Advances in Isotope Tracer Techniques for Tracing and Quantifying Hydrological Processes

Dear Colleagues,

The utility of isotope techniques in hydrological investigations stems from their ability to label water sources and cycling processes including surface/groundwater interaction, water residence times, flow pathways, evaporation fluxes, and solute processes. The stable isotopes of water (¹⁸O, ²H) are most commonly employed as tracers as they are incorporated within the water molecule and because they undergo measureable and systematic fractionations as they move between phases in the water cycle. This labelling can be used in isotope mass balance models and streamflow partitioning studies to quantify lake water balances and partition streamflow. Combining hydrological data with solute isotopes (carbon, nitrogen, strontium, sulphur, and chloride) can be used to investigate geochemical processes that are linked to the hydrological cycle and groundwater surface water interactions.

Recent analytical and modelling advances such as the improved ability to measure noble gases, CFCs and the development of isotope-equipped hydrological models have expanded the isotope tracer toolkit available to hydrologists and hydrogeologists, providing the opportunity to develop new techniques that can be used to quantify and trace components of the hydrological cycle.

This Special Issue will aim to show the advances in isotope tracer techniques used to trace and quantify components of the hydrological cycle.

Dr. Jean Birks
Dr. John Gibson
Guest Editors

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