Abstract
Discriminating the hydrochemical origins in the polluted rivers is a challenge work due to multiple sources contributing to the river’s chemical composition. The Taizi River, as an important tributary of the Liao River, in Northeast China, is flowing through an urban-, industry-, and agriculture-intensive area, and its hydrochemistry has been disturbed by human activities especially in the lower basin. In this study, an extensive analysis has been conducted to evaluate the natural and anthropogenic origins of the hydrochemistry in the Taizi River Basin. Three hydrochemical zones are determined based on hydrological connectivity, land use types and lithology, and the hydrochemistry pattern has changed from Ca-HCO3 type to Ca-HCO3-SO4 type from the upper basin to the lower basin due to increasing areas of agriculture and residence land. Six end members including the rain inputs, sewage discharge, mine drainage, carbonate, silicate and evaporate weathering are discriminated in the study area by applying a two stage stoichiometric method. The first stage is used to separate the anthropogenic inputs (sewage discharge and mine drainage) by an inversion technique, and the second stage is evaluating the rock weathering contributions from carbonates, silicates and evaporates by a forward method. Chemical budget calculation shows that carbonate weathering and anthropogenic inputs are two important factors controlling the hydrochemistry with contributions of about 52 and 27 % of the TDS, respectively. In addition, the contribution of anthropogenic inputs increases from 20 % in the upper basin to 30 % in the lower basin.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Alexakis D (2011) Diagnosis of stream sediment quality and assessment of toxic element contamination sources in East Attica, Greece. Environ Earth Sci 63:1369–1383
Appelo CAJ, Postma D (2005) Geochemistry, groundwater and pollution. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Cao Y, Tang C, Song X, Liu C (2015) Major ion chemistry, chemical weathering and CO2 consumption in the Songhua River basin, Northeast China. Environ Earth Sci 73:7505–7516
Chen J, Wang F, Xia X, Zhang L (2002) Major element chemistry of the Changjiang (Yangtze River). Chem Geol 187:231–255
Chetelat B, Liu C, Zhao Z, Wang Q, Li S, Li J, Wang B (2008) Geochemistry of the dissolved load of the Changjiang Basin rivers: anthropogenic impacts and chemical weathering. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 72:4254–4277
Flintrop C, Hohlmann B, Jasper T (1996) Anatomy of pollution: rivers of north Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Am J Sci 296(1):58–98
Gaillardet J, Dupre B, Allegre CJ, Négrel P (1997) Chemical and physical denudation in the Amazon River Basin. Chem Geol 142:141–173
Gaillardet J, Dupré B, Louvat P, Allegre C (1999) Global silicate weathering and CO2 consumption rates deduced from the chemistry of large rivers. Chem Geol 159:3–30
Galy A, France-Lanord C (1999) Weathering processes in the Ganges–Brahmaputra basin and the riverine alkalinity budget. Chem Geol 159:31–60
Gamvroula D, Alexakis D, Stamatis G (2011) Assessment of groundwater quality in the Megara basin, Attica, Greece. Advances in the research of aquatic environment. Springer, Berlin, pp 393–400
Gibbs RJ (1970) Mechanisms controlling world water chemistry. Science 170:1088–1090
Gonfiantini R (1986) Environmental isotopes in lake studies. Handb Environ Isot Geochem 2:113–168
Han G, Liu C-Q (2004) Water geochemistry controlled by carbonate dissolution: a study of the river waters draining karst-dominated terrain, Guizhou Province, China. Chem Geol 204:1–21
Karim A, Veizer J (2000) Weathering processes in the Indus River Basin: implications from riverine carbon, sulfur, oxygen, and strontium isotopes. Chem Geol 170:153–177
Krishnaswami S, Singh S, Dalai T (1999) Silicate weathering in the Himalaya: role in contributing to major ions and radiogenic Sr to the Bay of Bengal Ocean Science, trends and future directions, Indian National Science Academy and Akademia International, pp 23–51
