The Agua Negra drainage system (30 12'S, 69 50' W), in the Argentine Andes holds several ice- and rock-glaciers, which are distributed from 4200 up to 6300 m a.s.l. The geochemical study of meltwaters reveals that ice-glaciers deliver a HCO₃⁻----Ca²⁺ solution and rock-glaciers a SO₄²⁻----HCO₃⁻----Ca²⁺ solution. The site is presumably strongly influenced by sublimation and dry deposition. The main processes supplying solutes to meltwater are sulphide oxidation (i.e. abundant hydrothermal manifestations), and hydrolysis and dissolution of carbonates and silicates. Marine aerosols are the main source of NaCl. The fine-grained products of glacial comminution play a significant role in the control of dissolved minor and trace elements: transition metals (e.g. Mn, Zr, Cu, and Co) appear to be selectively removed from solution, whereas some LIL (large ion lithophile) elements, such as Sr, Cs, and major cations, are more concentrated in the lowermost reach. Daily concentration variation of dissolved rare earth elements (REE) tends to increase with discharge. Through PHREEQC inverse modelling, it is shown that gypsum dissolution (i.e. sulphide oxidation) is the most important geochemical mechanism delivering solutes to the Agua Negra drainage system, particularly in rock-glaciers. At the lowermost reach, the chemical signature appears to change depending on the relative significance of different meltwater sources: silicate weathering seems to be more important when meltwater has a longer residence time, and calcite and gypsum dissolution is more conspicuous in recently melted waters. A comparison with a non-glacierized semiarid drainage of comparable size shows that the glacierized basin has a higher specific denudation, but it is mostly accounted for by relatively soluble phases (i.e. gypsum and calcite). Meltwater chemistry in glacierized arid areas appears strongly influenced by sublimation/evaporation, in contrast with its humid counterparts.

Injection of silicate grouting materials is widely used to create temporary horizontal layers for reducing inflow of groundwater at construction sites, in regions with shallow water tables. The erosion of a grouting layer was investigated by means of analytical solutions for groundwater flow and transport within a pit after construction finished. Erosion is assumed to occur by dissolution of the temporary injection layer and subsequent advective transport. Thereby, the hydraulic conductivity changes with time. This paper presents novel analytical solutions and approximate solutions for the major fluxes in the construction pit as a function of the domain settings, aquifer gradient and hydraulic conductivity. In addition, the mass flux and the dilution ratio of erosion-related components leaving the construction pit and entering the aquifer are quantified. Derived solutions are verified against numerical simulations. A sensitivity study shows the impact of domain settings on fluxes and dilution ratio. The results confirm that mass flux of grout components increases with ongoing erosion. Thus, its effect on groundwater quality increases with time after construction ceased.

Lake water, river water, and groundwater from the Lake Qinghai catchment in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China have been analyzed and the results demonstrate that the chemical components and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the waters are strictly constrained by the age and rock types of the tributaries, especially for groundwater. Dissolved ions in the Lake Qinghai catchment are derived from carbonate weathering and part from silicate sources. The chemistry of Buha River water, the largest tributary within the catchment, underlain by the late Paleozoic marine limestone and sandstones, constrains carbonate-dominated compositions of the lake water, being buffered by the waters from the other tributaries and probably by groundwater. The variation of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios with cation concentrations places constraint on the Sr-isotopic compositions of the main subcatchments surrounding Lake Qinghai. The relative significance of river-water sources from different tributaries (possibly groundwater as well) in controlling the Sr distribution in Lake Qinghai provides the potential to link the influence of hydrological processes to past biological and physical parameters in the lake. The potential role of groundwater input in the water budget and chemistry of the lake emphasizes the need to further understand hydrogeological processes within the Lake Qinghai system.

