Impacts of changes in groundwater recharge on the isotopic composition and geochemistry of seasonally ice-covered lakes: insights for sustainable management
Lakes are under increasing pressure due to widespread anthropogenic impacts related to rapid development and population growth. Accordingly, many lakes are currently undergoing a systematic decline in water quality. Recent studies have highlighted that global warming and the subsequent changes in...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-11-01
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Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
Online Access: | https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/21/5875/2017/hess-21-5875-2017.pdf |
Summary: | Lakes are under increasing pressure due to widespread anthropogenic impacts
related to rapid development and population growth. Accordingly, many lakes
are currently undergoing a systematic decline in water quality. Recent
studies have highlighted that global warming and the subsequent changes in
water use may further exacerbate eutrophication in lakes. Lake evolution
depends strongly on hydrologic balance, and therefore on groundwater
connectivity. Groundwater also influences the sensitivity of lacustrine
ecosystems to climate and environmental changes, and governs their
resilience. Improved characterization of groundwater exchange with lakes is
needed today for lake preservation, lake restoration, and sustainable
management of lake water quality into the future. In this context, the aim of
the present paper is to determine if the future evolution of the climate, the
population, and the recharge could modify the geochemistry of lakes (mainly
isotopic signature and quality via phosphorous load) and if the isotopic
monitoring of lakes could be an efficient tool to highlight the variability
of the water budget and quality.
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Small groundwater-connected lakes were chosen to simulate changes in water
balance and water quality expected under future climate change scenarios,
namely representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5. Contemporary
baseline conditions, including isotope mass balance and geochemical
characteristics, were determined through an intensive field-based research
program prior to the simulations. Results highlight that future lake
geochemistry and isotopic composition trends will depend on four main
parameters: location (and therefore climate conditions), lake catchment size
(which impacts the intensity of the flux change), lake volume (which impacts
the range of variation), and lake G index (i.e., the percentage of
groundwater that makes up total lake inflows), the latter being the dominant
control on water balance conditions, as revealed by the sensitivity of lake
isotopic composition. Based on these model simulations, stable isotopes
appear to be especially useful for detecting changes in recharge to lakes
with a G index of between 50 and 80 %, but response is non-linear.
Simulated monthly trends reveal that evolution of annual lake isotopic
composition can be dampened by opposing monthly recharge fluctuations. It is
also shown that changes in water quality in groundwater-connected lakes
depend significantly on lake location and on the intensity of recharge
change. |
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ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |