Source and Quality of Groundwater Surrounding the Qinghai Lake, NE Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Comprehensive studies on the spatial distribution, water quality, recharge source, and hydrochemical evolution of regional groundwater form the foundation of rational utilization of groundwater resources. In this study, we investigated the water levels, hydrochemistry, and stable isotope composition of groundwater in the vicinity of the Qinghai Lake in China to reveal its recharge sources, hydrochemical evolution, and water quality. The level of groundwater relative to the level of water in the Qinghai Lake ranged from -1.27 to 122.91 m, indicating most of the groundwater to be flowing into the lake. The local evaporation line (LEL) of groundwater was simulated as δ2 H = 6.08 δ18 O-3.01. The groundwater surrounding the Qinghai Lake was primarily recharged through local precipitation at different altitudes. The hydrochemical type of most of the groundwater samples was Ca-Mg-HCO3 ; the hydrochemistry was primarily controlled by carbonate dissolution during runoff. At several locations, the ionic concentrations in groundwater exceeded the current drinking water standards making it unsuitable for drinking. The main source of nitrate in groundwater surrounding the Qinghai Lake was animal feces and sewage, suggesting that groundwater pollution should be mitigated in areas practicing animal husbandry in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, regardless of industrial and urbanization rates being relatively low in the region. The scientific planning, engineering, and management of livestock manure and wastewater discharge from animal husbandry practices is a crucial and is urgently required in the Tibetan Plateau.

Stable isotopes reveal sources of precipitation in the Qinghai Lake Basin of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

The use of isotopic tracers is an effective approach for characterizing the moisture sources of precipitation in cold and arid regions, especially in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), an area of sparse human habitation with few weather and hydrological stations. This study investigated stable isotope characteristics of precipitation in the Qinghai Lake Basin, analyzed moisture sources using data sets from NCEP-NCAR, and calculated vapor contributions from lake evaporation to the precipitation in the basin using a two-component mixing model. Results showed that the Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) was defined as δ(2)H=7.86 δ(18)O+15.01, with a slope of less than 8, indicating that some non-equilibrium evaporation processes occurred when the drops fell below the cloud base. Temperature effects controlled δ(18)O and δ(2)H in precipitation in the basin, with high values in summer season and low values in winter season. Moisture in the basin was derived predominantly from the Southeast Asian Monsoon (SEAM) from June to August and the Westerly Circulation (WC) from September through May. Meanwhile, the transition in atmospheric circulation took place in June and September. The SEAM strengthened gradually, while the WC weakened gradually in June, and inversely in September. However, the Southwest Asian Monsoon (SWAM) did not reach the Qinghai Lake Basin due to the barrier posed by Tanggula Mountain. High d-excess (>10 ‰) and significant altitude and lake effects of δ(18)O in precipitation suggested that the vapor evaporated from Qinghai Lake, strongly influenced annual precipitation, and affected the regional water cycle in the basin distinctly. The monthly contribution of lake evaporation to basin precipitation ranged from 3.03% to 37.93%, with an annual contribution of 23.42% or 90.54 mm, the majority of which occurred in the summer season. The findings demonstrate that the contribution of evaporation from lakes to atmospheric vapor is fundamental to water cycling on the TP.