Distribution, Sources and Water Quality Evaluation of the Riverine Solutes: A Case Study in the Lancangjiang River Basin, Tibetan Plateau
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area Description and Sample Collection
2.2. Sample Collection and Analysis
2.3. Mass Balance Model Calculation
2.4. Water Quality Evaluation
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Hydrochemical Characteristics of the River Water
3.2. Relationship between the Major Ions
3.3. Stoichiometry of Weathering Processes
3.4. The Mixing Proportions
3.5. Drinking and Irrigation Water Quality Assessments
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- The river water chemistry is controlled by mineral weathering rather than anthropogenic inputs. The concentration order of the anions is HCO3− > SO42− > Cl−, while the order of cations is Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ + K+. Most samples are of the HCO3−-Ca·Mg type, the river waters are slightly alkaline, and water temperatures decrease as the elevation increases.
- (2)
- The employment of the elemental ratios indicates the mixing relationships between different rocks. The chemical composition of the river water is the mixture of carbonate weathering inputs, evaporite dissolution input and silicate weathering input. In the source area of Lancangjiang River, the complex lithology lead to a relatively large difference in the chemical composition of each tributary.
- (3)
- The forward method indicates that on the watershed scale, the contributions of the atmospheric inputs are limited (<5%), the gypsum dissolution and carbonate minerals dissolution make up ~60% of the total cation budgets (34.9% for carbonate weathering, 24.7% for gypsum dissolution, respectively), the silicate weathering constitutes 17.4% while the halite dissolution makes up 19.2% of the total cations. This result reflects the dissolution rates of different minerals and lithologic distributions, the predominance of the Ca2+ and HCO3− in river water results from both the wide distribution, and the fast dissolution rate of carbonate minerals
- (4)
- The water quality is generally suitable for irrigation and drinking purposes in terms of major ions. In the upper reaches of Lancangjiang River, the dissolution of gypsum and halite transport abundant Na+ and SO42− into river waters, and these contents exceed the recommended values, which may cause health and soil problems, such as soil compaction and salinization. This result suggests even in the pristine areas with little human disturbance, the water quality requires monitoring and assessment due to chemical weathering processes.
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameters | DIC | F− | Cl− | NO3− | SO42− | Ca2+ | K+ | Mg2+ | Na+ | EC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DIC | 1 | |||||||||
F− | 0.643 ** | 1 | ||||||||
Cl− | 0.349 * | 0.306 * | 1 | |||||||
NO3− | 0.147 | 0.175 | 0.142 | 1 | ||||||
SO42− | 0.664 ** | 0.621 *** | 0.817 ** | −0.006 | 1 | |||||
Ca2+ | 0.839 ** | 0.731 ** | 0.731 ** | 0.055 | 0.958 ** | 1 | ||||
K+ | 0.337 * | 0.391 ** | 0.693 ** | 0.683 ** | 0.531 ** | 0.507 ** | 1 | |||
Mg2+ | 0.805 ** | 0.657 ** | 0.651 ** | 0.087 | 0.939 ** | 0.959 ** | 0.414 ** | 1 | ||
Na+ | 0.428 ** | 0.365 * | 0.995 ** | 0.172 | 0.846 ** | 0.780 ** | 0.711 ** | 0.694 ** | 1 | |
EC | 0.669 ** | 0.552 ** | 0.909 ** | 0.105 | 0.967 ** | 0.946 ** | 0.643 ** | 0.894 ** | 0.936 ** | 1 |
Parameters | Min | Max | Mean | SD | Chinese Guidelines | WHO Guideline |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
pH | 7.76 | 8.77 | 8.32 | 0.20 | 6.5–8.5 | 6.5–8.5 |
TDS (mg/L) | 52.7 | 1313 | 286 | 189 | 1000 | 1000 |
F− (mg/L) | 0.01 | 0.33 | 0.16 | 0.06 | 1 | 1.5 |
Cl− (mg/L) | 0.13 | 331 | 22.8 | 48.1 | 250 | 250 |
NO3−-N (mg/L) | 0.05 | 2.84 | 0.64 | 0.44 | 20 mg/L as N | 50 |
SO42− (mg/L) | 3.37 | 455 | 88.3 | 77.4 | 250 | 250 |
SAR | 0.08 | 4.31 | 0.58 | 0.61 | / | / |
Na (%) | 7.10 | 57.9 | 22.1 | 8.4 | / | / |
RSC | −7.04 | 0.39 | −1.18 | 1.22 | / | / |
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Liu, J.; Han, G.; Liu, M.; Zeng, J.; Liang, B.; Qu, R. Distribution, Sources and Water Quality Evaluation of the Riverine Solutes: A Case Study in the Lancangjiang River Basin, Tibetan Plateau. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234670
Liu J, Han G, Liu M, Zeng J, Liang B, Qu R. Distribution, Sources and Water Quality Evaluation of the Riverine Solutes: A Case Study in the Lancangjiang River Basin, Tibetan Plateau. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(23):4670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234670
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Jinke, Guilin Han, Man Liu, Jie Zeng, Bin Liang, and Rui Qu. 2019. "Distribution, Sources and Water Quality Evaluation of the Riverine Solutes: A Case Study in the Lancangjiang River Basin, Tibetan Plateau" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 23: 4670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234670