Abstract
This study has determined the major ion compositions of surface waters within the basin of Lake Genggahai, northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China. The results showed that the anions in the groundwater and river water of Genggahai Lake are mainly HCO3−, and the cations are mainly Ca2+ + Na+. Evaporite, carbonate, and silicate in the basin all have an impact on the chemical composition of river water and groundwater. Among them, carbonate weathering has a relatively larger contribution. The grazing activities of herdsmen in the basin have had a certain degree of impact on the water quality of river basins and groundwater. The anion of lake water is dominated by Cl−, and the cation is mainly Na+. The content change is mainly affected by the change of corresponding ion content in groundwater coming into the lake and the evaporation of lake water. Among them, Cl− in lake water is more affected by the change of Cl− content in the groundwater coming into the lake, while Na+ in lake water is more affected by evaporation. More specifically, the low concentrations of Ca2+ and HCO3− in lake water were determined to be related to the photosynthesis of aquatic plants in the lake.
Highlights
The hydrogeochemistry of lakes and their basins reflects the water–rock interaction in basin areas, but is an important indicator of any environmental changes [1]
Na+/(Na+ + Ca2+) diagram and a TDS-Cl−/(Cl− +3 HCO3−) diagram to distinguish the characteristics of distribution in different natural water bodies
The average NO3 content of river water samples in the study mainly affected by the change of corresponding ion content in groundwater coming into the lake and area is 3.68 μg g−1, which is similar to that in the rivers in the Taklimakan Desert (3.63 μg g−1 ) [16]
Summary
The hydrogeochemistry of lakes and their basins reflects the water–rock interaction in basin areas, but is an important indicator of any environmental changes [1]. Based on the analysis of ion data characteristics of rainwater, river water, and lake water samples, Gibbs [2] pointed out that the three main controlling factors for the hydrochemical characteristics of surface water are atmospheric precipitation, rock weathering, and evaporation–crystallization. He put forward the boomerang envelope model to describe the main anion and cation compositions of natural surface water. It is worth noting that compared with the southern and central parts of the QTP, there are few studies on hydrochemistry in the northeastern part of the QTP, and there is a lack of research on small basin lakes in this area.
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