Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Integrating isotope mass balance and water residence time dating: insights of runoff generation in small permafrost watersheds from stable and radioactive isotopes

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

40 small watersheds in the Source Area of the Yellow River were investigated recently to sample surface waters, groundwater and ground ice, and their water isotopic signatures (2H, 18O, 3H, and 222Rn) have been measured. A novel isotope mass balance approach was developed to estimate annual surface and surface flow discharges in catchment combined water age dating. This approach revealed the changing surface and subsurface runoff patterns were along the hydrological trajectory of progressive permafrost degradation. To build up the linkages between the hydrological indictors and environmental and biological features was recommended, which would benefit a better understanding the significant impacts of permafrost degradation on social, ecological and economic developments in cold regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Romanovsky VE, Smith SL, Christiansen HH (2010) Permafrost thermal state in the polar Northern Hemisphere during the international polar year 2007–2009: a synthesis. Permafrost Periglac Process 21(2):106–116

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cochand M, Molson J, Barth JAC, van Geldern R, Lemieux JM, Fortier R, Therrien R (2020) Rapid groundwater recharge dynamics determined from hydrogeochemical and isotope data in a small permafrost watershed near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Canada). Hydrogeol J 1–16

  3. Liljedahl AK, Boike J, Daanen RP, Fedorov AN, Frost GV, Grosse G et al (2016) Pan-Arctic ice-wedge degradation in warming permafrost and its influence on tundra hydrology. Nat Geosci 9(4):312–318

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kokelj SV, Jorgenson MT (2013) Advances in thermokarst research. Permafrost Periglac Process 24(2):108–119

    Google Scholar 

  5. Rowland JC, Coon ET (2016) From documentation to prediction: raising the bar for thermokarst research. Hydrogeol J 24:645–648

    Google Scholar 

  6. Yang ZP, Ou YH, Xu XL, Zhao L, Song MH, Zhou CP (2010) Effects of permafrost degradation on ecosystems. Acta Ecol Sin 30(1):33–39

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wan C, Gibson JJ, Shen S, Yi Y, Yi P, Yu Z (2019) Using stable isotopes paired with tritium analysis to assess thermokarst lake water balances in the Source Area of the Yellow River, northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Sci Total Environ 689:1276–1292

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Yi P, Luo H, Chen L, Yu Z, Jin H, Chen X et al (2018) Evaluation of groundwater discharge into surface water by using Radon-222 in the Source Area of the Yellow River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. J Environ Radioact 192:257–266

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Jiang J (2020) Quantifying the influence of groundwater discharge induced by permafrost degradation on lake water budget in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: using 222 Rn and stable isotopes. J Radioanal Nuclear Chem 1–10

  10. Cochand M, Molson J, Lemieux JM (2019) Groundwater hydrogeochemistry in permafrost regions. Permafrost Periglac Process 30(2):90–103

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wan C, Li K, Shen S, Gibson JJ, Ji K, Yi P, Yu Z (2019) Using tritium and 222 Rn to estimate groundwater discharge and thawing permafrost contributing to surface water in permafrost regions on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 322(2):561–578

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Yi P, Wan C, Jin H, Luo D, Yang Y, Wang Q et al (2018) Hydrological insights from hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in Source Area of the Yellow River, east-northern part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 317(1):131–144

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cheng G, Jin H (2013) Permafrost and groundwater on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and in northeast China. Hydrogeol J 21(1):5–23

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lapp A, Clark ID, Macumber AL, Patterson RT (2017) Hydrology of the North Klondike River: carbon export, water balance and inter-annual climate influences within a sub-alpine permafrost catchment. Isot Environ Health Stud 53(5):500–517

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Yi P, Chen X, Wang Z, Aldahan A, Hou X, Yu Z (2018) Iodine isotopes (129I and 127I) in the hydrosphere of Qinghai-Tibet region and South China Sea. J Environ Radioact 192:86–94

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Herod MN, Li T, Pellerin A, Kieser WE, Clark ID (2016) The seasonal fluctuations and accumulation of iodine-129 in relation to the hydrogeochemistry of the Wolf Creek Research Basin, a discontinuous permafrost watershed. Sci Total Environ 569:1212–1223

