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Significance of isotopic and geochemical methods to determine the evolution of inland brackish and bitter water: an example from the Zuli river in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, China.
  • zihao liu,
  • Hongbing Tan,
  • Mark Brusseau
zihao liu
Hohai University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Hongbing Tan
Hohai University
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Mark Brusseau
The University of Arizona
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Abstract

With the increasing demand for water resources, the utilization of marginal water resources of poor-quality has become a focus of attention. The brackish water developed in the Loess Plateau is not only salty but also famous for its “bitterness”. In the present work, multi-isotope analysis (Sr, B) was combined with geochemical analysis to gain insight into the hydrogeochemical evolution and formation mechanisms of brackish water. These results demonstrate that groundwater in the headwater is influenced by carbonate weathering. After the confluence of several tributaries in the headwater, the total dissolved solids (TDS) of water is significantly increased. The dissolution of evaporates is shown to be the main source of salinity in brackish water, which also greatly affects the Sr isotopic composition of water. This includes the dissolution of Mg-rich minerals, which is the main cause of the bitterness. Furthermore, the release of calcium from the dissolution of gypsum may induce calcite precipitation and incongruent dissolution of dolomite, which also contributes to the enrichment of magnesium. The highly fractionated boron isotopic values observed in the upstream groundwater were explained by boron interacting with clays, illustrating the important role played by the cationic exchange reaction. The inflow of brackish groundwater is the source of the observed quality of the river water. River water with relatively enriched 11B contents reflects the occurrence of evaporation along the flow path of the river. This process further aggravates the salinization of river water, with water quality evolving to saline conditions in the lower reach. When the river reaches the valley plain, the 87Sr/86Sr ratios decreases significantly, which is primarily related to erosion of the riverbanks during runoff. These results indicate that water resource sustainability could be enhanced by directing focus to mitigating salinization in the source area of the catchment.
29 Jun 2020Submitted to Hydrological Processes
01 Jul 2020Submission Checks Completed
01 Jul 2020Assigned to Editor
01 Jul 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
22 Nov 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
23 Nov 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
12 Dec 20201st Revision Received
12 Dec 2020Submission Checks Completed
12 Dec 2020Assigned to Editor
12 Dec 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Accept
Jan 2021Published in Hydrological Processes volume 35 issue 1. 10.1002/hyp.14024