Effect of temperature on D.O and T.D.S: A measure of Ground and Surface Water Interaction

ABSTRACT To statistically quantify ground and surface water interaction using temperature as a tracer and its effect on chemical properties of rivers, a total number of 30 sample points were selected at regular intervals along the profile of the two rivers. Ten points on the upper Ona River, and ten on the Alaro River, the remaining ten on the lower section of the river. Also, a corresponding number of nearby groundwater samples were obtained from a parallel source, for each of the surface water sample points so as to aid comparison. The coordinates of the sample points along the river profile were obtained using a global positioning system (GPS) device. The result of the investigation showed that two of the properties (Total Dissolved Solid and Dissolved Oxygen) of surface water vary significantly while the third (Temperature) does not vary significantly across the river profile extending from the upstream section to the downstream section. It was further observed that the underlying geology in terms of rock types have a significant influence on the properties of the surface water body, this was corroborated through comparison of the groundwater properties against that of the surface water. No significant correlation was observed between temperature and total dissolved solids and dissolved oxygen, thus inferring no form of noteworthy influence from temperature on the considered parameters in this study. The analysis of temperature gradients along a river profile and its effect on water properties provided an insight to the quantitative estimates of rates of interaction through the use of statistics and a possible inferred direction.