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Boucher JL, Carey SK (2010) Exploring runoff processes using chemical, isotopic and hydrometric data in a discontinuous permafrost catchment. Hydrol Res 41(6):508–519

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Luo D, Jin H, Jin R, Lin L, He R, Chang X (2011) The extraction of watershed characteristics of the Source Area of Yellow River based on SRTM DEM with ArcGIS. In: 2011 international conference on remote sensing, environment and transportation engineering. IEEE, pp 1799–1802

  19. Jin H, He R, Cheng G, Wu Q, Wang S, Lü L, Chang X (2009) Changes in frozen ground in the Source Area of the Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, and their eco-environmental impacts. Environ Res Lett 4(4):045206

    Google Scholar 

  20. Luo D, Jin H, Jin X, He R, Li X, Muskett RR et al (2018) Elevation-dependent thermal regime and dynamics of frozen ground in the Bayan Har Mountains, northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, southwest China. Permafrost Periglac Process 29(4):257–270

    Google Scholar 

  21. Horita J, Wesolowski DJ (1994) Liquid-vapor fractionation of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of water from the freezing to the critical temperature. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 58(16):3425–3437

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Horita J, Rozanski K, Cohen S (2008) Isotope effects in the evaporation of water: a status report of the Craig-Gordon model. Isot Environ Health Stud 44(1):23–49

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gibson JJ, Birks SJ, Yi Y (2016) Stable isotope mass balance of lakes: a contemporary perspective. Quatern Sci Rev 131:316–328

    Google Scholar 

  24. Shi C, Xie Z, Qian H, Liang M, Yang X (2011) China land soil moisture EnKF data assimilation based on satellite remote sensing data. Sci China Earth Sci 54(9):1430–1440

    Google Scholar 

  25. Yang Y, Jiang G, Zhang P (2017) Stable Isotopic Stratification and Growth Patterns of Ground Ice in Permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Permafrost Periglac Process 28(1):119–129

    Google Scholar 

  26. MacDonald LA, Wolfe BB, Turner KW, Anderson L, Arp CD, Birks SJ et al (2016) A synthesis of thermokarst lake water balance in high-latitude regions of North America from isotope tracers. Arctic Sci 3(2):118–149

    Google Scholar 

  27. Gibson JJ, Birks SJ, Moncur M (2019) Mapping water yield distribution across the South Athabasca Oil Sands (SAOS) area: baseline surveys applying isotope mass balance of lakes. J Hydrol Reg Stud 21(1–13):7

    Google Scholar 

  28. Kang S, Yi Y, Xu Y, Xu B, Zhang Y (2017) Water Isotope framework for lake water balance monitoring and modelling in the Nam Co Basin, Tibetan Plateau. J Hydrol Reg Stud 12:289–302

    Google Scholar 

  29. Petermann E, Gibson JJ, Knöller K, Pannier T, Weiß H, Schubert M (2018) Determination of groundwater discharge rates and water residence time of groundwater-fed lakes by stable isotopes of water (18O, 2H) and radon (222Rn) mass balances. Hydrol Process 32(6):805–816

    Google Scholar 

  30. Narancic B, Wolfe BB, Pienitz R, Meyer H, Lamhonwah D (2017) Landscape-gradient assessment of thermokarst lake hydrology using water isotope tracers. J Hydrol 545:327–338

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Gibson JJ, Birks SJ, Yi Y, Vitt D (2015) Runoff to boreal lakes linked to land cover, watershed morphology and permafrost thaw: a 9-year isotope mass balance assessment. Hydrol Process 29(18):3848–3861

    Google Scholar 

  32. Gibson JJ, Yi Y, Birks SJ (2019) Isotopic tracing of hydrologic drivers including permafrost thaw status for lakes across Northeastern Alberta, Canada: a 16-year, 50-lake assessment. J Hydrol Reg Stud 26:100643

    Google Scholar 

  33. Connon RF, Quinton WL, Craig JR, Hayashi M (2014) Changing hydrologic connectivity due to permafrost thaw in the lower Liard River valley, NWT, Canada. Hydrol Process 28(14):4163–4178

