Identification of sources affecting water chemistry in the Nakdong River, South Korea

The sources impacting the water chemistry of the Nakdong River (NR) in South Korea were investigated in order to examine the pollution mechanism including the fate and transport of the contaminants and how much such sources may affect its main channel of water resource. Water samples were collected between 2007 and 2008 from 8 sites along a 510 km downstream transect of the NR, and chemical and isotopic compositions of the water samples were evaluated to identify natural and anthropogenic sources contributing to the water chemistry of the NR. The results showed that the major ion concentrations were mainly controlled by chemical weathering that occurred in the watershed, in which a silicate weathering is more dominant than a carbonate weathering. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the water samples were in a range from 0.71043 to 0.71520 within those of the Mesozoic volcanogenic sedimentary rocks long developed in the watershed, thereby supporting the fact that the water chemistry is governed by a chemical weathering. The δ³⁴S values varied in a narrow range of 1.8–3.1‰, regardless of spatial and seasonal variations. Mass balance calculations indicated that the contributions of chemical weathering and anthropogenic sources during summer time increased along a downstream transect, from 67.3 ± 1.3 to 73.6 ± 0.5% and from 6.0 to 15.7%, respectively. In contrast, the contribution of chemical weathering during winter time decreased from 82.7 ± 0.8 to 72.5 ± 0.3%, while anthropogenic contribution increased up to 22.2%. These results indicated that the water chemistry of the NR was mainly caused by a chemical weathering, followed by anthropogenic inputs and rainwater. This study will provide baseline information for comparing the water quality issue before and after the implementation of the Four Rivers Restoration Project of South Korea.