scholarly journals Stable water isotope tracing through hydrological models for disentangling runoff generation processes at the hillslope scale

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 5179-5216 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Windhorst ◽  
P. Kraft ◽  
E. Timbe ◽  
H.-G. Frede ◽  
L. Breuer
Keyword(s):  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Richards Equation ◽  
Advective Transport ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Modeling Experiment ◽  
Water Isotope

Abstract. Hillslopes are the dominant landscape components where incoming precipitation is transferred to become groundwater, streamflow or atmospheric water vapor. However, directly observing flux partitioning in the soil is almost impossible. Hydrological hillslope models are therefore being used to investigate the involved processes. Here we report on a modeling experiment using the Catchment Modeling Framework (CMF) where measured stable water isotopes in vertical soil profiles along a tropical mountainous grassland hillslope transect are traced through the model to resolve potential mixing processes. CMF simulates advective transport of stable water isotopes 18O and 2H based on the Richards equation within a fully distributed 2-D representation of the hillslope. The model successfully replicates the observed temporal pattern of soil water isotope profiles (R2 0.84 and NSE 0.42). Predicted flows are in good agreement with previous studies. We highlight the importance of groundwater recharge and shallow lateral subsurface flow, accounting for 50% and 16% of the total flow leaving the system, respectively. Surface runoff is negligible despite the steep slopes in the Ecuadorian study region.

scholarly journals Stable water isotope tracing through hydrological models for disentangling runoff generation processes at the hillslope scale

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 4113-4127 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Windhorst ◽  
P. Kraft ◽  
E. Timbe ◽  
H.-G. Frede ◽  
L. Breuer
Keyword(s):  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Richards Equation ◽  
Advective Transport ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Modeling Experiment ◽  
Water Isotope

Abstract. Hillslopes are the dominant landscape components where incoming precipitation becomes groundwater, streamflow or atmospheric water vapor. However, directly observing flux partitioning in the soil is almost impossible. Hydrological hillslope models are therefore being used to investigate the processes involved. Here we report on a modeling experiment using the Catchment Modeling Framework (CMF) where measured stable water isotopes in vertical soil profiles along a tropical mountainous grassland hillslope transect are traced through the model to resolve potential mixing processes. CMF simulates advective transport of stable water isotopes 18O and 2H based on the Richards equation within a fully distributed 2-D representation of the hillslope. The model successfully replicates the observed temporal pattern of soil water isotope profiles (R2 0.84 and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) 0.42). Predicted flows are in good agreement with previous studies. We highlight the importance of groundwater recharge and shallow lateral subsurface flow, accounting for 50 and 16% of the total flow leaving the system, respectively. Surface runoff is negligible despite the steep slopes in the Ecuadorian study region.

Linking Lagrangian model simulations with stable water isotope measurements in Arctic weather systems.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aina Johannessen ◽  
Alena Dekhtyareva ◽  
Andrew Seidl ◽  
Harald Sodemann
Keyword(s):  
Water Cycle ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Atmospheric Water ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Evaporation Source ◽  
Isotope Measurements ◽  
Water Isotope ◽  
Eulerian Models

<p>Transport of water from an evaporation source towards a precipitation sink is the essence of the atmospheric water cycle. However, there are significant challenges with the representation of the atmospheric water cycle in models. For example, incomplete representation of sub-grid scale processes like evaporation, mixing or precipitation can lead to substantial model errors. Here we investigate the combined use of Lagrangian and Eulerian models and in-situ observations of stable water isotopes to reduce such sources of model error. The atmospheric water cycle in the Nordic Seas during cold air outbreaks (CAOs) is confined to a limited area, and thus may be used as a natural laboratory for hydrometeorological studies. We apply Lagrangian and Eulerian models together with observations taken during the ISLAS2020 field campaign in the Arctic in spring 2020 for characterising source-sink relationships in the water cycle. During the field campaign, we observed an alternating sequence of cold air outbreaks (CAO) and warm air intrusions (WAI) over the key measurement sites of Svalbard and northern Norway. Thereby, meteorological and stable water isotope measurements have been performed at multiple sites both upstream and downstream of the CAOs and WAIs. The Lagrangian model FLEXPART has been run with the input data from the regional convection-permitting numerical weather prediction model AROME Arctic at 2.5 km resolution to investigate transport patterns. The combination of observations and model simulations allows us to quantify the connection between source and sink for different weather systems, as well as the link between large-scale transport and stable water isotopes. Findings will lead to a better understanding of processes in the water cycle and the degree of conservation of isotopic signals during transport. This study may also serve as a guideline on how to evaluate the performance of Lagrangian transport models using stable water isotope measurements, and on how to detect constraints for quantifying the transport route and evaporation source from stable water isotope measurements for future work, including an aircraft campaign planned in 2021.</p>

