YANG Tao1, 2, WANG Shi-jie1, LUO Wei-jun1, XIE Xing-neng1, XIAO De-an1, LI Ting-yu1, ZHOU Yun-chao1
(1. The State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002, China;
2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)
Abstract: It is an essential means of studying geochemical processes to use an ideal tracer, especially in the modern environmental monitoring studies, such as the response time of cave drip on precipitation, and environmental monitoring on the surface. However, in the present study, those tracers used widely (natural and man-made) have their advantages. At the same time, they also have inevitably many deficiencies. Therefore, it must be based on the specific needs when we choose an ideal tracer. Here, five sites were chosen to study soil water in Libo, Guizhou, where there are different biomasses in different sites. On the other hand, four caves also were chosen to monitor drip water, etc. in Guizhou. SO4 concentrations were measured in all water samples. Feasibility of SO4 as a new tracer was discussed from both theoretical test and experimental test, respectively. Results have shown for the first time that the SO4 as a tracer has some advantages that other tracers do not have. Under certain conditions, it can be used to trace or indicate the vegetation biomass in a region, and the response time of drip water on precipitation.Finally, on the basis of the measured data including the above-ground biomasses and SO4 concentrations of soil water from five sites, and the SO4 concentrations of drip water and response time of drip water on precipitations (using NaCl) from four caves, two empirical formulae were fitted (Freundlich) in the study areas, respectively: [SO4] = 3.34ln(b) + 5.20 and [SO4] = -9.17ln(t) + 31.61.
Key words: sulfate; biomass; response time of drip water; tracer; adsorption-desorption
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT Vol. 40, No.1, Tot No.287, 2012, Page 1-8
