The Boron Budget in Waters of the Mono Basin, California

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Just needs a good proof-read. Even the title.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

This is a good manuscript. No important comments are given now, but some minor aspects.

Give some additional information on metereorological and rainfall conditions in the basin. Is it possible to show a water balance of the basin?

Indicate the type of volcanic rocks and ash present and how this is reflected in the groundwater type.

It will interestigg to the readed to show the limits of the Great Basin in the inset of figure 1.

In table 2 give the renovation time in common figures and not in potencial form

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

            The authors have written a high-quality manuscript about the boron budget in Mono Lake, although I have a number of moderate and minor comments.  Once these comments are addressed, the manuscript should be accepted for publication in Hydrology.

 

Moderate and Minor Comments

 

Line 27: Please replace ‘1947’ with ‘1941’.  Details of the history of water diversions can be found on the Mono Lake Committee web site (https://www.monolake.org/).  The of the first division is correctly stated in Line 144.

 

Lines 31-52: I am not sure why the authors begin their introduction by writing about Ca and Sr in Mono Lake.  I do not think the brief review of these elements and their isotopes adds to their study of boron and d¹¹B.  I recommend deleting these two paragraphs

 

Line 144: Please replace ‘domestic’ with ‘domestic and municipal’. 

 

Line 150: Please add the date of when the lake level reached 1948.3 m.

 

Lines 263-268: The Mono Lake Committee has a record of meromixis.  There are three more events after 2004 including one that began in the fall 2005.  Was there other evidence in either the salinity or nutrients off incomplete mixing.  If so, this is an important observation.  Another possibility is that trillion plus brine shrimp are involved with the boron cycle. I assume no brine shrimp were collected and analyzed for either boron or its isotopes.

 

Lines 278, 282, 284, 288: Liters should be abbreviated using the same symbol.  The author use ‘l/yr’ when referring to discharge rates and ‘L’ when referring to lake volume.  I suggest using ‘L’ for both discharge rate and lake volume.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment. 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx