106
Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua
, vol. VIII, núm. 2, marzo-abril de 2017, pp. 105-115
Wang
et al
.,
Research on the hydrologic cycle characteristics using stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in the Jinxiuchuan Basin
•
ISSN 2007-2422
Introduction
The hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes in
water are widely used as tracers in meteorol-
ogy, hydrology, and hydrogeology (Bosilovich
& Schubert, 2002; Wang & Xu, 2011). The stable
isotopes fractionation run through the entire
hydrologic cycle in large scale, and the environ-
ment change as well as the mixing of different
water make the content of
δ
D and
δ
18
O different
from other water bodies (Zhang, Wu, & Wen,
2006; He
et al
., 2006). The isotopic ratios of hy-
drogen and oxygen in precipitation are closely
related with meteorological processes and mois-
ture sources. The
δ
D and
δ
18
O, particularly in
the small-sized basin, are not only controlled by
the climate change (Wu, Wan, & Lin, 2011; Wu,
Yang, & Ding, 2011; Pan, Ping, & Gleixner, 2011),
but also affected by the local meteorological and
geographical conditions that make them change
regularly with time and space (Price & Swart,
2008). In view of the composition of stable iso-
topes in precipitation, the main issues in this
research field have focused on the temporal
and spatial variation, the meteoric water line,
deuterium excess, isotope effect and theoretical
relations, and so on (Li, Zhang, & Ma, 2012).
The research on hydrogen and oxygen studied
in China had started in 1966, and observation
stations of stable isotope were built up collect
rainfall samples in large and medium-sized
cities of China (Song, Liu, & Sun, 2007). Zhang
and Wu (2007) analyzed the change of
δ
18
O in
precipitation based on the rainfall samples and
meteorological data, the results showed that
δ
18
O was affected by season, altitude, rainfall
and temperature effects. Liu, Tian and Yao
(2009) analyzed the relationships of
δ
18
O in
precipitation with latitude and altitude, and
established a quantitative relationship.
The data of stable isotopes in precipitation
presented a seasonal distribution in the semi-
arid and semi-humid region in China (Tian
& Yao, 2004). However, the research on the
stable isotopes of atmospheric precipitation in
monsoon climate mountain area was relatively
less than others so far. In view of the current
status of the research in this field, this paper
aimed to the following parts: (1) the variation
of stable isotopes in atmospheric precipitation;
(2) the establishment of local meteoric water line
equation, and (3) the conversion rates of precipi-
tation into surface water, groundwater, and soil
water. Meanwhile, some insights to the water
cycle mechanism in the semi-humid region
will be added in this research. This paper may
provide technical support for the establishment
of the eco-hydrologic model and the sustainable
management of water resources.
Material and methods
Site description
The study area is located in the southern moun-
tainous area of Jinan, Shandong Province. The
area of the drainage basin is 528.2 km
2
with a
total river length of 41.63 km (figure1). There
are two reservoirs, Jinxiuchuan Reservoir and
Wohushan Reservoir, in the study area. The
Jinxiuchuan Reservoir is located in the mid-
stream, and the other one in the downstream.
The total storage capacity is 0.6 billion m
3
. They
are not only the main drinking water sources
of the resident population but also the recharge
area of rivers, lakes, and springs of Jinan.
The climate is of the semi-humid warm tem-
perate continental monsoon type with annual
average precipitation of 703.1 mm. According
to the survey, there are few historical precipita-
tion of spring (April) and autumn (October) in
Jinxiuchuan Basin, and maximum precipitation
is 0.8 mm occasionally. Summer is generally
from late May to early September. The average
temperature is about 25.1 ℃ and the extreme
maximum temperature is more than 40 ℃. The
average rainfall is about 380 mm that over 83%
of the annual rainfall due to the warm moist
air flow from the sea. Winter is generally from
late November to early March of the following
year. Due to the continental polar air masses,
the average temperature of the region in win-
ter is about 2 ℃, and rainfall is about 6 to 15
mm, which occupies only 6-11% of the annual
