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Spatio-seasonal patterns and sources of major ions in the Longjiang River catchment, Southern China

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Abstract

River water quality is closely related to the major ion sources and hydrological conditions. However, there is a limited cognition about the geochemical sources and the seasonal variations of major ions. Thus, in this study, a total of 90 water samples were collected from the Longjiang River and its three tributaries in the dry and wet seasons. The samples were analyzed, including major ion concentrations and physicochemical parameters. Statistical analysis, such as correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), was employed to investigate the spatial and seasonal variations in major ion composition and their respective sources. Our study revealed that the predominant major ions in the studied samples are Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO − 3, and SO2 − 4. Most of ions exhibited notable spatial disparities attributable to variations in geological settings and human activities. Regions characterized by igneous rock outcrops tend to exhibit higher levels of K+ and Na+, while areas with higher population densities in the middle and downstream segments show elevated concentrations of Cl−, NO − 3, SO2 − 4, Na+, and K+. The observed peak SO2 − 4 levels may be attributed to active mining operations. Most parameters displayed higher values in flood season than those in dry season due to dilution effects. Stoichiometric analysis indicated that carbonate weathering inputs contribute to over 85% of the mean total cation concentrations in the water, followed by contributions from silicates, atmospheric deposition, and anthropogenic inputs. On the whole, although the water quality remains non-polluted and is suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes, the enrichment of SO2 − 4 and NO − 3 may contribute to water eutrophication. Caution is warranted during the dry season due to reduced water flow resulting from dam interceptions and limited dilution capacity, potentially leading to elevated pollutant concentrations. Taken together, our results provided a scientific basis for water quality managements of monsoon rivers.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDB40020400), the Public Welfare Foundation of the Ministry of Water Resources of China (201501011), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A2034), the Project of Educational Commission of Guangdong Province of China (2023KSYS007, 2023KTSCX078, 2023KCXTD023, 2021ZDJS040, 2020ZDZX1032), Guangdong Key Discipline Research Capability Enhancement Project (2021ZDJS040), and the Scientific Research Start-up Funds of Hanshan Normal University (QD202204).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou, 521041, China

    Xiaolong Lan, Yanlong Jia & Wenjie Lin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China

    Zengping Ning

  3. School of Management, Guizhou University of Commerce, Guiyang, 550014, China

    Qingxiang Xiao

  4. School of Architecture and Engineering, Yan’an University, 716000, Yan’an, People’s Republic of China

    Haiyan Chen

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  1. Xiaolong Lan
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Contributions

Xiaolong Lan: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, funding acquisition, software, visualization, writing—original draft.

Zengping Ning: conceptualization, investigation, methodology, software, visualization, funding acquisition, supervision, writing—review and editing.

Qingxiang Xiao: data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, software, visualization, writing—review and editing.

Haiyan Chen: data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, software, visualization, writing—review and editing.

Yanlong Jia: conceptualization, methodology, funding acquisition, writing—review and editing.

Wenjie Lin: resources, project administration, funding acquisition, supervision, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Zengping Ning.

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Lan, X., Ning, Z., Xiao, Q. et al. Spatio-seasonal patterns and sources of major ions in the Longjiang River catchment, Southern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 29631–29643 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33147-7

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