Hydrogeochemical analysis and multivariate statistics were applied to identify flow patterns and major processes controlling the hydrogeochemistry of groundwater in the Jianghan Plain, which is located in central Yangtze River Basin (central China) and characterized by intensive surface-water/groundwater interaction. Although HCO₃-Ca-(Mg) type water predominated in the study area, the 457 (21 surface water and 436 groundwater) samples were effectively classified into five clusters by hierarchical cluster analysis. The hydrochemical variations among these clusters were governed by three factors from factor analysis. Major components (e.g., Ca, Mg and HCO₃) in surface water and groundwater originated from carbonate and silicate weathering (factor 1). Redox conditions (factor 2) influenced the geogenic Fe and As contamination in shallow confined groundwater. Anthropogenic activities (factor 3) primarily caused high levels of Cl and SO₄ in surface water and phreatic groundwater. Furthermore, the factor score 1 of samples in the shallow confined aquifer gradually increased along the flow paths. This study demonstrates that enhanced information on hydrochemistry in complex groundwater flow systems, by multivariate statistical methods, improves the understanding of groundwater flow and hydrogeochemical evolution due to natural and anthropogenic impacts.

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as a major source of alkalinity has rarely been studied in Jiaozhou Bay, China. The presented study used radon (²²²Rn) and radium isotopes to investigate SGD and its influence on alkalinity and nutrient inputs into the bay. Time-series observations of ²²²Rn were used to quantify groundwater dynamics over tidal time scales and the results showed that the SGD rates at point-scale were 0–67.2 (mean: 17.8) cm/day and 0–43.6 (mean: 12.3) cm/day in wet and dry seasons, respectively. Using radium mass balance models, the SGD in the whole bay was estimated to be (1.29–2.60) × 10⁷ m³/day in wet season and (5.81–6.83) × 10⁶ m³/day in dry season. Thus, both sets of results indicated higher SGD fluxes in wet season than in dry season. Such a seasonal variation pattern suggests a rapid response to local precipitation. The alkalinity fluxes associated with SGD were generally greater than those from the local rivers. Among the nutrient sources, SGD contributed about 63, 24 and 37% of total dissolved inorganic nitrogen, reactive phosphorus and silicate inputs, respectively. These results demonstrated that groundwater seepage is a major factor driving alkalinity and nutrients (especially dissolved inorganic nitrogen) into Jiaozhou Bay. SGD may have an important influence on the budgets of elements (C, N, P) and ecological environments in coastal waters.

The fractured volcanic aquifer of the Abaya Chamo basin in the southern Ethiopian Rift represents an important source for water supply. This study investigates the geochemical evolution of groundwater and the groundwater flow system in this volcanic aquifer system using hydrochemistry and environmental tracers. Water types of groundwater were found to transform from Ca-Mg-HCO₃ (western part of Lake Abaya area) to Na-HCO₃ (northwestern part), from the highland down to the Rift Valley. Silicate hydrolysis and Ca/Na ion exchange are the major geochemical processes that control groundwater chemistry along the flow path. Groundwaters are of meteoric origin. The δ¹⁸O and δD content of groundwater ranges from −4.9 to −1.1‰ and –27 to 5‰, respectively. The δ¹⁸O and δD values that lie on the summer local meteoric water line indicate that the groundwater was recharged mainly by summer rainfall. δ¹³CDIC values of cold groundwater range from −12 to −2.7‰, whereas δ¹³CDIC of thermal groundwater ranges from −8.3 to +1.6‰. The calculated δ¹³CCO₂₍g₎ using δ¹³CDIC and DIC species indicates the uptake of soil CO₂ for cold groundwater and the influx of magmatic CO₂ through deep-seated faults for thermal groundwater. In the western part of Lake Abaya area, the shallow and deep groundwater are hydraulically connected, and the uniform water type is consistent with a fast flow of large gradient. In contrast, in the northern part of Lake Abaya area, water underwent deep circulation and slow flow, so the water types—e.g. high F⁻ (up to 5.6 mg/L) and Na⁺—varied laterally and vertically.