Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Evolutions of water stable isotopes and the contributions of cryosphere to the alpine river on the Tibetan Plateau

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The significant changes of cryosphere on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are an important cause of concern for the huge population in Asia which depends on the glacier-permafrost feed rivers. Up to now, little is known about the response of runoff to the cryospheric changes under a warming climate. Taking an example of a typical alpine river (hereafter named KLR River) in Kunlun Mountains Pass on the TP to investigate the hydrological processes and quantify the potential recharge sources using stable isotopes and electrical conductivities. The results showed significantly temporal variations in isotopes of precipitation and river water. Deviations in the precipitation isotopes indicated that precipitation in Kunlun Mountains Pass during summer months mainly originated from local recycled moisture and slightly influenced by monsoon. The KLR river was separated into three hydrological components which include precipitation, meltwater of glacier and meltwater of subsurface ground ice. On average, the meltwater of glacier accounted for 56.64 % of total flow, whereas the meltwater of subsurface ground ice contributed 37.44 % and only 5.92 % was supplied by precipitation. Evidently, the contributions of glacier and thawing permafrost are up to as high as 94 %. The cryosphere played a crucial role on the hydrological cycle on the TP which would be important to understand the water resource distribution in permafrost regions on the TP under the global warming.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Buttle J (1994) Isotope hydrograph separations and rapid delivery of pre-event water from drainage basins. Prog Phys Geogr 18(1):16–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cable J, Ogle K, Williams D (2011) Contribution of glacier meltwater to streamflow in the Wind River Range, Wyoming, inferred via a Bayesian mixing model applied to isotopic measurements. Hydrol Process 25:2228–2236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng GD, Jin HJ (2013) Permafrost and groundwater on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and in northeast China. Hydrogeol J 21(1):5–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craig H (1961) Isotopic variations in meteoric waters. Science 133(3465):1702–1703

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui BL, Li XY (2015) Characteristics of stable isotopes and hydrochemistry of river water in the Qinghai Lake Basin, northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Environ Earth Sci 73(8):4251–4263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dansgaard W (1964) Stable isotopes in precipitation. Tellus 16(4):436–468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo XY, Feng Q, Liu W et al (2014) An overview of precipitation isotopes over the Extensive Hexi Region in NW China. Arab J Geosci. doi:10.1007/s12517-014-1521-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Froehlich K, Kralik M, Papesch W et al (2008) Deuterium excess in precipitation of Alpine regions—moisture recycling. Isot Environ Health Stud 44(1):61–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haeberli W, Beniston M (1998) Climate change and its impacts on glaciers and permafrost in the Alps. Ambio 27(4):258–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Halder J, Decrouy L, Vennemann TW (2013) Mixing of Rhône river water in Lake Geneva (Switzerland–France) inferred from stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope profiles. J Hydrol 477:152–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heppell CM, Chapman AS (2006) Analysis of a two-component hydrograph separation model to predict herbicide runoff in drained soils. Agric Water Manag 79(2):177–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heymsfield AJ, Jameson AR, Frank HW (1980) Hail growth mechanisms in a Colorado storm: part II: Hail formation processes. J Atmos Sci 37(8):1779–1807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes JA, Zhang JW, Chen FH et al (2007) Paleoclimatic implications of an 850 year oxygen isotope record form the northern Tibetan plateau. Geophys Res Lett 34(23):L23403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoeg S, Uhlenbrook S, Leibundgut C (2000) Hydrograph separation in a mountainous catchment—combining hydrochemical and isotopic tracers. Hydrol Process 14(7):1199–1216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeelani G, Feddema JJ, Veen CJ et al (2012) Role of snow and glacier melt in controlling river hydrology in Liddar watershed (western Himalaya) under current and future climate. Water Resour Res 48(12):W12508(1–16)

  • Jost G, Moore RD, Menounos B et al (2012) Quantifying the contribution of glacier runoff to streamflow in the upper Columbia River Basin, Canada. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 16(3):849–860

