The geochemical and isotopic composition of ground waters in West Bengal: tracing ground-surface water interaction and its role in arsenic release

2008 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 441-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lawson ◽  
C. J. Ballentine ◽  
D. A. Polya ◽  
A. J. Boyce ◽  
D. Mondal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Meteoric Water ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Concentration Limit ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Rock Interaction ◽  
Ground Waters ◽  
Deep Aquifers

AbstractIn many areas of south and south-eastern Asia, concentrations of As in ground water have been found to exceed the WHO maximum concentration limit of 10 μg/l. This is adversely affecting the health of millions of people and has grave current and future health implications. It has recently been suggested that extensive abstraction of ground water in these areas may accelerate the release of As to ground water. This study uses geochemical and isotopic data to assess this hypothesis. The area investigated in this study is in the Chakdaha block of the Nadia District, West Bengal. The ground water is predominantly of the Ca-Mg-HCO3 type, although some samples were found to contain elevated concentrations of Na, Cl and SO4. This is thought to reflect a greater degree of water-rock interaction at the locations of these particular samples. Arsenic concentrations exceeded the national limit of 50 μg/l in 13 of the 22 samples collected. Four of the 13 samples with high As were recovered from tubewells with depths of 60 m or more. Shallow ground water samples were found to have a stable isotopic composition which falls subparallel to the Global Meteoric Water Line. This probably represents a contribution of evaporated surface water to the ground water, possibly from surface ponds or re-infiltrating irrigation water. Deep ground water, conversely, was shown to have a composition that closely reflects that of meteoric water. The data presented in this study suggest that, whilst the drawdown of surface waters may drive As release in shallow ground waters, it is not responsible for driving As release in deep ground water. However, local abstraction may have resulted in changes in the ground water flow regime of the area, with contaminated shallow ground waters being drawn into previously uncontaminated deep aquifers.

scholarly journals Isotopic composition and elemental concentrations in groundwater in the Kuiseb Basin and the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, Namibia

2018 ◽  
Vol 378 ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
Nnenesi A. Kgabi ◽  
Eliot Atekwana ◽  
Johanna Ithindi ◽  
Martha Uugwanga ◽  
Kay Knoeller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Meteoric Water ◽  
Environmental Tracers ◽  
Rock Interaction ◽  
Water Line ◽  
Meteoric Water Line ◽  
Groundwater Aquifer ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Water Rock Interaction

Abstract. We assessed environmental tracers in groundwater in two contrasting basins in Namibia; the Kuiseb Basin, which is a predominantly dry area and the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, which is prone to alternating floods and droughts. We aimed to determine why the quality of groundwater was different in these two basins which occur in an arid environment. We analysed groundwater and surface water for the stable isotope ratios of hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) by cavity ring-down spectroscopy and metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The δ2H and δ18O of surface water in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin plot on an evaporation trend below the global meteoric water line (GMWL) and the local meteoric water line (LMWL). The δ2H and δ18O of some groundwater samples in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin also plot on the evaporation trend, indicating recharge by evaporated rain or evaporated surface water. In contrast, the δ2H and δ18O of groundwater samples in the Kuiseb Basin plot mostly along the GMWL and the LMWL, indicating direct recharge from unevaporated rain or unevaporated surface water. Fifty percent of groundwater samples in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin was potable (salinity < 1 ppt) compared to 79 % in the Kuiseb Basin. The high salinity in the groundwater of the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin does not appear to be caused by evaporation of water (evapo-concentration) on surface prior to groundwater recharge, but rather by the weathering of the Kalahari sediments. The low salinity in the Kuiseb Basin derives from rapid recharge of groundwater by unevaporated rain and limited weathering of the crystalline rocks. The order of abundance of cations in the Kuiseb Basin is Na > K > Ca > Mg vs. Na > Mg > Ca > K for the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin. For metals in the Kuiseb Basin the order of abundance is Fe > Al > V > As > Zn vs. Al > Fe > V> As > Zn for the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin. The relative abundance of cations and metals are attributed to the differences in geology of the basins and the extent of water-rock interaction. Our results show that the quality of groundwater in Cuvelai-Etosha Basin and Kuiseb Basin which vary in the extent of aridity, is controlled by the extent of water-rock interaction at the surface and in the groundwater aquifer.

