Salt Concentrations and Chemical Types of Lake, River, Snow, and Hot Spring Waters from the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Concentrations of Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^-, SO₄^2- and alkalinity in water samples from the Tibetan Plateau were analyzed. The samples were from 27 lake waters, 82 river waters, 19 snows, seven hot spring waters and one groundwater. Almost all the snows and rivers were fresh (<0.5 g· l^-1 in salt concentration), while most of the lakes and spring waters were saline. In the north of the plateau, where the climate is more and than in the south, the river waters tended to have a higher salt concentration than in the south. Almost all the lakes investigated were closed and saline. The chemical type of the lake waters was Na-Cl and/or Na-SO₄ in the northern and Na-HCO₃ in the southern part of the plateau, whereas the type of the fresh river waters and snows was Ca-HCO₃.