Regional-scale hydrogeochemical evolution across the arsenic-enriched transboundary aquifers of the Ganges River Delta system, India and Bangladesh

Arsenic (As) dynamics within the extensively contaminated aquifers of the Ganges River delta have been widely studied over the past few decades, but the varied hydrogeochemical signatures across the delta aquifers remain to be characterized. Here, we characterize the varied hydrogeochemical and isotopic (δ18O, δ2H) signatures of groundwater across the delta and interpret the hydrogeochemical evolution pathways and the driving processes on a regional-scale as a function of the delta hydrostratigraphy. Our hydrostratigraphic model identifies three major aquifer sub-systems across the delta from north-west to south-east: a single continuous unconfined aquifer (Type I); a semiconfined vertically-segregated aquifer sub-system (Type II); and a nearly confined multilayered aquifer sub-system (Type III). The Type I aquifer is dominated by Ca-Mg-HCO3-rich waters, while the…