scholarly journals The stable isotope composition of water vapour above Corsica during the HyMeX SOP1: insight into vertical mixing processes from lower-tropospheric survey flights

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Sodemann ◽  
Franziska Aemisegger ◽  
Stephan Pfahl ◽  
Mark Bitter ◽  
Ulrich Corsmeier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Water Vapour ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Stable Isotope Composition ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Strong Inversion

Abstract. Stable water isotopes are powerful indicators of meteorological processes on a broad range of scales, reflecting evaporation, condensation, and airmass mixing processes. With the recent advent of fast laser-based spectroscopic methods it has become possible to measure the stable isotopic composition of atmospheric water vapour in situ at high temporal resolution, enabling to tremendously extend the measurement data base in space and time. Here we present the first set of airborne spectroscopic stable water isotopes measurements over the western Mediterranean. Measurements have been acquired by a customised Picarro L2130-i cavity-ring down spectrometer deployed onboard of the Dornier 128 D-IBUF aircraft together with a meteorological flux measurement package during the HyMeX SOP1 field campaign in Corsica, France during September and October 2012. Taking into account memory effects of the air inlet pipe, the typical time resolution of the measurements was about 15–30 s, resulting in an average horizontal resolution of about 1–2 km. Cross-calibration of the water vapour measurements from all humidity sensors showed good agreement in most flight conditions but the most turbulent ones. In total 21 successful stable isotope flights with 59 flight hours have been performed. Our data provide quasi-climatological autumn average conditions of the stable isotope parameters δD, δ18O and d-excess during the study period. A time-averaged perspective of the vertical stable isotope composition reveals for the first time the mean vertical structure of stable water isotopes over the Mediterranean at high resolution. A d-excess minimum in the overall average profile is reached in the region of the boundary layer top due to precipitation evaporation, bracketed by higher d-excess values near the surface due to non-equilibrium fractionation and above the boundary layer due to the non-linearity of the d-excess definition. Repeated flights along the same pattern reveals pronounced day-to-day variability due to changes in the large-scale circulation. During a period marked by a strong inversion at the top of the marine boundary layer, vertical gradients in stable isotopes reached up to 25.4 ‰ 100 m−1 for δD.

scholarly journals Moisture Sources for Precipitation and Hydrograph Components of the Sutri Dhaka Glacier Basin, Western Himalayas

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Singh ◽  
Rahaman ◽  
Sharma ◽  
Laluraj ◽  
Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Western Himalayas ◽  
Hydrograph Separation ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Moisture Sources ◽  
Himalayan Glaciers ◽  
Recent Climate

