Snow and stream-water chemistry of the Ganga headwater basin,Garhwal Himalaya,India |
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| Authors: | SARFARAZ AHMAD SYED IQBAL HASNAIN |
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| Institution: | Glacier Research Group , School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi, 110067, India E-mail: iqbalhasnain@hotmail.com |
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| Abstract: | Abstract Studies of the chemical composition of snowpack and stream water were carried out in a catchment having an area of 53km2 (31°03′-30°55′N and 78°40′-78°51′E) in the Garhwal Himalaya, India. The dominant ions in the snowpack and stream water were Ca2+, Na+, NO? 3, SO2- 4 and HCO? 3. Solute patterns in the snowpack show preferential elution. Investigation of the chemical composition of stream water shows that meltwater changes its composition substantially as it passes through soil pathways to the stream. The groundwater flushing perhaps controls the chemical composition of meltwater in the early spring. However, in the period from July to September, the stream water carries the chemical signature of monsoonal precipitation. |
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| Keywords: | snowpack hydrochemistry chemical composition of water solute transport meltwater headwaters Himalaya |
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