Sand calcites as a key to Pleistocene periglacial landscapes

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Médard Thiry ◽  
Christophe Innocent ◽  
Jean-Pierre Girard ◽  
Anthony Richard Milnes ◽  
Christine Franke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Meteoric Water ◽  
Ground Waters ◽  
Formation Conditions ◽  
Occurrence Characteristics ◽  
Glacial Periods

Abstract We tested the potential for sand calcites to serve as a novel paleoclimate archive by investigating their age and formation conditions. Fontainebleau sand calcites are Pleistocene in age (based on 14C and U-Th dating) and were primarily formed during glacial periods. δ13C values increase with the depth at which these sand calcites formed, consistent with open and closed CO2 systems. Interpretation of the δ18O-T relationship in sand calcites points primarily to their formation at a low temperature, around 2°C in shallow ground water and at about 9°C in deeper ground-water settings. Their occurrence, characteristics, and compositions suggest crystallization from paleo-ground waters in permafrost environments. Crystallization of sand calcites was triggered by degassing of cold carbonate-containing surface waters as they infiltrated warmer subsurface ground-water environments. We consider sand calcites to be important indicators of interactions between meteoric water and ground water in Pleistocene periglacial landscapes. Their disposition may point to specific features of periglacial landscapes, and their ages could permit an assessment of landscape incision rates. Large crystals and zoned spheroliths may, in fact, encapsulate continuous high-resolution records of continental glacial and periglacial paleoenvironments.

scholarly journals Assessment on connection between shallow and deep aquifers of Siraha and Saptari Districts using isotope analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Rabina Hada ◽  
Maarten Lupker ◽  
Ananta Prasad Gajurel ◽  
Nir Shakya
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Groundwater System ◽  
Deep Aquifers ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Tube Well ◽  
Different Sources

Total 26 samples, 6 from river, 7 from deep tube well and 13 from shallow tube wells were analyzed for the isotopic composition and chemical composition of the water at different sources. The main focus of the study was to assess connection between aquifers, and recharge zone analysis of the local groundwater system in the Siraha and the Saptari Districts, west of the Koshi River. The δ18O composition of the Koshi River was found to be the lightest whereas the shallow tube wells at Haripur and Shambhunath were the heaviest. The δ18O composition at many locations showed identical values showing the correlation of water within the aquifers and also with the surface water. Based on the plot of δ18O vs δ2H, the shallow tube well at Asanpur and the deep tube well at Jamdahawere suspected to be recharged from the Kharak Khola. Similarly, the deep tube wells at Lalpur and Kusaha, the shallow tubes wellat Asanpur, Tudkiya and Raghunathpur, and the Mahuli Khola and the Khado Khola are interconnected. The deep tube wells at Tudkiya, Dhangadhi and Phulkakatti might have interconnection with the shallow tube wells at Khoriya and Golamukhsar.

scholarly journals The age of geothermal waters of Serbia as an indicator of climatic changes

2002 ◽  
pp. 233-241
Author(s):  
Mihailo Milivojevic
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Geothermal Waters ◽  
Ground Waters ◽  
Surface Water Resources

Climatic changes influence on surface water resources directly and in that way, more or less, more quickly or more slowly, by means of waterfalls, the quantity and quality of ground waters or hydrogeological resources, namely their sustenation. The conclusion about the influence of climatic changes on ground waters can be drawn on the basis of isotope research (2H, 14C) by means of which their origin and age are determined most reliably. Present investigation results of the origin and age of ground water resources at the most famous hydrogeothermal regions, as well as the sustenance forecast of their quality and reserves depending on still existing and future climatic changes will be shown in this paper.

PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUND WATER AND SURFACE WATER IN KOTA REGION, RAJASTHAN, INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
NITU SINGH ◽  
FATIMA SULTANA
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Physicochemical Parameters ◽  
Total Dissolved Solids ◽  
Physicochemical Analysis ◽  
Total Hardness ◽  
Developing Nation ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Chloride Sulfate

India is a developing nation and is dependent on its natural resources for growth and development. Water, being one of the vital natural resource, must be used judicially for the sustainable development. Present study focuses on the analysis of physicochemical parameters (pH, Turbidity, Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Total dissolved solids, Conductivity, Chloride, Sulfate, Fluoride contents) of ground water and surface water in Kota City (Rajasthan). The study shows the adverse impact of exploitation and urbanization on water resources of Kota City (Rajasthan). Some physicochemical parameters exceed the desirable limits as defined by WHO and Indian Standards in the selected sites. The level of pollution in ground water and surface water of Kota City is increasing due to urbanization.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document