Groundwater contributions in water-salt balances of the lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert,China

Groundwater-fed lakes are essential for the ecology in arid and semiarid regions.As a typical arid region,the Badain Jaran Desert （BJD） is famous in the world for the presence of a large number of groundwater-fed saline lakes among the mega dunes.Based on the up to date geological surveys and observations,this study analyzed the groundwater contributions in water-salt balances of the lakes in the desert.We found different types of springs,including the sublacustrine springs that indicate an upward flow of groundwater under the lakebed.A simplified water balance model was developed to analyze the seasonal variations of water level in the Sumu Barun Jaran Lake,which revealed an approximately steady groundwater discharge in the lake and explained why the amplitude of seasonal changes in lake level is less than 0.5 m.In addition,a salt balance model was developed to evaluate the salt accumulations in the groundwater-fed lakes.The relative salt accumulation time is 800–7,000 years in typical saline lakes,which were estimated from the concentration of Cl-,indicating a long history evolution for the lakes in the BJD.Further researches are recommended to provide comprehensive investigations on the interactions between the lakes and groundwater in the BJD.

Evolution of Groundwater Major Components in the Hebei Plain: Evidences from 30-Year Monitoring Data

Groundwater is the main water source in the Hebei Plain. Evolution of groundwater chemistry can not only provide scientific data for sustainable usage of groundwater resources, but also help us in better understanding hydrogeochemical processes in aquifers. Spatial distribution and temporal evolution were analyzed on basis of monitoring data between 1975 and 2005. Results showed that major components in groundwater had increasing trends since 1970s. Major components in shallow groundwater increased more than those in deep one. In shallow groundwater of piedmont alluvial fan-recharge zone, concentrations of Na＋, Ca2＋, SO42- had great increasing trends, while other major components increased by less than 30%. There were great increasing trends in Na＋, Cl-, SO42- concentrations in deep groundwater of central alluvial plain-intermediate zone, while other major components increased by no more than 20%. Deep groundwater from coast plain-discharge zone and piedmont alluvial fan-recharge zone showed no significant variations in major ion concentrations. In shallow groundwater, dissolution, evaporation and human activities played a major role in the increase in major components. However, groundwater mixture resulting from deep groundwater exploitation was believed to be the major factors for the increases in major components in deep groundwater of central alluvial plain-intermediate zone.

Advances in research on earthquake fluids hydrogeology in China:a review

Monitoring of subsurface fluid （underground fluid） is an important part of efforts for earthquake prediction in China. The nationwide network, which monitors groundwater level, water temperature, and radon and mercury in groundwater, has been constructed in the last decades. Large amounts of abnormal fluid changes before and after major earthquakes have been recorded, providing precious data for research in earthquake sciences. Many studies have been done in earthquake fluid hydrogeology in order to probe the nature of the earthquake. Much progress in earthquake fluid hydrogeology has been made in the last decades. The paper provides a review of the advances in research on earthquake fluid hydrogeology over the last 40 years in China. It deals with the following five aspects： （1） an introduction to the development history of monitoring networks construction; （2） cases of different subsurface fluid changes recorded before some major earthquakes which occurred in the last decades; （3） characteristics of subsurface fluid changes following major earthquakes; （4） mechanism of subsurface fluid changes before and following earthquakes; （5） application of earthquake fluids in the hydrogeology field.