Riverine sulfate sources and behaviors in arid environment,Northwest China:Constraints from sulfur and oxygen isotopes

作     者：Yifu Xu Wenjing Liu Bing Xu Zhifang Xu Yifu Xu;Wenjing Liu;Bing Xu;Zhifang Xu

作者机构：Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and EnvironmentInstitute of Geology and GeophysicsChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100029China Innovation Academy for Earth ScienceChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100029China University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100049China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Environmental Sciences》 (环境科学学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2024年第137卷第3期

页      面：716-731页

核心收录：

学科分类：0830[工学-环境科学与工程（可授工学、理学、农学学位）] 08[工学] 081501[工学-水文学及水资源] 0815[工学-水利工程] 

基　　金：supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDB26000000) the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2020YFA0607700) the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41730857 and 42273050) the Key Research Program of the Institute of Geology&Geophysics,CAS (No. IGGCAS-202204) support from the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (No.2019067)。 

主　　题：Sulfur and oxygen isotopes Source apportionment Inverse model Arid environment Inland rivers Northwestern China 

摘      要：The fate of riverine sulfate ion (SO_(4)^(2-)) and its environmental effects in arid environment are difficult to evaluate due to its complicated sources and strongly coupled behaviors with water cycle which is significantly modified by humans.To understand the sulfur cycle in aquatic systems in arid environment,the chemical and sulfur and oxygen isotopic compositions (δ^(34)S_(SO4)and δ^(18)O_(SO4)) of major rivers around the Badain Jaran Desert,northwestern China,were investigated.These rivers had averaged SO_(4)^(2-)content at 1336μmol/L,over 10times higher than the global average.The δ^(34)S_(SO4)and δ^(18)O_(SO4)values ranged from-5.3‰to+11.8‰and+1.6‰to+12.8‰,respectively.The end-member analysis and the inverse model showed that riverine sulfate was mainly derived from evaporites dissolution (0-87%),sulfide oxidation (13%-100%) and precipitation (0-33%),indicating heterogeneity in sulfur sources and behaviors along the river drainage with the lithology variations and climate gradients.Multiple isotopic tools combining with hydro-chemistry compositions could be applied to reveal sulfur cycle in arid environment.Based on the calculation,sulfide oxidation plays the primary role in the headwater and upstream in the Qilian-Mountains area,where sulfide is widely exposed.While the proportion of evaporites dissolution contributing to riverine sulfate is much higher in downstream in a drier environment.Besides,less precipitation and higher temperature can lead to more intensive evaporation,affecting the process of sulfide oxidation and enhancing the rates of evaporites dissolution and sulfate precipitation in the basin.