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Ion migration process and influencing factors in inland river basin of arid area in China: a case study of Shiyang River Basin

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Abstract

A thorough understanding of the processes and driving factors of ion migration, dilution, and enrichment in arid inland river basins is the basis for implementing water resources management. In this study, we analyzed the water chemistry of streamflow, groundwater, and precipitation and the behavior of main elements in the Shiyang River Basin by means of the hydrochemical diagram and multivariate statistical analysis. The spatial variation of water chemistry was obvious, and the conversion between different water bodies was frequent. The ions migrated from the mountain area to the oasis and desert and accumulated near the terminal lake finally. There were obvious differences in hydrochemistry between surface water and groundwater. From the mountain to the basin, the hydrochemical type of surfer water has varied, and the hydrochemical type of groundwater has changed from Ca–Cl type to Na–Cl type. The hydrochemistry of the basin was controlled by silicate weathering. However, the influence of water–rock interaction on surface water and groundwater was different, and the surface water was more complex. Significantly, agricultural activities and sewage discharge had a negative impact on the water environment. Interbasin water transfer (IBWT) was a form of external ions input from outside the basin, which affected the chemical characteristics of surface water in the lower reaches to a certain extent. In arid areas, human impact on water chemistry needs to be paid attention. These results are helpful to strengthen the understanding of the relationship between different regions and different water bodies in the arid basin.

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Availability of data and materials

All data and models generated or used during the study appear in the submitted article.

Funding

This research is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41867030, 41661005, 41971036) and National Natural Science Foundation Innovation Research Group Science Foundation of China (41421061). We sincerely thank Marit Greenwood for the writing suggestions. We wish to thank editor and two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions and comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu, China

    Huiying Ma, Guofeng Zhu, Yu Zhang, Liyuan Sang, Qiaozhuo Wan, Zhiyuan Zhang, Yuanxiao Xu & Dongdong Qiu

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  1. Huiying Ma
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  2. Guofeng Zhu
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  3. Yu Zhang
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  4. Liyuan Sang
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  5. Qiaozhuo Wan
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  6. Zhiyuan Zhang
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  7. Yuanxiao Xu
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  8. Dongdong Qiu
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Contributions

G F. Zhu conceptualized and conceived the idea of the study; Y. Zhang analyzed the data; H Y. Ma wrote the paper; L Y. Sang analyzed samples in laboratory; Q Z. Wan collected the samples in Shiyang River Basin; Z Y. Zhang collected samples in Shiyang River Basin; and Y X. Xu and D D. Qiu analyzed samples in the laboratory. All authors discussed the results and revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Guofeng Zhu.

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Ma, H., Zhu, G., Zhang, Y. et al. Ion migration process and influencing factors in inland river basin of arid area in China: a case study of Shiyang River Basin. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 56305–56318 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14484-3

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