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Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes

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A special issue of Hydrology (ISSN 2306-5338). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Waters and Groundwaters".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2021) | Viewed by 17345

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Molla B. Demlie

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Guest Editor

School of Agriculture, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Interests: urban hydrogeology; hydrogeological system analysis and aquifer characterization; hydrochemistry and isotope hydrology; Surface water – groundwater interactions; Conceptual hydrogeological modeling; numerical Groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling; hydrogeological aspects of EIA

Prof. Dr. Tamiru A. Abiye

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Co-Guest Editor

School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, PVT X3, P.O.Box Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
Interests: science and management of water: atmospheric, surface, and ground water

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid growth in population coupled with steady increase in water requirements for domestic, industrial, and agricultural activities have imposed severe limitations on the availability of freshwater resources in many catchments of the world, both in terms of quantity and quality. In recent years, this has been exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, creating the need for water resource management. Water resource management for sustainable development requires detailed assessment of the spatial and temporal availability and quality of the water resources at the catchment scale. Water resource assessment, in turn, needs proper hydrological research using all the available tools and methods including the use of environmental isotope tracers, which are important tools in water resource assessment and in tracing hydrological and hydrogeochemical processes in catchments.

Environmental isotope tracers have been successfully applied in solving a number of hydrological problems in both surface water and groundwater resources, and other environmental issues. Environmental isotope tracers offer a unique and supplementary information on the origin and movement of water in the subsurface and allow a quantitative evaluation of mixing and other physical processes, such as evaporation, surface water–groundwater interaction and isotopic exchanges in geothermal systems, water–rock interactions, dating of water, and tracing pollution sources.

For example, stable environmental isotopes of ²H and ¹⁸O have been widely used in tracing the hydrologic cycle, inter alia, quantifying and understanding surface water–groundwater interactions, identifying the origin of groundwater recharge and recharge mechanisms, determining the relative age of groundwater (from short-term seasonal variation to long-term age variability, viz. modern versus paleowaters). Environmental isotopes of ¹⁸O, ¹³C, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr play important roles in quantifying rock–water interactions, radioactive isotopes such as ³H, ¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl, and ⁸¹Kr, among others, have been successfully used in dating groundwaters, and ¹⁵N, ³⁴S, ³⁷Cl, and ¹⁰B isotopes are important tools to identify the sources of solutes and pollutants in catchment water resources.

Thus, this Special Issue aims to highlight advances made in tracing hydrological processes using various environmental isotope tracer methods and approaches applied in catchment water resource management for sustainable development at various scales. Authors are invited to submit their original research work that covers the various aspects of environmental isotope tracers in solving complex hydrological and hydrogeochemical processes in catchments at varying scales that aid in water resource management for sustainable development.

Prof. Molla B. Demlie
Prof. Tamiru A. Abiye
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

catchment hydrology
environmental isotope tracers
hydrological and hydrogeochemical processes
recharge mechanisms
residence time
surface water–groundwater interactions
water resource management
water–rock interactions
pollution source definition

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2255 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Late Summer Water Sources in Rivers and Lakes of the Upper Yana River Basin, Northern Eurasia, Inferred from Hydrological Tracer Data

by Nikita Tananaev

Hydrology 2022, 9(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology9020024 - 5 Feb 2022

Viewed by 1844

Abstract

Major ions, stable isotopes, and trace elements, including rare earth elements (REEs), are used as natural tracers in the qualitative assessment of potential water sources in lakes and rivers of the upper Yana River basin, between Verkhoyansk and Chersky Ranges, during the late summer period. Three distinct regions were sampled, and a dominant water source in each region was qualitatively inferred from water chemistry data. The REE distribution pattern was found to be highly regional and controlled by pH and carbonate contents. Mountain headwater stream at the Verkhoyansk Range north slope, the Dulgalakh River, shows an input from a mixture of shallow groundwater and icing meltwater, with a depleted isotopic signature (δ¹⁸O below –21‰), d-excess (d_ex = δ2H − 8·δ18O) above 18, enrichment in Mg and Sr, and depletion in heavy REEs. The Derbeke Depression lakes and streams are fed by rainfall having ultra-low total dissolved solids (TDS) content, below 25 mg/L, and a convex-up REE pattern. In a medium mountainous river at the Chersky Range flank, the Dogdo River, leaching through fissured Jurassic carbonates is a dominant runoff pathway. Riverine water is heavily depleted in light REEs, but enriched in Mo, Rb, Sb, W and U. In the Dulgalakh River water, high positive Sm and Gd anomalies were observed, attributed either to local geology (greenshists), historical mining legacy, or contemporary winter road operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes)

