Cl/Br ratios of Lake Kinneret, pore water and associated springs

G. Dror, D. Ronen, M. Stiller, A. Nishri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Cl/Br ratio (wt/wt) of pore water in a lake, having diverse saline inputs, was used to distinguish among the influx of different water sources and estimate their relative contributions. Pore water concentration profiles obtained by a passive multi-layer sampler from bottom sediments of Lake Kinneret, Israel, depict Cl/Br ratios that vary between 70 and 156 and are similar to ratios in nearby onshore springs - Hamei Tiberias and Fulya, respectively. The Cl/Br ratio of the lake (135) is strongly influenced by the Cl/Br fingerprint of Fulya-type water. However, the discharge of the known Fulya springs can not provide the required Br- mass (about 648 tons/y) to maintain the Cl/Br ratio in the lake. Therefore, diffusive and advective fluxes of pore water are additional important mechanisms by which Br- is added to lake water. Moreover, it is demonstrated that a combination of Fulya and Hamei Tiberias-type waters (90 and 10%, respectively) can explain the Cl/Br ratio of the lake. The areal distribution of the Cl/Br ratio in pore water may be the result of dilution of an ancient evaporated solution (Cl/Br ≃ 70) with fresh water from adjacent aquifers (Cl/Br ≃ 150), followed by mixing with a saline solution having a high Cl/Br ratio (Cl/Br ≃ 300). The results of this work suggest that the Cl/Br ratio is a sensitive tool for the study of other similar environments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)130-139
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Hydrology
Volume225
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - 6 Dec 1999
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chemical ratios
  • Hydrochemistry
  • Lake sediments
  • Limnology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Water Science and Technology

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