Himalayan glaciers are the major source of fresh water supply to the Himalayan Rivers, which support the livelihoods of more than a billion people living in the downstream region. However, in the face of recent climate change, these glaciers might be vulnerable, and thereby become a serious threat to the future fresh water reserve. Therefore, special attention is required in terms of understanding moisture sources for precipitation over the Himalayan glaciers and the hydrograph components of streams and rivers flowing from the glacierized region. We have carried out a systematic study in one of the benchmark glaciers, “Sutri Dhaka” of the Chandra Basin, in the western Himalayas, to understand its hydrograph components, based on stable water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) and field-based ablation measurements. Further, to decipher moisture sources for precipitation and its variability in the study region, we have studied stable water isotopes in precipitation samples (rain and snow), and performed a back-trajectory analysis of the air parcel that brings moisture to this region. Our results show that the moisture source for precipitation over the study region is mainly derived from the Mediterranean regions (>70%) by Western Disturbances (WDs) during winter (October–May) and a minor contribution (<20%) from the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) during summer season (June–September). A three-component hydrograph separation based on δ18O and d-excess provides estimates of ice (65 ± 14%), snowpack (15 ± 9%) and fresh snow (20 ± 5%) contributions, respectively. Our field-based specific ablation measurements show that ice and snow melt contributions are 80 ± 16% and 20 ± 4%, respectively. The differences in hydrograph component estimates are apparently due to an unaccounted snow contribution ‘missing component’ from the valley slopes in field-based ablation measurements, whereas the isotope-based hydrograph separation method accounts for all the components, and provides a basin integrated estimate. Therefore, we suggest that for similar types of basins where contributions of rainfall and groundwater are minimal, and glaciers are often inaccessible for frequent field measurements/observations, the stable isotope-based method could significantly add to our ability to decipher moisture sources and estimate hydrograph components.

scholarly journals Exploring water cycle dynamics by sampling multiple stable water isotope pools in a developed landscape in Germany

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3873-3894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Orlowski ◽  
Philipp Kraft ◽  
Jakob Pferdmenges ◽  
Lutz Breuer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Age Dynamics ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Water Isotope

Abstract. A dual stable water isotope (δ2H and δ18O) study was conducted in the developed (managed) landscape of the Schwingbach catchment (Germany). The 2-year weekly to biweekly measurements of precipitation, stream, and groundwater isotopes revealed that surface and groundwater are isotopically disconnected from the annual precipitation cycle but showed bidirectional interactions between each other. Apparently, snowmelt played a fundamental role for groundwater recharge explaining the observed differences to precipitation δ values. A spatially distributed snapshot sampling of soil water isotopes at two soil depths at 52 sampling points across different land uses (arable land, forest, and grassland) revealed that topsoil isotopic signatures were similar to the precipitation input signal. Preferential water flow paths occurred under forested soils, explaining the isotopic similarities between top- and subsoil isotopic signatures. Due to human-impacted agricultural land use (tilling and compression) of arable and grassland soils, water delivery to the deeper soil layers was reduced, resulting in significant different isotopic signatures. However, the land use influence became less pronounced with depth and soil water approached groundwater δ values. Seasonally tracing stable water isotopes through soil profiles showed that the influence of new percolating soil water decreased with depth as no remarkable seasonality in soil isotopic signatures was obvious at depths > 0.9 m and constant values were observed through space and time. Since classic isotope evaluation methods such as transfer-function-based mean transit time calculations did not provide a good fit between the observed and calculated data, we established a hydrological model to estimate spatially distributed groundwater ages and flow directions within the Vollnkirchener Bach subcatchment. Our model revealed that complex age dynamics exist within the subcatchment and that much of the runoff must has been stored for much longer than event water (average water age is 16 years). Tracing stable water isotopes through the water cycle in combination with our hydrological model was valuable for determining interactions between different water cycle components and unravelling age dynamics within the study area. This knowledge can further improve catchment-specific process understanding of developed, human-impacted landscapes.

scholarly journals Exploring water cycle dynamics through sampling multitude stable water isotope pools in a small developed landscape of Germany

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1809-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Orlowski ◽  
P. Kraft ◽  
L. Breuer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Water Isotope

