Abstract
To investigate the chemical characteristics, spatial distribution and evolution of groundwater in the middle reaches of the Heihe River, 100 shallow groundwater samples were collected and tested. The results of this assessment indicate that the shallow groundwater in the study area is weakly alkaline and brackish. Concentrations of K+, Cl− and NO3− are highly variable in groundwater and are the highest in areas with intensive human land use activities. The TDS content of groundwater gradually increases from the recharge area to the discharge area, and the chemical composition gradually changes from SO42−–HCO3−–Na+·Mg2+ to SO42−–Na+–Mg2+. Overall, the chemical composition and groundwater types in the study area are primarily affected by water–rock reactions, and certain areas are more affected by human activities. Isotopic evidence indicates that the main source of shallow groundwater in the study area is snowmelt.
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
Aghazadeh N, Mogaddam AA (2010) Assessment of groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural uses in the Oshnavieh area, Northwest of Iran. J Environ Prot 1:30–40
Bouragba L, Mudry J, Bouchaou L, Hsissou Y, Krimissa M, Tagma T, Michelot J (2011) Isotopes and groundwater management strategies under semi-arid area: case of the Souss upstream basin (Morocco). Appl Radiat Isot 69:1084–1093
Chen R, Kang E, Ji X, Yang J, Zhang Z, Yang Y (2006) Temporal variations of CO2 concentration near land surface and its response to meteorological variables in Heihe River Basin, northwest China. J Environ Sci (China) 18:708–715
Chen Y, Zhi LI, Fan Y, Wang H, Fang G (2014) Research progress on the impact of climate change on water resources in the arid region of Northwest China. Acta Geogr Sin 69:1295–1304
Clark ID, Fritz P (1997) Environmental isotopes in hydrogeology. Lewis, Boca Raton
Craig H (1961) Isotopic Variations in Meteoric Waters Science 133:1702–1703
Dansgaard W (1964) Stable isotopes in precipitation Tellus 16:436–468
Dong D-L et al (2007) Environmental characteristics of groundwater: an application of PCA to water chemistry analysis in Yulin. J China Univ Min Technol 17:73–77
Fantong WY, Satake H, Ayonghe SN, Aka FT, Asai K (2009) Hydrogeochemical controls and usability of groundwater in the semi-arid Mayo Tsanaga River Basin: far north province, Cameroon. Environ Geol 58:1281–1293
Feng Q, Liu W, Su YH, Zhang YW, Si JH (2004) Distribution and evolution of water chemistry in Heihe River basin. Environ Geol 45:947–956
Fisher RS, Mullican WF III (1997) Hydrochemical evolution of sodium-sulfate and sodium-chloride groundwater beneath the northern Chihuahuan Desert, Trans-Pecos, Texas, USA. Hydrogeol J 5:4–16
Gibbs RJ (1970) Mechanisms controlling world water chemistry. Science 170:1088–1090
Gleick PH (2000) A look at twenty-first century water resources development. Water Int 25:127–138
Huang C, Zheng C (2009) Spatial differentiation of water resources supply and demand balance in Fujian Province. Resour Sci 31:750–756
Joshi A, Seth G (2011) Hydrochemical investigations and correlation analysis of groundwater quality. J Environ Sci Eng 53:151
Liu H (2012) Comprehensive carrying capacity of the urban agglomeration in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Habitat Int 36:462–470
Lu L, Cheng G, Li X (2001a) Landscape change in middle Heihe River Basin. Chin J Appl Ecol 12:68–74
Lu L, Li X, Chen G, Xiao H (2001b) Analysis on the landscape structure of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China. Acta Ecol Sin 21:1217–1224
Ma Z, Dou H, Li T, Hu W, Yan H (2012) Geochemical study of groundwater mineralization in Guanzhong Basin, Shaanxi province, NW China. Desalination and Water Treat 42:317–322
Ning BY, Yuan-Qing HE, Xian-Zhong HE, Zong-Xing LI (2008) Advances on water resources research in Heihe River Basin. J Desert Res 28:1180–1185
Osterberg EC, Handley MJ, Sneed SB, Mayewski PA, Kreutz KJ (2006) Continuous ice core melter system with discrete sampling for major ion, trace element and stable isotope analyses. Environ Sci Technol 40:3355–3361
Piper AM (1944) A graphic procedure in the geochemical interpretation of water-analyses. Eos Trans Am Geophys Union 25:914–928
Prasanna MV, Chidambaram S, Hameed AS, Srinivasamoorthy K (2010) Study of evaluation of groundwater in Gadilam basin using hydrogeochemical and isotope data. Environ Monit Assess 168:63–90
Qi SZ, Luo F (2005) Water environmental degradation of the Heihe River Basin in arid northwestern China. Environ Monit Assess 108:205
Shen Y, Chen Y (2010) Global perspective on hydrology, water balance, and water resources management in arid basins. Hydrol Process 24:129–135
Wang S (2013) Groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural use in the Yanqi Basin of Xinjiang Province, Northwest China. Environ Monit Assess 185:7469
Wang SW, Liu CW, Jang CS (2007) Factors responsible for high arsenic concentrations in two groundwater catchments in Taiwan. Appl Geochem 22:460–476
Weber VL (2010) Coefficient of variation of underwater irradiance fluctuations. Radiophys Quantum Electron 53:13–27
Yang X (2006) Chemistry and late Quaternary evolution of ground and surface waters in the area of Yabulai Mountains, western Inner Mongolia, China. Catena 66:135–144
Zhou X, Zhang H, Zhao L, Ye S, Xia Y, Li R, Li Z (2007) Some factors affecting TDS and pH values in groundwater of the Beihai coastal area in southern Guangxi, China. Environ Geol 53:317–323
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Center for Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology Survey, China Geological Survey. Funded projects are “A 1:50,000 hydrogeological survey of the Heihe river basin in the hexi corridor (DD20160292)”and “Major research project of the national natural science foundation of China: observation and mechanism research on the mutual transformation of surface water and groundwater in Heihe river basin (91025019)”.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gao, Z., Wang, Z., Wang, S. et al. Factors that influence the chemical composition and evolution of shallow groundwater in an arid region: a case study from the middle reaches of the Heihe River, China. Environ Earth Sci 78, 390 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8391-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8391-0