Improved understanding of spring and stream water responses in headwaters of the Indian Lesser Himalaya using stable isotopes,conductivity and temperature as tracers |
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| Authors: | Soukhin Tarafdar L Adrian Bruijnzeel Bhishm Kumar |
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| Institution: | 1. Garhwal Regional Centre, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment &2. Sustainable Development, Srinagar-Garhwal, India;3. Department of Geography, King’s College London, London, UK;4. Formerly with the Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria |
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| Abstract: | Stable isotope data are presented for precipitation, spring and stream water in a headwater catchments in the Indian Lesser Himalaya. Isotopic contents of phreatic groundwater followed the local meteoric water line and showed minimal alteration by evaporation, suggesting fast recharge. Mean isotopic values for springs and the stream were close to the weighted annual mean for precipitation, indicating recharge was in synchrony with seasonal rainfall distribution. Precipitation exhibited isotopic declines of ?0.6‰ and ?0.2‰ δ18O per 100 m rise in elevation in July and August (monsoon), respectively. The time lag of one month between rainfall and spring discharge, combined with the isotopic lapse rate indicated a recharge elevation of 70–165 m above the spring outflow point, implying the water originated within the catchment. Time series of electrical conductivity and temperature of spring, seepage and stream waters confirmed the rapid recharge and limited storage capacity of the shallow aquifers. |
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| Keywords: | headwater hydrology Himalayan water resources representative elementary watershed (REW) shallow groundwater spring hydrogeology |
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