title: A modified QWASI model for fate and transport modeling of mercury between the water-ice-sediment in Lake Ulansuhai.
abstract: Mercury contamination from industrial and agricultural drainage into lakes and rivers is a growing concern in Northern China. Lake Ulansuhai, located in Hetao irrigation district in Inner Mongolia, is the only sink for the all industrial and agricultural drainage and sole outlet for this district to the Yellow River, which is one of the main source of drinking water for the numerous cities and towns downstream. Because Ulansuahi is ice-covered during winter, the QWASI model was modified by adding an ice equation to get a more accurate understanding of the fate and transport of mercury within the lake. Both laboratory and field tests were carried out during the ice growth period. The aquivalence and mass balance approaches were used to develop the modified QWASI + ice model. The margins of error between the modelled and the measured average concentrations of Hg in ice, water, and sediment were 30%, 26.2%, and 19.8% respectively. These results suggest that the new QWASI + ice model could be used to more accurately represent the fate and transport of mercury in the seasonally ice-covered lakes, during the ice growth period.
authors.affiliation: Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China. Electronic address: imaulichangyou@163.com.
authors.forename: Changyou
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, K7L3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
authors.forename: Shengnan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D006256:Hazardous Waste / Q000032:analysis; D046448:Ice Cover / Q000737:chemistry; D007220:Industrial Waste; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006256:Hazardous Waste; D007220:Industrial Waste; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Fate; Ice growth period; Mercury; Migration; QWASI model; Seasonally ice-covered lakes