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Hydrologic partition and maintenance mechanism of Badain Jaran Desert lake group indicated by hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes, northwest China

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Abstract

The study of hydrologic partition has great significance in exploring the water cycle mechanism of Badain Jaran Desert (BJD) lakes in northwest China. This study analyzes the characteristics of δD and δ18O isotopes of 160 groups of water bodies in the BJD area, an isotopic buildup model is constructed to classify the hydrologic partition of the lakes by estimating the ratio between lake evaporation (E) and discharge (I), and the maintenance mechanism of the lake group indicated by E/I is discussed. The results show that the lake group primarily relies on groundwater recharge and direct recharge of a small amount of local rainwater and the local rainwater is not the main source of groundwater recharge. The mean E/I values of δD and δ18O calculated for 30 lakes in the BJD ranged from 0.74 to 1.33 (mean 1.05), indicating that the lake group largely maintained total recharge and evaporation at the same level; however, lake group have a tendency for terminal lakes to evolve into desiccating lakes. The primary reasons for the constant E/I of approximately 1 and the stability of lake group are: (1) stable groundwater recharge ensures the stability of total recharge and (2) small interannual changes in temperature, relative humidity, and the salinity effect ensure the stability of the annual evaporation of salt lakes. E/I of Badandong Lake to estimate the amount of water discharged by its seasonal drainage channels in winter and spring is approximately 10,649.16 m3/a. The outflow water discharges salt, which is the main reason the lake maintains a brackish water state. This study provides a reference for future research on the water cycle mechanism of lakes in arid regions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41871021, 41530745).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Glacier and Desert Research, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China

    Xianbao Su, Chenao Lu, Meng Li, Xiao Liu, Naiang Wang & Jianxiang Zhang

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  1. Xianbao Su
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  4. Xiao Liu
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  5. Naiang Wang
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Contributions

Xianbao Su and Naiang Wang proposed the idea and designed the study; Chenao Lu and Meng Li collected the samples in field work and analyzed the data in laboratory; Jianxiang Zhang, and Xiao Liu analyzed the results; Xianbao Su, Chenao Lu, and Naiang Wang contributed to the discussion; and Xianbao Su wrote the main manuscript text. All authors approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Naiang Wang.

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Su, X., Lu, C., Li, M. et al. Hydrologic partition and maintenance mechanism of Badain Jaran Desert lake group indicated by hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes, northwest China. Environ Earth Sci 82, 12 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10686-1

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