Advances in Earth Science ›› 2005, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (5): 511-519. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2005.05.0511

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ISOTOPIC CHARACTERISTIC AND RECHARGE EFFECT OF GROUNDWATER IN THE WATER CIRCULATION OF HEIHE RIVER BASIN

ZHANG Guanghui 1;NIE Zhenlong 1;WANG Jinzhe 1;CHENG Xuxue 2   

  1. (1. Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology,Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050061,China; 2. Prospecting and Designing Institute of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology of Gansu,Zhangye 73400,China)
  • Received:2004-04-19 Revised:2004-09-28 Online:2005-05-25 Published:2005-05-25

ZHANG Guanghui;NIE Zhenlong;WANG Jinzhe;CHENG Xuxue. ISOTOPIC CHARACTERISTIC AND RECHARGE EFFECT OF GROUNDWATER IN THE WATER CIRCULATION OF HEIHE RIVER BASIN[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2005, 20(5): 511-519.

Field investigation and studies with the environmental isotopic way and with Tamres model and IAEA model, indicate that the variation of groundwater isotopic characteristics is related closely to the property and quantity of the recharge resources to groundwater in Heihe river basin of the Northwest internal region. In the basin, the shallow groundwater age is younger and its renewable rate is greater on the Gobi zone under Qilian mountains than that in the fine soil zone or the lower reaches. The shallow groundwater age is younger and its renewable rate is greater in the eastern area of the middle reaches than that in the western area, because the main recharge resource of groundwater is the rain of the Qilianshan mountain area in the eastern area of the middle reaches and is the snowmelt and the crevice groundwater from the mountain area in the western area. The age of shallow groundwater is less than 40 years in the eastern area of the middle reaches and that in the western area is greater than 40 years. The age of the confined groundwater is less than 1000 years in the eastern area of the middle reaches and that in the western area is greater than 1000 years. The age of most of the confined groundwater in the lower reaches is greater than 5000 years.The groundwater renewable rate near the riverbed is greater than that far from the riverbed. Above change characteristic is from the climatic variation and human activities that have important impacts on groundwater circulation and regenerationevolution in the Heihe river drainage area of northwest endortheic drainage region. The shallow groundwater in the plain is mainly recharged by modern water. Some 35% of it is recharged by surface runoff transformed from bedrock fissure water of the Qilian mountains and the rest is recharged by infiltration of precipitation and melt water in the piedmont Gobi belt, both of which have strong regeneration ability. The confined groundwater mainly originates by recharge of regional meteoric water and river water in the geological history, which has relation with modern water circulation. The influence of human activities in the middle reaches of the river is an important factor responsible for the weakening of the groundwater recharge ability, sustained lowering of groundwater level and ecoenvironmental degradation in the lower reaches. Therefore, it is beneficial to groundwater resources sustainable utilization in regulation together with surface water that follows the natural regular of the transform of groundwater and surface water each other.

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