Seasonal variability of sulfate ions in the Volga River water

In the Volga River water, sulfate ions rank second among the main anions in terms of their contribution to water mineralization. To study the seasonal variability of sulfate concentration, an analysis of long-term data of hydrological and hydrochemical observations obtained on the River Volga (in the outlet section of the Kuibyshev reservoir) has been carried out. For the period of 2001-2018 the average annual water consumption in the dam section varied in the range of 6.2-9.0 thousand m3/s, the average annual concentration of sulfates was 55 mg/dm3, the highest - 64 mg/dm3, and the lowest - 45 mg/dm3. The content of sulfates in the reservoir is formed mainly under the influence of the Volga River water coming from the Cheboksary reservoir and the Kama River water coming from the Nizhnekamsk reservoir. The sulfate content is characterized by significant seasonal variability. During the winter low-water period, the highest concentrations of sulfates were observed with a maximum in April, before the beginning of the spring flood (67 mg/dm3). During the flood, the content of sulfates decreased, reaching the lowest values during the summer low-water period in August (44 mg/dm3), and then, from September, the concentration of sulfates gradually increased, reaching 57 mg/dm3 at the beginning of the winter low-water period. Over a long-term observation period, the amplitude of sulfate fluctuations was 34-87 mg/dm3, and its value depended on the water content of a particular year. In dry years, the concentration of sulfates in the water increased, and in dry years, it decreased. In the seasonal context, the main differences in sulfate concentrations in dry and high-water years occurred during the spring flood and winter low-water period, and during the summer - autumn low-water period, the differences became minimal.