Abstract
Groundwater plays an important role in sustaining the streamflow in cold alpine area, but is poorly understood due to a lack of direct access. About 98 groups of springs are observed at the upper reaches of Heihe River Basin, which provide an opportunity to explore the main aquifers. Springs are clustered in three groups according to locations: (1) springs on the moraine and talus deposits; (2) springs at the end of alluvial plain in lower topography; (3) springs along the river bank. The hydrometric, geochemical and isotopic data of springs in a representative catchment were integrated and used to elucidate the groundwater flow paths. Results indicate the Quaternary porous aquifers in the alpine catchment have a profound influence on the regional groundwater flow paths and the groundwater and surface water (GW-SW) interactions. The aquifer consisting of alluvial-pluvial deposits has a great capacity of groundwater storage and plays a vital role in regulating discharge by attenuating the seasonal variation and maintaining the main stream in cold seasons. This is different from the fast recharge and discharge mode of the moraine and talus deposits. Our work highlights the importance of loose deposits in controlling the GW-SW interactions in the cold alpine area.
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Acknowledgments
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41772270, 91325101 and 41521001), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDA20100103), and National Key research and development program (No. 2017YFC0406105). The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-021-1548-2.
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Springs Emerging along the Elevation Gradient Indicate Intensive Groundwater-Surface Water Exchange in an Alpine Headwater Catchment, Northwestern China
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Hu, Y., Sun, Z. & Ma, R. Springs Emerging along the Elevation Gradient Indicate Intensive Groundwater-Surface Water Exchange in an Alpine Headwater Catchment, Northwestern China. J. Earth Sci. 34, 181–193 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-021-1548-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-021-1548-2