Hydrological Transport and Fate of Brackish and Inorganic Contaminants with Anthropogenic Influence
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript “Hydrological Evaluation of Inorganic and Brackish Contaminants with Human Activities in the northern part of Permian Basin, US” reports a study on the water quality (Arsenic (As), Uranium (U), Nitrate 133 (NO3-), Fluoride (F), Chloride (Cl) and TDS) in the Permian Basin, US, providing contaminant concentration average values for two different time periods, between 1992-2005, and 2006-2019.
The manuscript can be published pending several minor yet important corrections:
(1) Fig. 1. Pecos Valley aquifer is missing, instead Ed ward-Trinity occurs twice.
(2) Values in Fig. 3 do not correspond to those provided in table 3 and text. Also, the values for Uranium contamination provided in text do not correspond to those in Table 3. Please, revise and provide the correct unit measure.
(3) The authors may provide a more updated view on the climate change in the Permian Basin (Fig. 10 and table 4).
Author Response
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Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsIt is an interesting study that contributes to the area of study as important as the contamination of aquifers and its impact on the health of the population.
Why was the content of natural organic matter (measured as total organic carbon) not considered? The same for the alkalinity and pH.
Line 172; line 174; line 179: the reference is missing
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsASSESSMENT
This article mainly reports the survey results of groundwater environmental quality, with limited original research contributions. Intuitively, one might think that human activities such as agricultural production and oil extraction would release pollutants into the soil environment, and that reductions in precipitation and land aridity caused by climate change would further facilitate the spread of these pollutants into groundwater. So, what is the significance of the author’s dedicated research in this context?
MAJOR ITEMS
1. The paper contains a significant amount of repetition. For instance, the explanation and impact of the pollution indicators are redundantly described in the introduction, data and methods, and results sections.
2. In the ‘Data and Methods’ section, only the data sources and data processing methods are introduced. The paper does not explain the research methods, particularly how the response of groundwater environmental quality to human activities and climate change was quantified.
3. This paper claimed that “This study contributes to the understanding of how groundwater resources respond to human activities and climate changes in the Permian Basin, US.”, But how? Please Clarified.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript undertook the Hydrological Evaluation of Inorganic and Brackish Contaminants with Human Activities in the Permian Basin, US. The manuscript is interesting and important especially perticular area. I have only one query..
what about future recommendation to the researchers, society, and water industry to combat this situation.
Is there any long term solution????
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsNone
