Identification of rock weathering and environmental control in arid catchments (northern Xinjiang) of Central Asia

doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.02.005

	Identification of rock weathering and environmental control in arid catchments (northern Xinjiang) of Central Asia
	Zhu, Bingqi 1; Yu, Jingjie 1; Qin, Xiaoguang 2; Rioual, Patrick 2; Zhang, Yichi 1; Liu, Ziting 2; Mu, Yan 2; Li, Hongwei 2; Ren, Xiaozong 2; Xiong, Heigang 3
刊名	JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
	2013-04-08
卷号	66 页码:277-294
关键词	Temperate arid watershed Fluvial geochemistry Chemical weathering The forward model of mass budget Westerly climate Central Asia
ISSN号	1367-9120
DOI	10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.02.005
文献子类	Article
英文摘要	Chemical weathering is an integral part of the earth surface processes, whose spatial patterns and controlling factors on continental scale are still not fully understood. Highlands of the Asian continent have been shown having some of the highest observed rates of chemical weathering yet reported. However, the paucity of river gauge data in many of these terrains has limited determination of chemical weathering budget in a continental scale. A dataset of three large watersheds throughout northern Xinjiang in Central Asia is used to empirically identify chemical weathering regimes and interpret the underlying controlling factors. Detailed analysis of major ion ratios and a forward model of mass budget procedure are presented to distinguish the relative significances and contributions of silicate, carbonate weathering and evaporite dissolution. The analytical results show that carbonic acid is the most important weathering agent to the studied watersheds. Silicate weathering contributes, on average, similar to 17.8% (molar basis) of total cations on a basin wide scale with an order of Zhungarer > Erlqis > Yili, indicating that silicate weathering, however, does not seem to be intense in the study basins. Evaporite dissolution, carbonate weathering and precipitation input contribute 43.6%, 29.7% and 8.9% of the total dissolved cations on average for the whole catchment, respectively. The three main morphological and hydrological units are reflected in water chemistry. Rivers from the montane areas (recharge area) of the three watersheds are very dilute, dominated by carbonate and silicate weathering, whereas the rivers of piedmont areas as well as the rivers of the sedimentary platform (runoff area) are dominated by carbonate weathering, and rivers of desert plain in the central Zhungarer basin (discharge area) are dominated by evaporite dissolution and are SO4 rich. This spatial pattern indicates that, beside lithology, runoff conditions have significant role on the regional chemical weathering regimes. Chemical weathering processes in the areas appear to be significantly climate controlled, displaying a tight correlation with runoff and aridity. Carbonate weathering are mostly influenced by runoff, which is higher in the mountainous part of the studied basins. The identification of chemical weathering regimes from our study confirmed the weathering potential and complexity of temperate watersheds in arid environment and that additional studies of these terrains are warranted. However, because the dominant weathering reactions in the sedimentary platform of northern Xinjiang are of carbonates and evaporites rather than silicate minerals, and the climatic factors have important role on the rock weathering regimes, we think that weathering at the arid temperate drainage system (Central Asia) is maybe not an important long-term sink for atmospheric CO2, if the future climate has no great change. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
WOS关键词	MAJOR ION CHEMISTRY ; TROPICAL MONTANE WATERSHEDS ; LARGE CHINESE RIVERS ; FLUVIAL GEOCHEMISTRY ; CO2 CONSUMPTION ; NW CHINA ; EASTERN SIBERIA ; YANGTZE-RIVER ; LONG-TERM ; TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE
WOS研究方向	Geology
语种	英语
出版者	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
WOS记录号	WOS:000317540100021
资助机构	National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; 40901059) ; 40901059) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; 40901059) ; 40901059) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; 40901059) ; 40901059) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(2009CB421305) ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; National Natural Science Foundation of China(91025023 ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; Chinese Engineering Academy ; 40901059) ; 40901059)
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.iggcas.ac.cn/handle/132A11/87616]
专题	中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所
通讯作者	Zhu, Bingqi
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Geog Sci & Nat Resources Res, Key Lab Water Cycle & Related Land Surface Proc, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Geol & Geophys, Key Lab Cenozo Geol & Environm, Beijing 100029, Peoples R China 3.Minist Educ, Key Lab Oasis Ecol, Urumqi 830046, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Zhu, Bingqi,Yu, Jingjie,Qin, Xiaoguang,et al. Identification of rock weathering and environmental control in arid catchments (northern Xinjiang) of Central Asia[J]. JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES,2013,66:277-294.
APA	Zhu, Bingqi.,Yu, Jingjie.,Qin, Xiaoguang.,Rioual, Patrick.,Zhang, Yichi.,...&Xiong, Heigang.(2013).Identification of rock weathering and environmental control in arid catchments (northern Xinjiang) of Central Asia.JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES,66,277-294.
MLA	Zhu, Bingqi,et al."Identification of rock weathering and environmental control in arid catchments (northern Xinjiang) of Central Asia".JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES 66(2013):277-294.