Base flow in the Yarlungzangbo River, Tibet, maintained by the isotopically-depleted precipitation and groundwater discharge

Tan, Hongbing; Chen, Xi; Shi, Dongping; Rao, Wenbo; Liu, Jing; Liu, Jintao; Eastoe, Christopher J.; Wang, Jiarong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143510

Cited by 32 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Due to the east-west extension of the TP, rifts trending approximately north-south cut across the YTR Basin (Armijo et al, 1986), From west to east, these rifts are Dingri-Nima (DN), Dingjie-Xietongmen-Shenzha (DXS), Yadong-Dangxiong-Gulu (YDG), and Gudui-Sangri (GS) rifts. Thus, the YTR Basin has widely distributed springs along the rifts (Wang et al, 2020;Tan et al, 2021). The terrane in the southern TP is dominated by Paleozoic-Mesozoic carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks (Galy and France-Lanord, 1999).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to precipitation and glacier melt water, groundwater may also be non-negligible sources of YTR water (Liu, 1999;Zhang et al, 2021). A few studies have reported the stable isotope composition of groundwater in the YTR Basin (Figure 4) (Tan et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2019;Tan et al, 2021). Based on their δ 18 O and δD values, groundwater can be roughly divided into two categories.…”

Section: δD-δ 18 O Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some dots with lower lighterisotope composition are located in the lower left-hand corner of the δD-δ 18 O diagram (Figure 4A). The research of Tan et al (2021) suggested that the groundwater with lower values of δ 18 O and δD in the Xietongmen to Lhasa section of the YTR Basin originated from paleo-precipitation during a cooler time. A supply of such groundwater would lower the δ 18 O and δD values in the river water, but the slope of the SWL would not be affected; however, other groundwater samples (including YBJ) have shown a significant positive deviation of δ 18 O from GMWL and a negative deviation of d-excess from 10‰ (Figure 4B).…”

Section: δD-δ 18 O Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From the hydrochemical point of view, geothermal water has been suspected as the main source of the elevated (As) dissolved levels in the YTR (Zhang et al, 2021). Other major ion and 222 Rn data have also strongly suggested a large addition of groundwater to the YTR in the middle reach (Tan et al, 2021). In addition, the δ 18 O characteristics of groundwater show significant differences from west to east in the YTR Basin (Tan et al, 2014;Liu, 2018;Liu et al, 2019;Tan et al, 2021).…”

Section: Main Streammentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to precipitation, groundwater recharge and ice/ glacier melt water entering the YTR cannot be ignored as well (Liu, 1999;Tan et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2021). The contributions of these sources differ between different seasons and different locations: the groundwater contribution is 40% in Nugesha, 36% in Yangcun, 32% in Nuxia (Liu, 1999), and 27-40% in the middle reach (Tan et al, 2021). Furthermore, the distinctions of hydrochemical and isotopic composition between groundwater and precipitation are obvious in the YTR Basin (Tan et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal Variation of Hydrogen and Oxygen Stable Isotopes in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin, Southern Tibetan Plateau

Yan

Zhang

et al. 2021

Front. Earth Sci.

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Characterization of spatiotemporal variation of the stable isotopes δ18O and δD in surface water is essential to trace the water cycle, indicate moisture sources, and reconstruct paleoaltimetry. In this study, river water, rainwater, and groundwater samples were collected in the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YTR) Basin before (BM) and after the monsoon precipitation (AM) to investigate the δ18O and δD spatiotemporal variation of natural water. Most of the river waters are distributed along GMWL and the line of d-excess = 10‰, indicating that they are mainly originated from precipitation. Temporally, the δ18O and δD of river water are higher in BM series (SWL: δD = 10.26δ18O+43.01, R2 = 0.98) than AM series (SWL: δD = 9.10δ18O + 26.73, R2 = 0.82). Spatially, the isotopic compositions of tributaries increase gradually from west to east (BM: δ18O = 0.65Lon (°)-73.89, R2 = 0.79; AM: δ18O = 0.45Lon (°)-57.81, R2 = 0.70) and from high altitude to low (BM: δ18O = −0.0025Alt(m)-73.89, R2 = 0.66; AM: δ18O = −0.0018Alt(m)-10.57, R2 = 0.58), which conforms to the “continent effect” and “altitude effect” of precipitation. In the lower reaches of the mainstream, rainwater is the main source, so the variations of δ18O and δD are normally elevated with the flow direction. Anomalously, in the middle reaches, the δ18Omainstream and δDmainstream values firstly increase and then decrease. From the Saga to Lhaze section, the higher positive values of δ18Omainstream are mainly caused by groundwater afflux, which has high δ18O and low d-excess values. The δ18Omainstream decrease from the Lhaze to Qushui section is attributed to the combined action of the import of depleted 18O and D groundwater and tributaries. Therefore, because of the recharge of groundwater with markedly different δ18O and δD values, the mainstream no longer simply inherits the isotopic composition from precipitation. These results suggest that in the YTR Basin, if the δ18O value of surface water is used to trace moisture sources or reconstruct the paleoaltimetry, it is necessary to rule out the influence from groundwater.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: δD-δ 18 O Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: δD-δ 18 O Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Main Streammentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal Variation of Hydrogen and Oxygen Stable Isotopes in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin, Southern Tibetan Plateau

