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Characteristics of water isotopes and hydrograph separation during the spring flood period in Yushugou River basin, Eastern Tianshans, China

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Abstract

Many of the river basins in northwest China receive water from melting glaciers and snow in addition to groundwater. This region has experienced a significant change in glacier and snowpack volume over the past decade altering hydrology. Quantifying changes in water resources is vital for developing sustainable strategies in the region. During 2013, a water-isotope source apportionment study was conducted during the spring flood in the Yushugou River basin, northwestern China. The study found significant differences in water isotopes between river water, snowmelt water, and groundwater. During the study period, the isotopic composition of groundwater remained relatively stable. This stability suggests that the groundwater recharge rate has not been significantly impacted by recent hydro-climatic variability. The river water flow rate and water δ 18O displayed an inverse relationship. This relationship is indicative of snowmelt water injection. The relative contribution of the two sources was estimated using a two-component isotope hydrograph separation. The contribution of snowmelt water and groundwater to Yushugou River were ∼63% and ∼37%, respectively. From the study, we conclude that snowmelt water is the dominant water source to the basin during the spring melt period.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Shufei Luo for helping in samples collection. They also thank engineer Zhu Yuman of Tianshan Glaciological Station for helping in chemical analysis. This research was supported by the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZD-EW-G03-01), National Major Science Research Project (973 projects) (2013CBA01801), the National Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41471058, 41171057, 41201065), and foundation for Excellent Youth Scholars of CAREERI, CAS (51Y251B51).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences/Tianshan Glaciological Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China

    Xiaoyan Wang, Zhongqin Li & Ping Zhou

  2. College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu, China

    Zhongqin Li

  3. Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia

    Edwards Ross

  4. Hami Hydrology and Water Resources Survey Bureau, Hami, 839000, Xinjiang, China

    Ruozihan Tayier

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  1. Xiaoyan Wang
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Correspondence to Xiaoyan Wang.

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Wang, X., Li, Z., Ross, E. et al. Characteristics of water isotopes and hydrograph separation during the spring flood period in Yushugou River basin, Eastern Tianshans, China. J Earth Syst Sci 124, 115–124 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-014-0517-x

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