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The use of Na/Cl ratios to trace solute sources in a semiarid zone
Author(s) -
Magaritz Mordeckai,
Nadler Arie,
Koyumdjisky Hanna,
Dan Joel
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr017i003p00602
Subject(s) - groundwater recharge , aquifer , rainwater harvesting , groundwater , arid , soil water , hydrology (agriculture) , dissolution , geology , salinity , environmental science , soil science , chemistry , oceanography , ecology , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , biology
Rainwater interaction with soils is a major source of dissolved salts in groundwater. The transition zone between the humid and the arid area is characterized by a specific combination of reactions which do not exist elsewhere. This combination of CaCO 3 dissolution and base exchange reactions affects the Na/Cl ratio, which is the quantitatively most important parameter used for tracing salinity sources of groundwater. The increase in the Na/Cl ratio in the coastal plain aquifer of Israel from north to south is related to local recharge of Na‐rich water after interaction with soils of loessial origin.