Yan

Zhang

et al. 2021

Front. Earth Sci.

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Dissolved inorganic carbon isotopes of a typical alpine river on the Tibetan Plateau revealing carbon sources, wetland effect and river recharge

Tan

Chen

et al. 2021

Hydrological Processes

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The Nyangqu River, the largest right bank tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was representative of an alpine riverine carbon cycle experiencing climate change. In this study, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) spatial and seasonal variations, as well as their carbon isotopic compositions (δ 13 C DIC ) in river water and groundwater were systematically investigated to provide constraints on DIC sources, recharge and cycling. Significant changes in the δ 13 C DIC values (from À2.9‰ to À23.4‰) of the water samples were considered to be the result of different contributions of two dominant DIC origins: soil CO 2 dissolution and carbonate weathering. Three types of rock weathering (dissolution of carbonate minerals by H 2 CO 3 and H 2 SO 4 , and silicate dissolution by H 2 CO 3 ) were found to control the DIC input into the riverine system. In DIC cycling, groundwater played a significant role in delivering DIC to the surface water, and DIC supply from tributaries to the main stream increased from the dry season to the wet season. Notably, the depleted δ 13 C DIC 'peak' around the 88.9 longitude, especially in the September groundwater samples, indicated the presence of 'special' DIC, which was attributed to the oxidation of methane from the Jiangsa wetland located nearby. This wetland could provide large amounts of soil organic matter available for bacterial degradation, producing 13 C-depleted methane. Our study provided insights regarding the role of wetlands in riverine carbon cycles and highlighted the contribution of groundwater to alpine riverine DIC cycles.

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Hydrogeochemical and isotopic evidences of unique groundwater recharge patterns in the Mongolian Plateau

Chen

et al. 2022

Hydrological Processes

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In arid and semi‐arid areas, local precipitation is insufficient to fulfil the water requirements of the fragile local environment; hence, water is obtained from groundwater. The Hulun Lake Basin is located in the Mongolian Plateau, which is home to numerous lakes. In this study, we used remote sensing and isotopic tracing of naturally occurring isotopes (δ18O, δ2H, and 87Sr/86Sr) to identify and quantify the various water inputs into the basin. Based on the lake water balance calculation and precipitation and river inputs, a 5.4 × 108 m3/year groundwater recharge rate was determined. Groundwater and river water with depleted δ18O and δ2H were identified close to the faults near Hulun Lake. The groundwater recharge into Hulun Lake is aided by the faults. The δ18O and δ2H compositions of the groundwater, rivers, and lakes were consistent and more depleted than those of precipitation in the local mountains and plains. Therefore, the rivers and lakes are assumed to be primarily recharged by groundwater. The low strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in the samples suggest that the water was primarily recharged by basalt groundwater, which was identified under the Cenozoic strata instead of the sandstones, granites, and tuffs, which are the primary rocks in the study area. Moreover, the faults were widely distributed in the study area, allowing for groundwater upwelling from basalts. For the areas with volcanic rocks and faults, particularly in arid and semi‐arid areas, the basalt groundwater recharge through faults is critical for environmental sustainability. This research provides necessary information for future hydro‐ecosystem resource management in arid and semi‐arid areas.

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Base flow in the Yarlungzangbo River, Tibet, maintained by the isotopically-depleted precipitation and groundwater discharge

Cited by 32 publications

References 44 publications

Spatiotemporal Variation of Hydrogen and Oxygen Stable Isotopes in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin, Southern Tibetan Plateau

Spatiotemporal Variation of Hydrogen and Oxygen Stable Isotopes in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin, Southern Tibetan Plateau

Dissolved inorganic carbon isotopes of a typical alpine river on the Tibetan Plateau revealing carbon sources, wetland effect and river recharge

Hydrogeochemical and isotopic evidences of unique groundwater recharge patterns in the Mongolian Plateau

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