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Delineating sources of groundwater recharge and carbon in Holocene aquifers of the central Gangetic basin using stable isotopic signatures

IR@NPL: CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi

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Title Delineating sources of groundwater recharge and carbon in Holocene aquifers of the central Gangetic basin using stable isotopic signatures
 
Creator Kumar, Manoj
Ramanathan, A. L.
Mukherjee, Abhijit
Sawlani, Ravi
Ranjan, Shyam
 
Subject Inorganic Chemistry
Water Resources Research
 
Description Stable isotopes of water (delta H-2, delta O-18) and delta C-13(TIC) were used as a tool to trace the recharge processes, natural carbon (organic and inorganic) source and dynamics in the aquifers of the central Gangetic basin, India. Stable isotope (delta H-2, delta O-18) record of groundwater (n = 105) revealed that the groundwater of Piedmont was recharged by meteoric origin before evaporation, while aquifers of the older and younger alluvium were recharged by water that had undergone evaporation loss. River Ganges and its tributaries passing through this area have very little contribution in recharging while ponds play no role in the recharging of adjacent aquifers. The connectivity of shallow aquifers of aquitard formation (comprised of clay/sandy clay with thin patches of fine grey sand), i.e. 25-60 m below ground level (bgl) with the main upper aquifer (at a depth of >120 m bgl) was found to be higher in older and younger alluvium. Negative values of delta C-13(TIC) (median -9.6 parts per thousand; range -13.2 to -5.4 parts per thousand) and high TIC (median 35 mM; range 31-46 mM) coupled with low TOC (median 1.35 mg/L; range 0.99-1.77 mg/L) indicated acceleration in microbial activity in the younger alluvium, especially in the active floodplain of river Ganges and its proximity.
 
Publisher Taylor & Francis
 
Date 2019-05-04
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://npl.csircentral.net/4142/1/Delineating%20sources%20of%20groundwater.pdf
Kumar, Manoj and Ramanathan, A. L. and Mukherjee, Abhijit and Sawlani, Ravi and Ranjan, Shyam (2019) Delineating sources of groundwater recharge and carbon in Holocene aquifers of the central Gangetic basin using stable isotopic signatures. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, 55 (3). 254-271. ISSN 1025-6016
 
Relation http://npl.csircentral.net/4142/