同水源所占比例无法定量化问题,在系统采集了陕北朱家峁煤矿地表水、地下水水样基础上,采用数理统计、Piper三线图、Gibbs图、常规水化学特征比值法,揭示了不同含水系统水化学演化规律和水源补给关系。通过分析水体稳定同位素组成演变特征,明确了不同环境背景下各类水源水质时空变异性。在此基础上,以常规、同位素特征比因子作为判别指标,构建了基于T-球型模糊聚集算子TOPSIS法(T-TOPSIS)、粗糙集理论(RST)、D-S证据理论(DSET)与单指标未知测度函数(SIUMF)的突水水源混合比例计算模型。结果表明,研究区地表水、地下水水化学类型虽均以Na-SO4·Cl为主,但两者受控因素有着明显差别,即地表水水化学成分受硅酸盐岩风化和蒸发结晶共同控制;地下水成分则主要受控于蒸发结晶作用。此外,经历了强烈蒸发作用的地表水对地下水存在一定程度的补给作用。T-TOPSISRST-DSET-SIUMF突水水源混合比例判别模型表明,陕北朱家峁煤矿50%以上的突水水源为顶板砂岩水和地表沙空沟水。三维高密度电法探测结果验证了该模型的准确性。     

Hydrochemical characteristics and controlling factors for waters’ chemical composition in the Tarim Basin,Western China

This paper covers the chemical and isotopic composition of river water, groundwater from wells (15–25 m), saline spring water and stagnant surface water providing evidence for controlling factors of water composition and water evolution process in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, western China. Analytical data for major and minor ions of totaling 537 water samples were obtained from both years of teamwork and old reference materials. It is found that the ion background value ratio SO₄/Cl for river water (2.75) of the Tarim Basin is two times higher than that of the Qaidam Basin (0.88) and 18 times higher than seawater (0.14); K/Cl of these two basins (0.06 and 0.07) are all two times higher than seawater (0.02). This reveals that material sources of Lop Nur are relatively richer in potassium and sulfate, while poorer in chloride. Gradual changes of stable isotopic compositions in waters clearly indicate the effect of evaporation on water evolution of the basin. Besides evaporation and weathering of surrounding rocks, wide distribution of chloride type water, which commonly exist in saline springs/brines and seldom exist in other waters, indicates that hydrothermal Ca–Cl brines discharged from deep within the earth join water evolution of the basin.     

The isotopic composition of Tertiary carbonates from the Mainz Basin: an example of isotopic fractionations in 'closed basins'

The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of seventy-nine samples of biogenic carbonates from the Mainz Basin Tertiary (Oligocene and Lower Miocene) was analysed. Most samples were mollusc shells still consisting of aragonite. Assuming only small temperature effects, salinity trends derived from isotope data are consistent with palaeontological results from the region: a salinity cycle ranging from fresh water-brackish (Lower Oligocene) towards marine (Middle Oligocene) and brackish-fresh water (Upper Oligocene) was found. Within the Lower Miocene, a trend of decreasing salinities is suggested. Though the isotopic salinity trends coincide rather well with palaeontological salinities, the absolute oxygen isotope ratios indicate an unusual isotopic environment enriched in ¹⁸O. Isotope fractionation is explained by evaporation of a closed basin (Rupelton excluded) with fresh water influx from surrounding land areas in a subtropical climate. Enrichment in ¹⁸O by repeated evaporation processes is paralleled by increasing concentration of Sr. Increasing fresh water influx during the Oligocene is due to climatic changes with a trend of more humid conditions towards the younger rock strata.     

Dewatering of an unvegetated muddy tidal flat during exposure—Desiccation or drainage?

An unvegetated muddy tidal flat was sampled to determine the changes in surface pore water content and salinity during exposure. Local evaporation accounted for 61% of the upper intertidal surface salinity, with evaporation rates increasing salinity as high as 2.2‰ per hour. In contrast, only 37% of the decrease in pore water content was attributed to evaporative processes. This suggests that drainage (a combination of porosity and permeability) controlled the water content rather than local evaporative conditions.     

Chemical and isotopic compositions of groundwater and stream water in a heavy agricultural basin of Korea

The chemical and isotopic compositions of groundwater and stream water in the Haean basin, Korea, which have been intensively used for agricultural irrigation, were examined. The field parameters and chemical compositions were typical of relatively uncontaminated waters, except for the agricultural impact. The low EC levels indicated that the waters had not experienced any significant geochemical processes such as water-rock interaction and evaporation. The very similar chemical compositions and ionic ratios were also indicative of fast circulation and good hydraulic connection. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions of most of the samples in wet and dry seasons showed very similar range which indicated a single source for both waters without any significant geochemical alteration. However, in the wet season, evaporation trends were observed in some groundwaters because of inflow of irrigation return flow from a rice paddy field. The isotopes of both waters were affected by the altitude and amount of precipitation.     

