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Title: Chemostatic behavior of major ions and contaminants in a semiarid spring and stream system near Los Alamos, NM, USA

Journal Article · · Hydrological Processes
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11624· OSTI ID:1438114
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
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Recent studies have focused on the relationship between solute concentrations and discharge in streams, demonstrating that concentrations can vary little relative to changes in discharge (chemostatic behavior). Chemostatic behavior is dependent on catchment characteristics (e.g., lithology, geomorphology, and vegetation) and chemical characteristics of the solute (e.g., availability, reactivity, and mobility). An investigation of three springs and a stream near Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, reveals that springs can behave in a chemostatic fashion as stream systems tend to do. Another unique finding of this study is that the anthropogenic contaminants barium and the high explosive RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5- trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) can also behave chemostatically. The chemostatic behavior of a contaminant has important implications for the residence time of contaminants in a system as well as having a major control on contaminant flux and mass transport. Redox (reductionoxidation) and biogeochemically sensitive analytes (e.g., Fe, SO4, & NO3) display a combination of chemostatic and chemodynamic behavior, showing the influence of temporally variable conditions on stream and springs chemistries.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1438114
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-29469
Journal Information:
Hydrological Processes, Vol. 32, Issue 11; ISSN 0885-6087
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 13 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (2)

Concentration versus streamflow trends of major ions and tritium in headwater streams as indicators of changing water stores journal November 2019
Geochemistry of the Lake Chad Tributaries Under Strongly Varying Hydro-climatic Conditions journal November 2019

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