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Identification of the origin of salinization in groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis and geochemical modeling: a case study of Kaohsiung, Southwest Taiwan

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

The study of brine aquifers in southern Taiwan is highly complicated by hybrid geochemical reactions, which obscure important geochemical information. Using multivariate analysis on major and minor ion compositions normalized by Cl− content, chemical constituents were combined into two principal components representing brine mixing and mineral precipitation. Comparing to multivariate analysis on the original data, this procedure reveals more geochemical information. It demonstrates that the brine groundwater of the region is primarily composed of highly evaporated seawater. The evaporation ratio is >70%; a point at which calcite, dolomite and gypsum precipitate. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions confirm this inference; and further, geochemical modeling quantitatively determined the evaporation ratio to be about 85%. Natural boron contamination is a consequence of brine groundwater. Two evolutionary trends in the plotting of the Cl/B ratio versus Cl− can be identified: (1) Cl/B ratio decreases with boron being released from clay minerals when brine aquifers are flushed with freshwater; and (2) Cl/B ratio increases when seawater of a high Cl/B ratio infiltrates coastal aquifers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate helpful comments from reviewers and journal editors. Special thanks go to Mr. L. Y. Fei who promoted this project. This study is supported by research grants from the Central Geological Survey and the National Science Council (NSC-96-2116-M-194-002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, 168, University Rd, Chia-Yi, Min-Hsiung, Taiwan

    Hsueh-Yu Lu

  2. Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National ChungHsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Tsung-Ren Peng

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Min-Hsiung, Chia-Yi, Taiwan

    Tai-Sheng Liou

Authors
  1. Hsueh-Yu Lu
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  2. Tsung-Ren Peng
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  3. Tai-Sheng Liou
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Correspondence to Hsueh-Yu Lu.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Table 4

Table 4 Goechemical and isotopic compositions of groudwaters in the SCPGD
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Lu, HY., Peng, TR. & Liou, TS. Identification of the origin of salinization in groundwater using multivariate statistical analysis and geochemical modeling: a case study of Kaohsiung, Southwest Taiwan. Environ Geol 55, 339–352 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0979-0

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