HYDROLOGIC CONNECTIONS IN THE SOURCE AREA OF THE YELLOW RIVER AS INFERRED BY HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN ISOTOPES

Chengwei Wan, Peng Yi, Minjie Zheng, Zhongbo Yu, Jie Wang, Huijun Jin, Dongliang Luo, Yuzhong Yang, Qingfeng Wang, A. Aldahan

In the proceedings of: GeoQuébec 2015: 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference

Session: Permafrost Degradation II / Dégradation du pergélisol II

ABSTRACT: Analyses of stable (2H and 18O) and radioactive (3investigateH) isotopes of different waters are applied here to the potential changes in hydrologic connections of the surface and subsurface water in the Source Area of the Yellow River (SAYR), in northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A record of tritium in historical precipitation from 1956 to 2003 in the SAYR has been reconstructed and the results show that groundwater with tritium concentration less than 3.05 TU had a pre-1956 age. The spring water could be recognized as former years precipitation and had around 10 years ages while the ages of well water in Madoi Town reflect recent precipitation. The variations of 218 O of the water system suggest that the Yellow River and its tributaries were mainly recharged by the shallow ground water in the continuous permafrost areas, while in seasonal permafrost regions, surface water recharged the groundwater.

RÉSUMÉ: Afin d™étudier les changements potentiels des connexions hydrologiques entre la surface et la sous-surface de l'eau, les analyses d™isotopes stables (2H et 18O) et radioactifs (3H) de différentes eaux sont effectuées dans la zone de la Source du Fleuve Jaune (SAYR), nord du Plateau Qinghai-Tibet. Un dossier historique concernant la précipitation de tritium entre les années 1956 et 2003 dans le SAYR, a été reconstruit ; les résultats montrent que la concentration en tritium de l™eau souterraine était inférieure à 3,05 TU, et que l™eau avait un âge de pré-1956. L'eau de source pourrait être reconnue comme étant la précipitation des années précédentes, et elle aurait un âge d™environ 10 ans; mais l™âge de l'eau de puits, dans le district de Madoi, reflète les récentes précipitations. La variabilité de 2ème d'eau suggère que le fleuve Jaune et ses affluents ont été principalement rechargés par la nappe phréatique peu profonde dans le pergélisol continu ; Par contre, dans la région du pergélisol saisonnière comme Madoi, l'eau de surface recharge la nappe phréatique.

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Cite this article:
Chengwei Wan; Peng Yi; Minjie Zheng; Zhongbo Yu; Jie Wang; Huijun Jin; Dongliang Luo; Yuzhong Yang; Qingfeng Wang; A. Aldahan (2015) HYDROLOGIC CONNECTIONS IN THE SOURCE AREA OF THE YELLOW RIVER AS INFERRED BY HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN ISOTOPES in GEO2015. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{140,author = Chengwei Wan; Peng Yi; Minjie Zheng; Zhongbo Yu; Jie Wang; Huijun Jin; Dongliang Luo; Yuzhong Yang; Qingfeng Wang; A. Aldahan,title = HYDROLOGIC CONNECTIONS IN THE SOURCE AREA OF THE YELLOW RIVER AS INFERRED BY HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN ISOTOPES ,year = 2015}