Lerman A, Wu L (2006) CO2 and sulfuric acid controls of weathering and river water composition. J Geochem Explor 88:427–430
Li S-L, Calmels D, Han G, Gaillardet J, Liu C-Q (2008) Sulfuric acid as an agent of carbonate weathering constrained by δ 13 C DIC: examples from Southwest China. Earth Planet Sci Lett 270:189–199
Meybeck M, Helmer R (1989) The quality of rivers: from pristine stage to global pollution. Glob Planet Change 1:283–309
Mortatti J, Probst J-L (2003) Silicate rock weathering and atmospheric/soil CO2 uptake in the Amazon basin estimated from river water geochemistry: seasonal and spatial variations. Chem Geol 197:177–196
Negrel P, Allègre CJ, Dupré B, Lewin E (1993) Erosion sources determined by inversion of major and trace element ratios and strontium isotopic ratios in river water: the Congo Basin case. Earth Planet Sci Lett 120:59–76
Olıas M, Nieto J, Sarmiento A, Cerón J, Cánovas C (2004) Seasonal water quality variations in a river affected by acid mine drainage: the Odiel River (South West Spain). Sci Total Environ 333:267–281
Ollivier P, Hamelin B, Radakovitch O (2010) Seasonal variations of physical and chemical erosion: a 3-year survey of the Rhone River (France). Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74:907–927
Ran X, Yu Z, Yao Q, Chen H, Mi T (2010) Major ion geochemistry and nutrient behaviour in the mixing zone of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River and its tributaries in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Hydrol Process 24:2481–2495
Roy S, Gaillardet J, Allegre C (1999) Geochemistry of dissolved and suspended loads of the Seine river, France: anthropogenic impact, carbonate and silicate weathering. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63:1277–1292
Stallard R, Edmond J (1981) Geochemistry of the Amazon: 1. Precipitation chemistry and the marine contribution to the dissolved load at the time of peak discharge. J Geophys Res Oceans (1978–2012) 86:9844–9858
Wu W, Xu S, Yang J, Yin H (2008) Silicate weathering and CO2 consumption deduced from the seven Chinese rivers originating in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Chem Geol 249:307–320
Xu Z, Liu C-Q (2010) Water geochemistry of the Xijiang basin rivers, South China: chemical weathering and CO2 consumption. Appl Geochem 25:1603–1614
Yang C, Telmer K, Veizer J (1996) Chemical dynamics of the “St. Lawrence” riverine system: δD H2O, δ18O H2O, δ13C DIC, δ34S sulfate, and dissolved 87Sr/86Sr. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 60:851–866
Yi L, Xiaolan Y, Hongbing C, Weili L, Jie T, Shufeng W (2010) Chemical characteristics of precipitation at three Chinese regional background stations from 2006 to 2007. Atmos Res 96:173–183
Yoshimura K, Nakao S, Noto M, Inokura Y, Urata K, Chen M, Lin P-W (2001) Geochemical and stable isotope studies on natural water in the Taroko Gorge karst area, Taiwan—chemical weathering of carbonate rocks by deep source CO2 and sulfuric acid. Chem Geol 177:415–430
Zhang J, Huang W, Letolle R, Jusserand C (1995) Major element chemistry of the Huanghe (Yellow River), China-weathering processes and chemical fluxes. J Hydrol 168:173–203
Zhang S, Lu X, Higgitt D, Chen C, Sun H, Han J (2007) Water chemistry of the Zhujiang (Pearl River): natural processes and anthropogenic influences. J Geophys Res Earth Surf 112:137–161
Zhang L, Song X, Xia J, Yuan R, Zhang Y, Liu X, Han D (2011) Major element chemistry of the Huai River basin, China. Appl Geochem 26:293–300
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cao, Y., Tang, C., Cao, G. et al. Hydrochemical zoning: natural and anthropogenic origins of the major elements in the surface water of Taizi River Basin, Northeast China. Environ Earth Sci 75, 811 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5469-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5469-9