Premium
A hydrological tracer experiment with LiCl in a high mountain lake
Author(s) -
Thies Hansjörg,
Nickus Ulrike,
Arnold Christoph,
Psenner Roland
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.1004
Subject(s) - tracer , hydrology (agriculture) , residence time (fluid dynamics) , environmental science , chloride , flushing , lithium chloride , lithium (medication) , geology , chemistry , medicine , physics , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , endocrinology , nuclear physics
The water residence time of the high mountain seepage lake Gossenköllesee (2413 m, Tyrol, Austria) was determined by measuring the flushing rate of a tracer substance. During holomixis in July 1997, when circulation occurred throughout the entire water column, a dilute lithium chloride solution was injected into the lake causing the lithium concentration to rise from the background value of 0·06 to 3·1 μg L −1 . The water residence time was derived from the exponential decline of the lithium mass in the lake between July and October holomixis. The water residence time was about 2 months, i.e. the lake volume was exchanged twice between the two periods of holomictic conditions. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.