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13 pages, 2510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laboratory Experiments to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Persulfate to Oxidize BTEX in Saline Environment and at Elevated Temperature Using Stable Isotopes

by Waleed Saeed, Orfan Shouakar-Stash, Jim Barker, Neil Thomson and Rick McGregor

Hydrology 2021, 8(3), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8030139 - 11 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1838

Abstract

In this study, batch experiments were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of persulfate (PS) as an oxidant agent to remediate benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in saline environments and at high water temperatures (30 °C). This hydrological setting is quite common in contaminated groundwater aquifers in Middle Eastern countries. In general, increasing the system temperature from 10 to 30 °C greatly enhanced the effectiveness of PS, and resulted in a faster oxidation rate for the target contaminants. When PS was added to the reactor at 30 °C, the targeted contaminants were almost completely oxidized over a 98-day reaction period. During the chemical oxidation of the BTEX, carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionations were monitored and utilized as potential proof of contaminant degradation. The calculated carbon-enrichment values were −1.9‰ for benzene, −1.5‰ for ethylbenzene and toluene, −0.4‰ for ρ,m-xylene, and −1.4‰ for o-xylene, while the hydrogen enrichment values were −9.5‰, −6.8‰, −2.1‰, −6.9‰, and −9.1‰, respectively. In comparison with other processes, the hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionations during the chemical oxidation by PS were smaller than the isotope fractionations resulting from sulfate reduction and denitrification. This observation demonstrates the differences in the transformation pathways and isotope fractionations when compounds undergo chemical oxidation or biodegradation. The distinct trend observed on the dual isotope plot (Δδ¹³C vs. Δδ²H) suggests that compound-specific isotope analysis can be utilized to monitor the chemical oxidation of BTEX by PS, and to distinguish treatment zones where PS and biodegradation technologies are applied simultaneously. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes)

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22 pages, 7178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Groundwater Origin and Dynamics on the Eastern Flank of the Colorado River Delta, Mexico

by Hector A. Zamora, Christopher J. Eastoe, Jennifer C. McIntosh and Karl W. Flessa

Hydrology 2021, 8(2), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8020080 - 11 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2907

Abstract

Isotope data and major ion chemistry were used to identify aquifer recharge mechanisms and geochemical evolution of groundwaters along the US–Mexico border. Local recharge originates as precipitation and occurs during winter through preferential infiltration pathways along the base of the Gila Range. This groundwater is dominated by Na–Cl of meteoric origin and is highly concentrated due to the dissolution of soluble salts accumulated in the near-surface. The hydrochemical evolution of waters in the irrigated floodplain is controlled by Ca–Mg–Cl/Na–Cl-type Colorado River water. However, salinity is increased through evapotranspiration, precipitation of calcite, dissolution of accumulated soil salts, de-dolomitization, and exchange of aqueous Ca²⁺ for adsorbed Na⁺. The Na–Cl-dominated local recharge flows southwest from the Gila Range and mixes with the Ca–Mg–Cl/Na–Cl-dominated floodplain waters beneath the Yuma and San Luis Mesas. Low ³H suggests that recharge within the Yuma and San Luis Mesas occurred at least before the 1950s, and ¹⁴C data are consistent with bulk residence times up to 11,500 uncorrected ¹⁴C years before present. Either the flow system is not actively recharged, or recharge occurs at a significantly lower rate than what is being withdrawn, leading to aquifer overdraft and deterioration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes)

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22 pages, 7300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Environmental Tracers to Characterize Groundwater Flow Mechanisms in the Fractured Crystalline and Karst Aquifers in Upper Crocodile River Basin, Johannesburg, South Africa

by Khahliso Leketa and Tamiru Abiye

Hydrology 2021, 8(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8010050 - 19 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3526

Abstract

Environmental isotope tracers were applied in the Upper Crocodile River Basin, Johannesburg, South Africa, to understand the groundwater recharge conditions, flow mechanisms and interactions between surface and subsurface water. Stable isotope analysis indicated that recharge into the fractured quartzite aquifer occurs through direct mechanisms. The high variability in the stable isotope signature of temporal samples from Albert Farm spring indicated the importance of multiple samples for groundwater characterization, and that using a single sample may be yielding biased conclusions. The observed inverse relationship between spring discharge and isotope signature indicated the traces of rainfall amount effect during recharge, thereby suggesting piston groundwater flow. It is deduced that a measured discharge value can be used in this relationship to calculate the isotopic signature, which resembles effective rainfall. In the shallow alluvial deposits that overlie the granitic bed-rock, piezometer levels and stable isotopes revealed an interaction between Montgomery stream and interflow, which regulates streamflow throughout the year. This suggests that caution should be taken where hydrograph separation is applied for baseflow estimates, because the stream flow that overlies such geology may include significant interflow. The hydrochemistry evolution was observed in a stream fed by karst springs. As pH rises due to CO₂ degassing, CaCO₃ precipitates, thereby forming travertine moulds. The values of saturation indices that were greater than zero in all samples indicated supersaturation by calcite and dolomite and hence precipitation. Through ¹⁴C analysis, groundwater flow rate in the karst aquifer was estimated as 11 km/year, suggesting deep circulation in karst structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes)

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8 pages, 4417 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Rain Isotopic Composition under Orographic Control: A Landscape Approach for Hydrogeological Applications

by Paolo Madonia, Marianna Cangemi and Rocco Favara

Hydrology 2021, 8(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8010022 - 27 Jan 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1506

Abstract

Oxygen isotopic composition is useful for individuating recharge areas of groundwater bodies by the comparison with those of local rainfalls. While on a global scale general relationships, such as the isotopic vertical gradient or continentality effects, efficiently describe spatial variations of the isotopic signature, hydrogeological applications need spatial models that are more focused on the effects of local topographic structures and/or subsoil geology. This work presents a case study in northeastern Sicily (Italy) characterized by complex geological and orographic structures, in which isotopic composition of rainfalls is governed by orographic effects and the varying initial composition of humid air masses. We used a black box approach, comparing the average isotopic composition of rain collected from a network of eight samplers with their spatial descriptors (elevation, latitude and longitude). We obtained the best correlation with the simultaneous use of all these variables, applying their multiple linear correlation equation to transform the 1 × 1 km digital elevation model (DEM) of the study area into a digital isotopic model (DIM). The reliability of the DIM was confirmed by its good agreement with the oxygen isotopic composition contour map of the local groundwater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes)

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Review

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18 pages, 3403 KiB

Open AccessReview

An Overview of Aquifer Physiognomies and the δ¹⁸O and δ²H Distribution in the South African Groundwaters

by Tamiru A. Abiye, Molla B. Demlie and Haile Mengistu

Hydrology 2021, 8(2), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8020068 - 19 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4524

Abstract

A comprehensive assessment of the stable isotope distribution in the groundwater systems of South Africa was conducted in relation to the diversity in the aquifer lithology and corresponding hydraulic characteristics. The stable isotopes of oxygen (¹⁸O) and hydrogen (²H) in groundwater show distinct spatial variation owing to the recharge source and possibly mixing effect in the aquifers with the existing water, where aquifers are characterized by diverse hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity values. When the shallow aquifer that receives direct recharge from rainfall shows a similar isotopic signature, it implies less mixing effect, while in the case of deep groundwater interaction between recharging water and the resident water intensifies, which could change the isotope signature. As aquifer depth increases the effect of mixing tends to be minimal. In most cases, the isotopic composition of recharging water shows depletion in the interior areas and western arid zones which is attributed to the depleted isotopic composition of the moisture source. The variations in the stable isotope composition of groundwater in the region are primarily controlled by the isotope composition of the rainfall, which shows variable isotope composition as it was observed from the local meteoric water lines, in addition to the evaporation, recharge and mixing effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Isotope Tracers in Understanding Catchment Hydrological Processes)

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