The Correlation of Inorganic C,O Isotopic Values for Lake Chenghai Sediments and Its Environmental Implications

As one of the lakes on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, Lake Chenghai, which is a typical closed lake with the precipitation accounting for one-third or more of the annual water input, has a high total salinity (almost like a saline lake). The inorganic C, O isotopic composition of lake sediments bears much sensitive information about environmental change in the catchment, while their correlations revealed the hydrological conditions under which the lake was closed. Their compositional variations are controlled by temperature, precipitation, photosynthesis, dissolving equilibrium of the carbonate system and hydrological condition. According to our research on inorganic C, O isotopic composition of Lake Chenghai sediments, we investigated the environmental change of this catchment several decades ago. The results showed that Lake Chenghai has kept good hydrological closing conditions in the past several decades, as indicated by the good correlation of inorganic C, O isotopic composition of sediments; and that the environmental change in this catchment shows a tendency of periodical evolution on a 10⁻¹¹-years scale, although the signal noise is relatively high at the bottom of the sediment core. And we also can extend C, O isotopes, a sensitive environmental indicator, to nearly saline lake environments with a high degree of mineralization.     

同位素技术在寒旱区水科学中的应用进展

近20a来,同位素技术作为一种新技术在寒区旱区水科学研究中得到越来越广泛的应用.中国学者在大气降水稳定同位素,干旱区地下水起源,盐湖中氯、硼、锂等同位素的应用研究中取得了较大进展,在寒区旱区同位素剖面的建立和古地理、古环境演化信息的提取上得到了一系列重要的成果,还对蒸发过程的同位素分馏理论进行了探索和发展.随着科技的发展和同位素应用水平的提高,同位素技术还将在寒区旱区水科学中取得更大进展.     

Environmental isotopes (18O, 2H, and 87Sr/86Sr) as a tool in groundwater investigations in the Keta Basin, Ghana

Analyses of environmental isotopes (¹⁸O, ²H, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) are applied to groundwater studies with emphasis on saline groundwater in aquifers in the Keta Basin, Ghana. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of groundwater and surface water of the Keta Basin primarily reflect the geology and the mineralogical composition of the formations in the catchments and recharge areas. The isotopic compositions of ¹⁸O and ²H of deep groundwater have small variations and plot close to the global meteoric water line. Shallow groundwater and surface water have considerably larger variations in isotopic compositions, which reflect evaporation and preservation of seasonal fluctuations. A significant excess of chloride in shallow groundwater in comparison to the calculated evaporation loss is the result of a combination of evaporation and marine sources. Groundwaters from deep wells and dug wells in near-coastal aquifers are characterized by relatively high chloride contents, and the significance of marine influence is evidenced by well-defined mixing lines for strontium isotopes, and hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes, with isotopic compositions of seawater as one end member. The results derived from environmental isotopes in this study demonstrate that a multi-isotope approach is a useful tool to identify the origin and sources of saline groundwater. Electronic Publication     

Delineation of groundwater salinization in a coastal aquifer, Bousheher, South of Iran

The geochemical processes controlling chemical composition of groundwater are studied using hydrochemical and isotopic data in Abdan-Dayer coastal plain, south of Iran. The salinity of groundwater in the coastal plain ranges from 1,000, a fresh end-member, to more than 50,000 μS cm^?1, a saline end-member. Groundwater salinity increases from the recharge area toward areas with a shallow water table close to the Persian Gulf coast due to direct evaporation and sea water intrusion as confirmed by mixing binary diagrams, stable isotope content, and Br^?/Cl^? ratio. Groundwater flow pattern in the study area has been modified due to over-pumping of groundwater in recent years which resulted in further saline water migration toward fresh water and their mixing. The maximum mixing ratio is estimated about 15% in different parts of the study area according to chloride concentration.     

