Study of interactions between surface‐water and pore‐water in lakes is complicated due to spatio‐temporal heterogeneities in flow condition across the sediment–water interface. In this study, seasonal hypersaline Maharlu Lake was investigated by collecting surface‐water and pore‐water samples from four nests of multilevel piezometers installed at different distances from the inflow of rivers to the lake. The hydraulic heads in the piezometers as well as vertical profiles of Mg+2, Na/Cl, and Br/Cl were used to investigate both hydraulic and geochemical interactions between surface‐water and pore‐water in the lake. Depletion of lake surface water and pore water with respect to B, Br, Li+, K+, Mg2+ and the absence of Mg‐K chlorides and sulphates in the lake bed sediments is probably due to leakage of highly evaporated residual brine from the lake. Hydraulic gradients in the multilevel piezometric nests indicate that a general downward flow from surface‐water to pore‐water occurs across sediment–water interface. Vertical profiles of Br/Cl, Mg2+, and Na/Cl showed that the maximum flow rate was more than 1 m/yr close to the mouth of the inflowing rivers. The downward vertical flow was limited in the area far from the inflowing rivers due to the presence of an impermeable confining halite layer which interrupts the hydraulic connection between shallow pore water (less than 50 cm deep) and deeper zones. The hydraulic and geochemical interactions between surface‐water and pore‐water across sediment–water interface in the Maharlu Lake are of interest to find out the fate of pollutants and their distribution in the lake.
Maharlu Lake with Na-Cl water type is the terminal point of a closed basin in southern Iran. A total of 10 water samples from two rivers discharging to the lake and 78 water samples of surface and pore brine of Maharlu Lake have been collected from different depths (surface, 20, 50 and 100 cm) of four sampling stations along the lake during a period of lake water level fluctuation (November-2014 to July-2015). To investigate chemical interaction between lake surface-water and shallow pore-water, and to understand the major factors governing chemical composition of Maharlu brine, concentrations of major and minor (boron, bromide and lithium) solutes, pH and total dissolved solids (TDS) have been measured in collected water samples. Saturation indices of evaporite minerals in collected water samples have been also calculated. The chemical behavior of dissolved solutes and evaporative evolution of the lake brine during a hydrological period have been simulated using PHREEQC. The results of our investigations indicated that chemical composition of lake surface water and pore brine of Maharlu Lake are mainly connected with Lake water level fluctuations and distance from input rivers (and depth), respectively. Hydrochemical investigations and statistical analysis showed that the
Many empirical studies related to social capital have established that there is a relationship between social capital and mental health. However, little research has been conducted to evaluate interventions designed to improve the level of social capital and evaluate its impact on the mental health of international students. This research, applying a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design, aimed to address the gap by examining whether an intervention aimed at building social capital can improve social capital and the mental health of international students at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Study findings revealed that the intervention was effective in developing social capital and improving the mental health of international students.
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