Abstract. Conducting a dual stable water isotope (δ2H and δ18O) study in the developed landscape of the Schwingbach catchment (Germany) helped to unravel connectivity and disconnectivity between the different water cycle components. The two-year weekly to biweekly measurements of precipitation, stream, and groundwater isotopes revealed that surface and groundwater are decoupled from the annual precipitation cycle but showed bidirectional interactions between each other. Seasonal variations based on temperature effects were observed in the precipitation signal but neither reflected in stream nor in groundwater isotopic signatures. Apparently, snowmelt played a fundamental role for groundwater recharge explaining the observed differences to precipitation δ-values. A spatially distributed snapshot sampling of soil water isotopes in two soil depths at 52 sampling points across different land uses (arable land, forest, and grassland) revealed that top soil isotopic signatures were similar to the precipitation input signal. Preferential water flow paths occurred under forested soils explaining the isotopic similarities between top and subsoil isotopic signatures. Due to human-impacted agricultural land use (tilling and compression) of arable and grassland soils, water delivery to the deeper soil layers was reduced, resulting in significant different isotopic signatures. However, the land use influence smoothed out with depth and soil water approached groundwater δ-values. Seasonally tracing stable water isotopes through soil profiles showed that the influence of new percolating soil water decreased with depth as no remarkable seasonality in soil isotopic signatures was obvious at depth > 0.9 m and constant values were observed through space and time. Little variation in individual isotope time series of stream and groundwater restricted the use of classical isotope hydrology techniques e.g. mean transit time estimation or hydrograph separation. Still, tracing stable water isotopes through the water cycle was valuable for determining interactions between different water cycle components and gaining catchment specific process understanding in a developed, human-impacted landscape.

Identification of source-sink relationships in southern Africa by stable water isotopes analysis and Lagrangian moisture source diagnostics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marielle Geppert ◽  
Stephan Pfahl ◽  
Ulrich Struck ◽  
Ingo Kirchner ◽  
Elisha Shemang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Moisture Source ◽  
Moisture Sources ◽  
Transport Patterns ◽  
Isotope Measurements ◽  
Water Isotope

&lt;p&gt;Many palaeoclimate reconstructions are based on the fact that stable water isotopes are conserved in different highly resolved paleo-archives such as ice cores or calcium carbonates. Stable water isotopes are tracers of moisture in the atmosphere because they record information about evaporation and condensation processes during the transport of air parcels. These processes cause isotopic fractionation that leads to isotopic enrichment or depletion. The isotopic composition of precipitation is strongly correlated with altitude above sea level, distance to the coast and local surface air temperature. Knowledge on the source and transport of moisture is thus crucial for the interpretation of stable isotopes in precipitation and in palaeo-archives.&lt;br&gt;Studies analysing the linkage between stable water isotope measurements and moisture sources in southern Africa are scarce. Yet, as changes in the transport pattern can influence precipitation patterns and amounts, in a semi-arid region like southern Africa that is threatened by droughts, this knowledge is of particular interest. Thus, the aims of this study are (1) to reveal the principal moisture source areas and transport routes of specific target areas in southern Africa, (2) to assess the influence of different transport patterns on the isotopic composition of precipitation and by this (3) to create a modern analogue for palaeoclimate studies in this region.&lt;br&gt;About 200 water samples, mainly from headwaters of rivers, but also from precipitation events, springs and lakes, were collected throughout southern Africa and the stable water isotope composition (&amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;H and &amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O) was analysed. To detect moisture sources for this set of isotope measurements, backward air parcel trajectories were calculated from the sample location, using the LAGRANTO tool based on ERA5 reanalysis data. Variations in specific humidity along the trajectories were then used to detect moisture uptake.&lt;br&gt;The analysis reveals main transport patterns related to the Intertropical Convergence Zone and easterly winds as well as the effects of topographical forcing, which is, for example, very pronounced above Lesotho. The results provide detailed insights into the relationships between atmospheric circulation and &amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;H and &amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O values of precipitation over southern Africa, which is a prerequisite for the interpretation of isotopic records that are used for palaeoclimatic reconstructions.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Using isotopes to constrain water flux and age estimates in snow-influenced catchments using the STARR (Spatially distributed Tracer-Aided Rainfall–Runoff) model

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 5089-5110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pertti Ala-aho ◽  
Doerthe Tetzlaff ◽  
James P. McNamara ◽  
Hjalmar Laudon ◽  
Chris Soulsby
Keyword(s):  
Water Flux ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Variable Degree ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Water Age ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Spatially Distributed

Abstract. Tracer-aided hydrological models are increasingly used to reveal fundamentals of runoff generation processes and water travel times in catchments. Modelling studies integrating stable water isotopes as tracers are mostly based in temperate and warm climates, leaving catchments with strong snow influences underrepresented in the literature. Such catchments are challenging, as the isotopic tracer signals in water entering the catchments as snowmelt are typically distorted from incoming precipitation due to fractionation processes in seasonal snowpack. We used the Spatially distributed Tracer-Aided Rainfall–Runoff (STARR) model to simulate fluxes, storage, and mixing of water and tracers, as well as estimating water ages in three long-term experimental catchments with varying degrees of snow influence and contrasting landscape characteristics. In the context of northern catchments the sites have exceptionally long and rich data sets of hydrometric data and – most importantly – stable water isotopes for both rain and snow conditions. To adapt the STARR model for sites with strong snow influence, we used a novel parsimonious calculation scheme that takes into account the isotopic fractionation through snow sublimation and snowmelt. The modified STARR setup simulated the streamflows, isotope ratios, and snow pack dynamics quite well in all three catchments. From this, our simulations indicated contrasting median water ages and water age distributions between catchments brought about mainly by differences in topography and soil characteristics. However, the variable degree of snow influence in catchments also had a major influence on the stream hydrograph, storage dynamics, and water age distributions, which was captured by the model. Our study suggested that snow sublimation fractionation processes can be important to include in tracer-aided modelling for catchments with seasonal snowpack, while the influence of fractionation during snowmelt could not be unequivocally shown. Our work showed the utility of isotopes to provide a proof of concept for our modelling framework in snow-influenced catchments.

scholarly journals δ<sup>18</sup>O water isotope in the <i>i</i>LOVECLIM model (version 1.0) – Part 1: Implementation and verification

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1467-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Roche
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Fractionation Scheme ◽  
Rayleigh Distillation ◽  
Isotopic Water ◽  
Water Isotope ◽  
Equilibrium Fractionation

Abstract. A new 18O stable water isotope scheme is developed for three components of the iLOVECLIM coupled climate model: atmospheric, oceanic and land surface. The equations required to reproduce the fractionation of stable water isotopes in the simplified atmospheric model ECBilt are developed consistently with the moisture scheme. Simplifications in the processes are made to account for the simplified vertical structure including only one moist layer. Implementation of these equations together with a passive tracer scheme for the ocean and a equilibrium fractionation scheme for the land surface leads to the closure of the (isotopic-)water budget in our climate system. Following the implementation, verification of the existence of usual δ18O to climatic relationships are performed for the Rayleigh distillation, the Dansgaard relationship and the δ18O–salinity relationship. Advantages and caveats of the approach taken are outlined.

scholarly journals A novel approach to process brittle ice for continuous flow analysis of stable water isotopes

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (244) ◽  
pp. 289-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
REBECCA L. PYNE ◽  
ELIZABETH D. KELLER ◽  
SILVIA CANESSA ◽  
NANCY A. N. BERTLER ◽  
ALEX R. PYNE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Flow ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Water Isotopes ◽  
Stable Water Isotopes ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Continuous Flow Analysis ◽  
Isotope Measurements ◽  
Water Isotope

ABSTRACTBrittle ice, which occurs in all intermediate-depth and deep ice cores retrieved from high-latitude regions, presents a challenge for high-resolution measurements of water isotopes, gases, ions and other quantities conducted with continuous flow analysis (CFA). We present a novel method of preserving brittle ice for CFA stable water isotope measurements using data from a new ice core recovered by the Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) project. Modest modification of the drilling technique and the accommodation of non-horizontal fractures (‘slanted breaks’) in processing led to a substantial improvement in the percentage of brittle ice analyzed with CFA (87.8%). Whereas traditional processing methods remove entire fragmented pieces of ice, our method allowed the incorporation of a total of 3 m of ice (1% of the 261 m of brittle ice and ~1300 years of climate history) that otherwise would not have been available for CFA. Using the RICE stable water isotope CFA dataset, we demonstrate the effect of slanted breaks and analyze the resulting smoothing of the data with real and simulated examples. Our results suggest that retaining slanted breaks are a promising technique for preserving brittle ice material for CFA stable water isotope measurements.

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