Carbon and Oxygen Isotopic Composition of Surface‐Sediment Carbonate in Bosten Lake (Xinjiang,China) and its Controlling Factors

Bosten Lake is a mid-latitude lake with water mainly supplied by melting ice and snow in the Tianshan Mountains. The depositional environment of the lake is spatially not uniform due to the proximity of the major inlet and the single outlet in the western part of the lake. The analytical results show that the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of recent lake sediments is related to this specific lacustrine depositional environment and to the resulting carbonate mineralogy. In the southwestern lake region between the Kaidu River inlet and the Kongqi River outlet, carbon isotope composition (δ13C) values of the carbonate sediment (?1‰ to ?2‰) have no relation to the oxygen isotope composition of the carbonate (δ18O) values (?7‰ to ?8‰), with both isotopes showing a low variability. The carbonate content is low (<20%). Carbonate minerals analyzed by X-ray diffraction are mainly composed of calcite, while aragonite was not recorded. The salinity of the lake water is low in the estuary region as a result of the Kaidu River inflow. In comparison, the carbon and oxygen isotope values are higher in the middle and eastern parts of the lake, with δ13C values between approximately +0.5‰ and +3‰, and δ18O values between ?1‰ and ?5‰. There is a moderate correlation between the stable oxygen and carbon isotopes, with a coefficient of correlation r of approximately 0.63. This implies that the lake water has a relatively short residence time. Carbonate minerals constitute calcite and aragonite in the middle and eastern region of the lake. Aragonite and Mg–calcite are formed at higher lake water salinity and temperatures, and larger evaporation effects. More saline lake water in the middle and eastern region of the lake and the enhanced isotopic equilibrium between water and atmospheric CO2 cause the correlating carbon and oxygen isotope values determined for aragonite and Mg–calcite. Evaporation and biological processes are the main reasons for the salinity and carbonate mineralogy influence of the surface-sediment carbonate in Bosten Lake. The lake water residence time and the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and the water body control the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of the carbonate sediment. In addition, organic matter pollution and decomposition result in the abnormally low carbon isotope values of the lake surface-sediment carbonate.     

西藏纳木错过去200年来的环境变化*

文章通过纳木错浅钻沉积硅藻研究,结合青藏高原湖泊现代硅藻-电导率转换函数,对过去200年来的湖水盐度(电导率)变化进行了定量重建。纳木错在小冰期冷期为淡水环境;小冰期结束后,湖水盐度开始增加;至20世纪60年代中期以来,盐度增加幅度更加明显。过去100年来湖水盐度的增加与钻孔粒度变化所揭示的入湖径流量的增多,反映了增温背景下湖泊水文的响应特点。温度的上升,一方面引起了流域冰雪融水补给量的增加,但另一方面,湖泊水量平衡明显偏负,说明小冰期结束以来,尤其是最近40年,冰融水的增加并不足以弥补湖泊水量的负平衡。由此提出蒸发量在湖泊水量平衡中起重要作用,温度是影响湖泊水文变化的关键因子。区域湖泊综合对比结果进一步表明,不同湖泊盐度和水文变化趋势一致,反映了封闭湖泊对区域气候变化的共同响应特点。     

青藏工程走廊热融湖塘水理化特性分析

为查明青藏工程走廊热融湖塘水理化特性及其理化特性与湖塘分布之间的关系,选取青藏工程走廊楚玛尔河至风火山段为研究区域,沿青藏公路从北向南依次选取19个热融湖塘进行水深、面积等几何特征调研并取水样,进行阴阳离子等理化参数测定。分析了热融湖塘水的理化特性,并结合调研资料探讨了热融湖塘理化特性与区域环境及湖塘分布之间的相关性。结果表明在3个研究亚区湖的水理化特性有较大差别,楚玛尔河高平原从北向南湖水矿化度逐渐升高,水质由淡水向咸水再到强咸水过渡,主要与该区域"碟"状湖的分布特征和寒旱多风及蒸发量大有关;可可西里山区和北麓河盆地的湖水矿化度较低,水质以弱咸水或淡水为主。这两个亚区湖较深,地形以丘陵盆地为主,降低了湖面的蒸发量。     

三水盆地古近系湖相沉积岩的氧、碳同位素地球化学记录及其环境意义

三水盆地古近系莘庄组顶部至土布心组红岗段的全岩碳酸盐稳定同位素分析结果表明其形成期间经历了多次环境变迁。根据碳酸盐氧、碳同位素比值及其相互关系的变化,可识别三次海水入侵期。其时δ18O值大幅度向正值漂移。而由于受有机质降解的影响,相应时期的δ13 C均表现为低值。在不直接受海洋影响的湖相沉积阶段,δ18O与δ13 C的相关程度虽然未达到典型的封闭型湖泊水平,但仍呈现一定的正相关变化 (r =0.6 5 ),表明其湖水滞留时间较长。而频繁出现的石膏薄层沉积也指示湖盆的封闭性较好。这些均表明这一时期的三水盆地可能是一周期性封闭型湖泊。其稳定同位素组成主要受制于蒸发量/降雨量平衡的变化。而δ13 C比值往往还受有机质活动的控制,更多的是反映有机质生产力、埋藏与降解率。