    Google Scholar 

  34. Brock BE, Yi Y, Clogg-Wright KP, Edwards TW, Wolfe BB (2009) Multi-year landscape-scale assessment of lakewater balances in the Slave River Delta, NWT, using water isotope tracers. J Hydrol 379(1–2):81–91

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Wu X, Zhang X, Xiang X, Zhang K, Jin H, Chen X et al (2018) Changing runoff generation in the source area of the Yellow River: mechanisms, seasonal patterns and trends. Cold Reg Sci Technol 155(June):58–68

    Google Scholar 

  36. Tian H, Lan Y, Wen J, Jin H, Wang C, Wang X, Kang Y (2015) Evidence for a recent warming and wetting in the source area of the Yellow River (SAYR) and its hydrological impacts. J Geog Sci 25(6):643–668

    Google Scholar 

  37. Vonk JE, Tank SE, Bowden WB, Laurion I, Vincent WF, Alekseychik P et al (2015) Reviews and syntheses: effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems. Biogeosciences 12(23):7129–7167

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Bouchard F, MacDonald LA, Turner KW, Thienpont JR, Medeiros AS, Biskaborn BK et al (2016) Paleolimnology of thermokarst lakes: a window into permafrost landscape evolution. Arctic Sci 3(2):91–117

    Google Scholar 

  39. Korosi JB, McDonald J, Coleman KA, Palmer MJ, Smol JP, Simpson MJ, Blais JM (2015) Long-term changes in organic matter and mercury transport to lakes in the sporadic discontinuous permafrost zone related to peat subsidence. Limnol Oceanogr 60(5):1550–1561

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Walvoord MA, Kurylyk BL (2016) Hydrologic impacts of thawing permafrost—a review. Vadose Zone J 15(6):25

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ala-Aho P, Soulsby C, Pokrovsky OS, Kirpotin SN, Karlsson J, Serikova S et al (2018) Using stable isotopes to assess surface water source dynamics and hydrological connectivity in a high-latitude wetland and permafrost influenced landscape. J Hydrol 556:279–293

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Lewis T, Lafrenière MJ, Lamoureux SF (2012) Hydrochemical and sedimentary responses of paired High Arctic watersheds to unusual climate and permafrost disturbance, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Canada. Hydrol Process 26(13):2003–2018

    Google Scholar 

  43. Yu C, Sun Y, Zhong X, Yu Z, Li X, Yi P et al (2019) Arsenic in permafrost-affected rivers and lakes of Tibetan Plateau, China. Environ Pollutants Bioavailab 31(1):226–232

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Huang J, Kang S, Yin R, Guo J, Lepak R, Mika S et al (2020) Mercury isotopes in frozen soils reveal transboundary atmospheric mercury deposition over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. Environ Pollut 256:113432

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Vincent WF, Lemay M, Allard M (2017) Arctic permafrost landscapes in transition: towards an integrated Earth system approach. Arctic Sci 3(2):39–64

    Google Scholar 

  46. Song C, Wang G, Mao T, Chen X, Huang K, Sun X, Hu Z (2019) Importance of active layer freeze-thaw cycles on the riverine dissolved carbon export on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost region. PeerJ 7:e7146

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51979072), the State Key Program of National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51539003), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA2010010307), the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. KYCX17_0418) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2017B682X14; 2019B10114). C.W. Wan specially appreciate H. L. Zhang for her efforts during revision stage.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Hydrology - Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Chengwei Wan, Zhongbo Yu & Peng Yi

  2. College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Chengwei Wan, Kai Li, Zhongbo Yu & Peng Yi

  3. College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China

    Huili Zhang

  4. Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Chenghao Chen

Authors
  1. Chengwei Wan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kai Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Huili Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhongbo Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Peng Yi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Chenghao Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chengwei Wan or Zhongbo Yu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome. We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. We confirm that we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property. We understand that the Corresponding Author is the sole contact for the Editorial process (including Editorial Manager and direct communications with the office). He is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs. We confirm that we have provided a current, correct email address which is accessible by the Corresponding Author.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wan, C., Li, K., Zhang, H. et al. Integrating isotope mass balance and water residence time dating: insights of runoff generation in small permafrost watersheds from stable and radioactive isotopes. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 326, 241–254 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07315-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07315-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation