Comparisons between the chemical compositions of lake water, inflowing river water, and lake sediment in Nam Co, central Tibetan Plateau, China and their controlling mechanisms

Abstract

The chemical composition of lake water and inflowing river water was investigated in Nam Co (lake), Tibetan Plateau, in September 2005. Lake water samples (n=76) were collected at different depths along a south–north transect of the eastern part of the lake while water samples were collected from 69 rivers flowing into the lake; a sediment core was collected at 64m midway along the water survey transect to investigate salt precipitation. Na+ and Ca2+ were the dominant cations, accounting for 76.2% and 60.6% of the lake and river water cations, respectively while HCO3− was the dominant anion accounting for 70.8% and 93.4% of lake and river anions, respectively. CaCO3 precipitation from the water column decreased Ca2+ in the lake water, with the relative proportion of other ions increasing significantly. Evaporation–crystallization processes largely control Nam Co lake-water chemistry, while rock weathering is the dominant processes influencing the chemistry of river water; carbonate and silicate weathering are the major sources of ions in these rivers.