Mixing of Rhône River water in Lake Geneva: Seasonal tracing using stable isotope composition of water

Details

Ressource 1Request a copy Under indefinite embargo.
UNIL restricted access
State: Public
Version: Final published version
License: Not specified
Serval ID
serval:BIB_71C6BA0425EE
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Mixing of Rhône River water in Lake Geneva: Seasonal tracing using stable isotope composition of water
Journal
Journal of Great Lakes Research
Author(s)
Cotte Gabriel, Vennemann Torsten W.
ISSN
0380-1330
Publication state
Published
Issued date
08/2020
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
46
Number
4
Pages
839-849
Language
english
Abstract
Determining the path of river intrusions into lakes is essential, both for a better understanding of the lake circulation as well as the nutrient transport and the distribution of pollutants introduced by the rivers. The objective of this study is to understand the mixing of Rhône River water within Lake Geneva. The stable H- and O-isotope composition of water for this alpine lake has been shown to be a powerful tool to trace the Rhône River intrusion within the lake, but the details of this interflow and how it changes in space and time have not been well established yet. The present study focusses on using the isotopic tracer method in detailed cross-sections sampled at different times during the year as a tool to determine how the interflow changes with time. Different sampled cross-sections present large spatiotemporal heterogeneities of the Rhône River water dispersion. During summer and early autumn, when the lake is thermally stratified, the Rhône River is intruding into the metalimnion as an interflow, and it is directed by the currents in the top layer. The stronger the thermal stratification, the more concentrated and vertically constrained will also be the Rhône interflow. Vertical and horizontal displacements of the interflow are controlled by wind-induced internal waves and the gyres within the lake established as a function of wind strengths and directions.
Keywords
Lake Geneva, Rhône River, Interflow, River mixing, Lake circulation, Stable isotopes
Web of science
Create date
18/11/2021 16:15
Last modification date
22/07/2023 6:58
Usage data