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.

Groundwater flow and the geochemical evolution of a freshwater lens in an aquifer on a Pacific atoll were investigated by hydrogeochemical surveys. Sulfur hexafluoride measurements showed that deeper groundwater and groundwater at the periphery of the lens are older, consistent with a downward and outward groundwater flow scheme. This is the typical flow scheme on Pacific atolls where a Holocene–Pleistocene unconformity restricts the shape of the freshwater lens. Enrichment of Mg/Ca in the groundwater is another indicator of a longer residence time, because contact between the groundwater and the carbonate sediments composing the aquifer leads to the release of Mg from high-Mg calcite and the precipitation of Ca as low-Mg calcite. Groundwater quality was also affected by anthropogenic nitrogen loading and aboveground organic matter, which were altered by denitrification and sulfate reduction in the aquifer, especially in the older groundwater. The chemical composition of the groundwater in the center of the island, where saline water is up-coning, implies that freshwater recharge dilutes the older saline water, which as time passes will eventually be replaced by newly recharged freshwater.

An approach is presented to investigate the regional evolution of groundwater in the basin of the Amacuzac River in Central Mexico. The approach is based on groundwater flow cross-sectional modeling in combination with major ion chemistry and geochemical modeling, complemented with principal component and cluster analyses. The hydrogeologic units composing the basin, which combine aquifers and aquitards both in granular, fractured and karstic rocks, were represented in sections parallel to the regional groundwater flow. Steady-state cross-section numerical simulations aided in the conceptualization of the groundwater flow system through the basin and permitted estimation of bulk hydraulic conductivity values, recharge rates and residence times. Forty-five water locations (springs, groundwater wells and rivers) were sampled throughout the basin for chemical analysis of major ions. The modeled gravity-driven groundwater flow system satisfactorily reproduced field observations, whereas the main geochemical processes of groundwater in the basin are associated to the order and reactions in which the igneous and sedimentary rocks are encountered along the groundwater flow. Recharge water in the volcanic and volcano-sedimentary aquifers increases the concentration of HCO₃ –, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ from dissolution of plagioclase and olivine. Deeper groundwater flow encounters carbonate rocks, under closed CO₂ conditions, and dissolves calcite and dolomite. When groundwater encounters gypsum lenses in the shallow Balsas Group or the deeper Huitzuco anhydrite, gypsum dissolution produces proportional increased concentration of Ca²⁺ and SO₄ ²–; two samples reflected the influence of hydrothermal fluids and probably halite dissolution. These geochemical trends are consistent with the principal component and cluster analyses.

Groundwater is typically the only water source in arid regions, and its circulation processes should be better understood for rational resource exploitation. Stable isotopes and major ions were investigated in the northeastern Tengger Desert, northern China, to gain insights into groundwater recharge and evolution. In the northern mountains, Quaternary unconsolidated sediments, exposed only in valleys between hills, form the main aquifer, which is mainly made of aeolian sand and gravel. Most of the mountain groundwater samples plot along the local meteoric water line (LMWL), with a more depleted signature compared to summer precipitation, suggesting that mountain groundwater was recharged by local precipitation during winter. Most of the groundwater was fresh, with total dissolved solids less than 1 g/L; dominant ions are Na⁺, SO₄ ²⁻ and Cl⁻, and all mineral saturation indices are less than zero. Evaporation, dissolution and cation exchange are the major hydrogeochemical processes. In the southern plains, however, the main aquifers are sandstone. The linear regression line of δD and δ ¹⁸O of groundwater parallels the LMWL but the intercept is lower, indicating that groundwater in the plains has been recharged by ancient precipitation rather than modern. Both calcite and dolomite phases in the plains groundwater are close to saturation, while gypsum and halite can still be dissolved into the groundwater. Different recharge mechanisms occur in the northern mountains and the southern plains, and the hydraulic connection between them is weak. Because of the limited recharge, groundwater exploitation should be limited as much as possible.

The Pleistocene Kimitsu aquifer was selected for examination of the relationship between groundwater age and chemical evolution of Ca(HCO₃)₂-type groundwater. For the most part, the aquifer is confined and composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with a small amount of calcite. The groundwater ages calculated by ¹⁴C were adjusted by using a carbon mass-balance method and corrected for effects of ¹⁴C diffusion. Groundwater ages in the Kimitsu aquifer vary from modern (upgradient) to approximately 2,400 years at 4.4 km from the edge of the recharge area. The ¹⁴C age was verified by groundwater velocity calculated from the hydraulic gradient and hydraulic conductivity. The confined groundwater evolved to Ca(HCO₃)₂-type around 50 years after recharge and this has been maintained for more than 8,300 years due to low chemical reactivity, derived from equilibrium with calcite, kaolinite and Ca-montmorillonite. In addition, high pH prevents the dissolution of Fe and Mn. Consequently, the rate of increase in electrical conductivity ranges from 10 to 30 μS/cm per 1,000 years. On the other hand, leakage from the deep region, which is recognized from high Cl– levels, causes remarkable increases in CH₄ and HCO₃ – concentrations, resulting in an apparent sulfidic zone at 500-m depth in most downgradient regions.

Based on analysis of groundwater hydrogeochemical and isotopic data, this study aims to identify the recharge sources and understand geochemical evolution of groundwater along the downstream section of the Shule River, northwest China, including two sub-basins. Groundwater samples from the Tashi sub-basin show markedly depleted stable isotopes compared to those in the Guazhou sub-basin. This difference suggests that groundwater in the Tashi sub-basin mainly originates from meltwater in the Qilian Mountains, while the groundwater in the Guazhou sub-basin may be recharged by seepage of the Shule River water. During the groundwater flow process in the Tashi sub-basin, minerals within the aquifer material (e.g., halite, calcite, dolomite, gypsum) dissolve in groundwater. Mineral dissolution leads to strongly linear relationships between Na⁺ and Cl⁻ and between Mg²⁺+ Ca²⁺ and SO₄ ²⁻ + HCO₃ ⁻, with stoichiometry ratios of approximately 1:1 in both cases. The ion-exchange reaction plays a dominant role in hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in the Guazhou sub-basin and causes a good linear relationship between (Mg²⁺+ Ca²⁺)–(SO₄ ²⁻ + HCO₃ ⁻) and (Na⁺+ K⁺)–Cl⁻ with a slope of −0.89 and also results in positive chloroalkaline indices CAI 1 and CAI 2. The scientific results have implications for groundwater management in the downstream section of Shule River. As an important irrigation district in Hexi Corridor, groundwater in the Guazhou sub-basin should be used sustainably and rationally because its recharge source is not as abundant as expected. It is recommended that the surface water should be used efficiently and routinely, while groundwater exploitation should be limited as much as possible.