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Salt Accumulation in the Rivers of North Dakota
Author(s) -
Maianu A.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1985.00472425001400020012x
Subject(s) - salinity , drainage basin , hydrology (agriculture) , drainage , salt (chemistry) , environmental science , geology , environmental chemistry , chemistry , ecology , oceanography , geography , biology , cartography , geotechnical engineering
Chemical determinations on over 9000 water samples collected from 83 rivers and analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1949 and 1982 were used to establish the patterns of salt accumulation in North Dakota rivers. The concentrations of the principal anions, cations, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) were related with the total salinity (electrical conductivity, EC) of each water sample. Some patterns of salt accumulation were observed: first, according to the anions that accumulate as a continuum with increases in total salinity; and secondly, by the rate of anion accumulation. Taking into consideration these two factors, eight groups of river waters were established. Thirdly, the change of the ratios between the anions with increases in total salinity creates a succession of stages of salt accumulation. Each stage corresponds to the change of the river water chemical composition between particular total salinity limits. These changes are specific for each group of rivers depending on the topographic and geologic conditions that prevail in the drainage basin of the rivers. Based on these three factors, a genetic classification of river waters was derived, which consists in ranking the waters in three categories: classes, groups, and stages of salt accumulation.