Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China
Permafrost degradation may have significant impacts on regional water cycles, while little is known about the recharge sources of runoff in permafrost regions, hindering our capability to predict river discharges. Here, a small permafrost basin in Northeast China was selected as the study area. We a...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2024.1476783/full |
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| author | Boxiong Zhang Shuying Zang Lin Zhao Xiaodong Wu Xiaodong Wu Rui Liu Xingfeng Dong Dongyu Yang Xiaofeng Cheng |
| author_facet | Boxiong Zhang Shuying Zang Lin Zhao Xiaodong Wu Xiaodong Wu Rui Liu Xingfeng Dong Dongyu Yang Xiaofeng Cheng |
| author_sort | Boxiong Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Permafrost degradation may have significant impacts on regional water cycles, while little is known about the recharge sources of runoff in permafrost regions, hindering our capability to predict river discharges. Here, a small permafrost basin in Northeast China was selected as the study area. We analyzed isotopic tracers of 186 precipitation, river water, and supra-permafrost water samples collected from May to October 2021. We further calculated the contribution of supra-permafrost water and precipitation to river discharges. The δ18O and δD of precipitation exhibited a significant correlation with air temperature (p<0.05). Similar values and trends were observed in the stable isotope changes of river water and supra-permafrost water, indicating a close hydraulic relationship between the two water sources. Hydrograph separation revealed that supra-permafrost water and precipitation are the first and second end-member of river water in the basin, with a contribution of 85% and 15%, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that supra-permafrost water is the main recharge source of runoff, highlighting the importance of permafrost in the regulation of runoff in small catchments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-134ff4939d0e4eeb82a30f42b6c35d10 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-134ff4939d0e4eeb82a30f42b6c35d102025-08-20T02:48:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632024-12-011210.3389/feart.2024.14767831476783Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern ChinaBoxiong Zhang0Shuying Zang1Lin Zhao2Xiaodong Wu3Xiaodong Wu4Rui Liu5Xingfeng Dong6Dongyu Yang7Xiaofeng Cheng8Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaCryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, ChinaPermafrost degradation may have significant impacts on regional water cycles, while little is known about the recharge sources of runoff in permafrost regions, hindering our capability to predict river discharges. Here, a small permafrost basin in Northeast China was selected as the study area. We analyzed isotopic tracers of 186 precipitation, river water, and supra-permafrost water samples collected from May to October 2021. We further calculated the contribution of supra-permafrost water and precipitation to river discharges. The δ18O and δD of precipitation exhibited a significant correlation with air temperature (p<0.05). Similar values and trends were observed in the stable isotope changes of river water and supra-permafrost water, indicating a close hydraulic relationship between the two water sources. Hydrograph separation revealed that supra-permafrost water and precipitation are the first and second end-member of river water in the basin, with a contribution of 85% and 15%, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that supra-permafrost water is the main recharge source of runoff, highlighting the importance of permafrost in the regulation of runoff in small catchments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2024.1476783/fullstable isotopesrunoffhydrograph separationpermafrostgreater Khingan mountains |
| spellingShingle | Boxiong Zhang Shuying Zang Lin Zhao Xiaodong Wu Xiaodong Wu Rui Liu Xingfeng Dong Dongyu Yang Xiaofeng Cheng Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China Frontiers in Earth Science stable isotopes runoff hydrograph separation permafrost greater Khingan mountains |
| title | Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China |
| title_full | Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China |
| title_fullStr | Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China |
| title_short | Characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern China |
| title_sort | characteristics of water stable isotopes and runoff sources of a small permafrost basin in northeastern china |
| topic | stable isotopes runoff hydrograph separation permafrost greater Khingan mountains |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2024.1476783/full |
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