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Hydrochemical characteristics of typical rivers in a temperate glacier basin, China

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Abstract

This study focused on the chemical compositions of the rivers around Yulong Mountain, one of the typical monsoonal temperate glacier regions in China. Water samples were collected from Baishui, Sanshu and Geji hydrological stations around Mt. Yulong during rainy season. The chemical analyses indicated that the river water around Mt. Yulong was characterized by high pH values (>8.0) and EC values varied from 36.4 to 71.7 μS/cm with an average of 52.6 μS/cm. Ca2+ and Mg2+ were the dominant cations, together accounting for about 90 % of the total cations. HCO3 −, followed by SO4 2−, was the dominant anion. Obvious variations had been perceived during the rainy season. River water chemistry in rainy season was mainly influenced by precipitation and rock weathering. The proportions of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO4 2− from precipitation in river water were 23.44, 9.66, 3.10, 17.81 and 10.48 %, respectively. In addition, the ion characteristics of river water were mainly influenced by carbonate weathering. The human activities should not be ignored though its influence was little.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Foundation from the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, a Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40971019) and a West Light Foundation of China’s Academy of Sciences (O828A11001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research School of Arid Environment and Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Tao Pu, Yuanqing He & Hewen Niu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Yuanqing He, Guofeng Zhu, Huijuan Xin & Weihong Cao

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  1. Tao Pu
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  2. Yuanqing He
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  3. Guofeng Zhu
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  4. Huijuan Xin
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  5. Weihong Cao
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  6. Hewen Niu
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Correspondence to Tao Pu.

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Pu, T., He, Y., Zhu, G. et al. Hydrochemical characteristics of typical rivers in a temperate glacier basin, China. Environ Earth Sci 68, 615–621 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1764-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1764-2

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