Premium
Chemical and Isotopic Compositions of the Minjiang River, A Headwater Tributary of the Yangtze River
Author(s) -
Li XiaoDong,
Masuda Harue,
Liu CongQiang
Publication year - 2008
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/jeq2006.0554
Subject(s) - tributary , yangtze river , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , water quality , drainage basin , effluent , main river , chine , pollutant , china , environmental chemistry , environmental engineering , geology , chemistry , ecology , geography , cartography , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , organic chemistry , biology
We describe the anthropogenic impacts on the major dissolved elements (Cl − , NO 3 − –N, SO 4 2− , and Na + ) in the water from the Minjiang River (a headwater tributary of the Yangtze River) and upper Yangtze River in relation to increasing human activity. The major element chemistry and hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur isotopic compositions were investigated. When the Minjiang River flows through the populated Sichuan Basin, the concentrations of Cl − , NO 3 − –N, SO 4 2− , and Na + gradually increase. The increasing SO 4 2− in the highly polluted Minjiang River had high δ 34 S values (+6.3 to approximately +13.6‰), implicating the anthropogenic sources of sulfur from air pollutants, domestic wastewater, industrial effluents, and agricultural fertilizers. The water quality of the upper Yangtze River does not worsen after receiving the Minjiang River because the water from the lightly polluted Jinshajiang River contributes most of the total flux in the Yangtze River. However, these rivers deserve attention and further research because the Yangtze River is the most important river in China in terms of water quality.