Late Quaternary tectonic uplift and Yellow River evolution create high arsenic aquifers in the Hetao Basin,China

High arsenic(As)groundwater is a global problem primarily originating from As-enriched sediments.The provenance(source)and release mechanisms(sinks)of high As sediment have been identified,but the source-sink transfer is poorly understood,especially the influence of geological and surface processes.In this study,we explore the roles of tectonic movement and Yellow River evolution in provenance formation processes and evaluate the combined effects of provenance and sediment age on the As content of aquifer sediments in the northern Hetao Basin of Inner Mongolia.Based on optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)and 14C dating and detrital zircon U-Pb,As content,and lithological analyses of a 400 m core,we reconstructed As changes over the last 160 ka.Our results show clay deposited in a paleo-lake during the Gonghe movement period in the late Pleistocene(∼100 ka B.P.)is enriched in As(31.8μg/g)due to significant provenance contributions of the As-bearing Langshan Group under tectonic uplift and mountain erosion.In contrast,clay deposited in the middle Pleistocene(∼160 ka B.P.)has lower As content(7.3μg/g)due to the Yellow River as the primary provenance.Accordingly,the provenance of basin As forced by tectonic uplift and Yellow River evolution determines the background As of aquifer sediments.After deposition,sediment As content decays over time,with higher decay rates in coarse-grained sands than fine-grained.Overall,both provenance formation and sediment age,representing initial and dynamic states of solid phase As,jointly determine the As content of aquifer sediments.More solid phase As provided by younger sediments from the proximal orogenic provenance and reducing conditions due to frequent river-lake transitions,jointly lead to higher As concentrations in shallow groundwater.The study highlights the potential for using a combined analysis of the tectonic movement-surface processes-environment system to improve understanding of geogenic high As groundwater over global large sedimentary basins in the proximity of young orogenic belts.

Responses of river bed evolution to flow-sediment process changes after Three Gorges Project in middle Yangtze River:A case study of Yaojian reach

The Three Gorges Project(TGP)has changed the flow-sediment process in the middle Yangtze River.For navigation purposes,there is an urgent need to study the changes of the river regime over a long-term period and the shoal-channel evolution over different seasons since the completion of the TGP.Based on analysis of the measured data and the results of a two-dimensional mathematical model,the changes of the river regime and river bed evolution in the Yaojian reach downstream of the TGP were studied.Results show that a high sediment transport flux helps to keep the main flow in the North Branch,while a low sediment transport flux helps to keep the main flow in the South Branch.Thus,the main branch will not change in the near future because of the low sediment transport load.In this study,the flow-sediment process adjusted by the TGP was restored to the conditions before the TGP,and the river bed evolution under the adjusted and non-adjusted flow-sediment conditions was calculated.After the completion of the TGP,the reservoir storage accelerated the flood recession process and decreased the erosion by 11.9%under the flow-sediment conditions in 2010,and the deposition in the flood season decreased by 56.4%.

Downstream Channel Evolution and Its Causes in the Yuan River during the Qing Dynasty

The determination of channel evolutions and the causes is important for reconstructing the evolutionary history of river landforms.This study aimed to elucidate the downstream channel evolution of the Yuan River in Hunan Province,China,during the Qing Dynasty via Landsat 8 satellite image data and relevant literature.The objective was to establish the modes of channel evolution and discuss the significance of historical climate change.The downstream paleochannel of the Yuan River was identified in the Late Ming Dynasty and Early Qing Dynasty(1600–1644 AD),the Kangxi-Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty(1661–1796 AD),the Late Qing Dynasty(1840–1912 AD),and the World War II(1939–1945 AD),and three main modes of river evolution were determined.Using remote sensing data and the ancient literature,the evolution characteristics of the paleochannel in the Lower Yuan River were analyzed and its distribution across historical periods was comprehensively revealed.The findings reveal a strong correlation between channel evolution,flood events,and climate change.Numerous flood events that occurred from the Late Qing Dynasty to the World War II caused a high rate of channel evolution,demonstrating the combined effects of climate change and human activities.These findings will help adopt robust and resilient hydrological management methods in the future of a changing climate.