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jouzel J, Merlivat L (1984) Deuterium and oxygen 18 in precipitation: modeling of the isotopic effects during snow formation. J Geophys Res Atmos 89(D7):11749–11757

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jouzel J, Souchez RA (1982) Melting-refreezing at the glacier sole and the isotopic composition of the ice. J Glaciol 28(98):35–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Kääb A, Chiarle M, Raup B et al (2007) Climate change impacts on mountain glaciers and permafrost. Global Planet Change 56(1):6–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaushal SS, Groffman PM, Likens GE et al (2005) Increased salinization of fresh water in the northeastern United States. Proc Nat Acad Sci 102(38):13517–13520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klaus J, McDonnell JJ (2013) Hydrograph separation using stable isotopes: review and evaluation. J Hydrol 505:47–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kong YL, Pang ZH (2011) Isotope hydrograph separation in alpine catchments: a review. Sci Cold Arid Reg 3(1):86–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Kong YL, Pang ZH (2012) Evaluating the sensitivity of Glacier Rivers to climate change based on hydrograph separation of discharge. J Hydrol 434–435:121–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laudon H, Slaymaker O (1997) Hydrograph separation using stable isotopes, silica and electrical conductivity: an alpine example. J Hydrol 201(1):82–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li ZX, Feng Q, Liu W et al (2014) Study on the contribution of cryosphere to runoff in the cold alpine basin: a case study of Hulugou River Basin in the Qilian Mountains. Global Planet Change 122:345–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Qi F, Li J et al (2015) Environmental significance and hydrochemical processes at a cold alpine basin in the Qilian Mountains. Environ Earth Sci 73(8):4043–4052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XD, Chen BD (2000) Climatic warming in the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. Int J Climatol 20:1729–1742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu YH, Fan NJ, An SQ et al (2008) Characteristics of water isotopes and hydrograph separation during the wet season in the Heishui River, China. J Hydrol 353:314–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackay JR (1983) Oxygen isotope variations in permafrost, Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula area, Northwest Territories; In Current Research, Part B, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 83–1B: 67–74

  • Maurya AS, Shah M, Deshpande RD et al (2011) Hydrograph separation and precipitation source identification using stable water isotopes and conductivity: river Ganga at Himalayan foothills. Hydrol Process 25:1521–1530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meng Y, Liu G (2013) Stable isotopic information for hydrological investigation in Hailuogou watershed on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga, China. Environ Earth Sci 69(1):29–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merlivat L, Jouzel J (1979) Global climatic interpretation of the deuterium-oxygen 18 relationship for precipitation. J Geophys Res Oceans 84(C8):5029–5033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MP, Susong DD, Shope CL et al (2014) Continuous estimation of baseflow in snowmelt-dominated streams and rivers in the Upper Colorado River Basin: a chemical hydrograph separation approach. Water Resour Res 50(8):6986–6999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolayev VI, Mikhalev DV (1995) An oxygen-isotope paleothermometer from ice in Siberian permafrost. Quatern Res 43:14–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pellerin BA, Wollheim WM, Feng XH et al (2008) The application of electrical conductivity as a tracer for hydrograph separation in urban catchments. Hydrol Process 22:1810–1818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng HD, Mayer B, Harris S et al (2007) The influence of below-cloud secondary effects on the stable isotope composition of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation at Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Tellus 59:698–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pu JC (1994) Glacier Inventory of China VIII, the Changjiang River Drainage Basin. Gansu Culture Press, Lanzhou: 79 (In Chinese)

  • Pu T, He Y, Zhu G et al (2013) Characteristics of water stable isotopes and hydrograph separation in Baishui catchment during the wet season in Mt. Yulong region, south western China. Hydrol Process 27(25):3641–3648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin DH, Yao TD, Ding YJ et al (2014) Glossary of cryosphere sciences. China Meteorological Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinton LW, Baltzer LJ (2013) The active-layer hydrology of a peat plateau with thawing permafrost (Scotty creek, canada). Hydrogeol J 21(1):201–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radic V, Hock R (2014) Glaciers in the earth’s hydrological cycle: assessments of glacier mass and runoff changes on global and regional scales. Surv Geophys 35:813–837

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson HJ, Herczeg AL (1991) Stable isotopes as an indicator of evaporation in the River Murray, Australia. Water Resour Res 27(8):1925–1935

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorg A, Bolch T, Stoffel M et al (2012) Climate change impacts on glaciers and runoff in Tien Shan (Central Asia). Nature Climate Change 2(10):725–731

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian LD, Yao TD, Sun WZ et al (2001) Relationship between δD and δ18O in precipitation on north and south of the Tibetan Plateau and moisture recycling. Sci China (Series D) 44(9):789–796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tong BL, Li SD (1983) Characteristics and influencing factor of permafrost on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Professional papers on permafrost studies of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Science Press, Beijing, pp 1–11 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson LG, Mosley-Thompson E, Davis ME et al (1989) Holocene-Late Pleistocene climatic ice core records from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Science 246(4929):474–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uhlenbrook S, Hoeg S (2003) Quantifying uncertainties in tracer-based hydrograph separations: a case study for two-, three- and five-component hydrograph separations in a mountainous catchment. Hydrol Process 17(2):431–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang N, Zhang S, He J et al (2009) Tracing the major source area of the mountainous runoff generation of the Heihe River in northwest China using stable isotope technique. Chin Sci Bull 54(16):2751–2757

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu QB, Zhang TJ (2008) Recent permafrost warming on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. J Geophys Res 113:D13108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu QB, Zhang TJ (2010) Changes in active layer thickness over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 1995–2007. J Geophys Res 115:D09107

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang YZ (2014) Research on stable isotope hydrology in permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. PhD Thesis, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. (In Chinese)

  • Yang YZ, Wu QB, Yun HB (2013) Stable isotope variations in the ground ice of Beiluhe Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Quatern Int 313–314:85–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Yao TD, Masson-Delmotte V, Gao J et al (2013a) A review of climatic controls on δ18O in precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau: observations and simulations. Rev Geophys 51(4):525–548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao TD, Qin DH, Shen YP et al (2013b) Cryospheric changes and their impacts on regional water cycle and ecological conditions in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Chin J Nat 35(3):179–186 (In Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yao TD, Thompson L, Yang W et al (2012) Different glacier status with atmospheric circulations in Tibetan Plateau and surroundings. Nat Climate Change 2(9):663–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao TD, Zhou H, Yang XX (2009) Indian monsoon influences altitude effect of δ18O in precipitation/river water on the Tibetan Plateau. Chin Sci Bull 54:2724–2731

    Google Scholar 

  • Yi Y, Brock BE, Falcone MD et al (2008) A coupled isotope tracer method to characterize input water to lakes. J Hydrol 350(1):1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin CL (2008) Variations in stable isotopes in West of China affected by Westerlies and Southwest monsoon and its climatic significance. PhD Thesis (in Chinese)

  • Zhang Z (2007) Climatic change recorded by sedimentary in Kunlun Pass Basin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. PhD Thesis. College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, China (in Chinese)

  • Zhang YS, Ohata T, Kadota T (2003) Land-surface hydrological processes in the permafrost region of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. J Hydrol 283:41–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao L, Ding YJ, Liu GY et al (2010) Estimates of the reserves of ground ice in permafrost regions on the Tibetan Plateau. J Glaciol Geocryol 32(1):1–9 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng SH, Hou FG, Ni BL (1983) Research on the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope of precipitation in China. Chin Sci Bull 28(13):801–806

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Research Program (Grant No. KZZD-EW-13), and the Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soils Engineering (Grant No. SKLFSE-ZQ-34).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Cold and Arid regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Yuzhong Yang, Qingbai Wu & Huijun Jin

Authors
  1. Yuzhong Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qingbai Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Huijun Jin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qingbai Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, Y., Wu, Q. & Jin, H. Evolutions of water stable isotopes and the contributions of cryosphere to the alpine river on the Tibetan Plateau. Environ Earth Sci 75, 49 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4894-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4894-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation