Hydrochemical differentiation of salinisation process of the water in endoreic semi-arid basin: Case of Rémila Basin, Algeria

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine and treat a hierarchical basis of the various mechanisms responsible for the space variation of the water quality in a endoreic semi-arid basin. The water chemistry showed a large variability in space and time. The total dissolved solid (TDS) in water increases from upstream to downstream due to the effect of the arid climate, but also due to the water-rock interactions and the anthropic polution of surface water. The water chemistry changes progressively from bicarbonate calcic upstream to sulphated and chlorinated calcic in the median zone to chlorinate sodic in the Sebkha. Thermodynamic modelling showed the major role of evaporation in the evolution of the water chemistry. The result indicated calcite precipitation then gypsum precipitation as well as cations exchanges reactions. Statistical approach allowed to arrange processes that responsible for the hydrochemical variability according to their important. The increase of water salinity is due mainly to the aridity process. The differentiation between salty surface water (Sebkha) and deeper water (Chott) is the second process. The combined of the geochemical and statistical methods allowed to identify the main variability sources of the water composition and to classify them in this complex system. © 2008 Science Publications.