Hydrochemical assessment (major ions and Hg) of meltwater in high altitude glacierized Himalayan catchment

Snowpack and glacial melt samples were collected to understand the hydrochemical, isotopic characteristics and the source of Hg contamination in high altitude glacierized Himalayan catchment. Both the snow and glacial melt were acidic in nature with calcium and magnesium as the dominant cations and bicarbonate and chloride as the dominant anions. The major ion concentrations for cations were found to be Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > NO3− for anions. The atmospheric processes like the precipitation source and aerosol scavenging control the snow chemistry and the weathering of the rocks modify the hydrochemistry of glacial melt. The samples of both the snow and glacial melt were classified as Ca-Mg-HCO3− type. The concentration of Hg in snow (154.95 ng L−1) and glacial melt (112.04 ng L−1) was highest (still lower compared to the maximum permissible limit (1000 ng L−1) by WHO in drinking water) during summer season (August–September) and lowest (snow 2.2 and 40.01 ng L−1 for glacial melt) during winter (November). The results reveal that mercury concentration in snowpacks is attributed to the combined mixing of long-range transport of pollutants via westerlies throughout the year and the industrial effluents coming from highly industrial belts of Panjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Indo-Gangetic plains, and neighboring areas via southwest monsoons during August–September. However, in glacial melt, the Hg concentration was typically controlled by rate of melting, leaching, and percolation. Higher degree and rate of glacial melting decreases the Hg concentration in glacial melt. Stable isotopic analysis and backward air mass trajectory modeling also corroborate the source of precipitation from southwest monsoons during August–September, with its air mass trajectories passing through the highly industrialized belts of Indo-Gangetic plain and adjoining areas.