Journal
HYDROLOGY RESEARCH
Volume 47, Issue 6, Pages 1253-1262Publisher
IWA PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.2166/nh.2016.070
Keywords
Rn-222; groundwater; permafrost; Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; surface water
Categories
Funding
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Strategic Program 'Hydrological impacts from a degrading permafrost in the SAYR' [KZZD-EW-13]
- NSF China Program 'Study on changes in hydraulic connections in the SAYR using isotope tracing techniques' [41472229]
- Open Foundation of State Key Laboratory of frozen soil engineering [SKLFSE201301]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51539003]
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A pioneering rapid and direct measurement of dissolved Rn-222 in the field has been used here to explore interaction between surface and groundwater in the source area of the Yellow River (SAYR). The results indicate average Rn-222 activity of 2,371 Bq/m(3) in surface water and 27,835 Bq/m(3) in groundwater. The high Rn-222 activity (up to 9,133 Bq/m(3)) found in the southeast part of the SAYR suggests possible influence of permafrost on the exchange between surface water and groundwater. The remarkable contrast among the different samples of a stream in the Shuangchagou basin, a typical basin in the SAYR, clearly indicates groundwater infiltration along the north tributary and occurrence of groundwater end-member in the south tributary. Considering no Rn-222 decay and atmospheric evasion, the daily average fraction of groundwater input to the surface water through the end-member in a location (S1) is estimated at 19%. Despite the up to 40% uncertainty, this is the first estimate of a reference value for groundwater input in this basin and which can be improved in the future with more samples and measurements. Rn-222 can be a rapid and easily measured tracer of surface water-groundwater interaction for future investigation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
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