δ18O and δ2H characteristics of moisture sources and their role in surface water recharge in the north-east of Iran

The north-east of Iran is a semi-arid region and faces a water shortage crisis. Therefore, monitoring water resources using accurate methods such as stable isotopes technique is vitally important. In this study, precipitation events were sampled in 10 stations in the Mashhad basin and the Bojnourd region in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2015, additional surface and groundwater. These samples were analysed at the Ottawa University for both oxygen and hydrogen isotopes. In addition, the moisture sources were determined using the backward trajectories of the HYSPLIT model. The backward trajectories showed that both high- and low-latitude water bodies provide moisture for the north-east of Iran. However, the role of high-latitude water bodies including the Caspian, the Black, and the Mediterranean Seas is stronger. On the other hand, the stable isotopes showed large variations and the developed meteoric water lines deviated in both slope and intercept from the global meteoric water line. This showed that the precipitation events of the north-east of Iran were provided by various air masses and moisture sources. Finally, plotting the isotope values of the surface water resources on high- and low-latitude meteoric water lines demonstrated that these water resources were dominantly recharged by precipitation events originating from high-latitude water bodies.

Radiokrypton unveils dual moisture sources of a deep desert aquifer

In arid regions, groundwater is a vital resource that can also provide a long-term record of the regional water cycle. However, the use of groundwater as a paleoclimate proxy has been limited by the complex hydrology and the lack of appropriate chronometers to determine the recharge time without complication. Applying ⁸¹Kr, a long-lived radioisotope tracer, we investigate the paleohydroclimate and subsurface water storage properties of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer in the Negev Desert, Israel. Based on the spatial distributions of stable isotopes and the abundance of ⁸¹Kr, we resolve subsurface mixing and identify two distinct moisture sources of the recharge: one recent (<38 ky ago) from the Mediterranean and the other 361 ± 30 ky ago from the tropical Atlantic, both of which occurred under conditions of low orbital eccentricity comparable to that of the present. The recent recharge provided by the moisture from Mediterranean cyclones can be attributed to the southward shift of the storm track during the Last Glacial Maximum, and the earlier recharge can be attributed to moisture from the Atlantic delivered as tropical plumes under a climate colder than the present. Furthermore, the residence time of the latter reveals that tectonically active terrain can store groundwater for an unexpectedly long period, likely due to strongly attenuated groundwater flow across the fault zones. With this tracer, groundwater can now serve as a direct record of paleoprecipitation over land and of subsurface water storage from the mid-Pleistocene and onward.

[Characteristics of Stable Isotopes in Precipitation and Moisture Sources in the Headwaters of the Yangtze River]

Based on the stable isotopes of 73 precipitation samples continuously collected from May to October 2014 and related meteorological statistics in the Dongkemaldi Basin, the characteristics of δD, δ¹⁸O, and d-excess of precipitation, as well as the correlations between δ¹⁸O and the rainfall amount and air temperature were analyzed. The moisture sources were tracked by the HYSPLIT model to further estimate the contribution of different water vapor sources to the rainfall amount. The results showed that the range of δ¹⁸O and δD values varied from -26.5‰ to 1.9‰ and -195.2‰ to 34.0‰, respectively; meanwhile, the δ¹⁸O and δD values in precipitation fluctuated greatly with time in response to water vapor transport from different moisture sources of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The slope and intercept of the Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) were both higher than those of the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) and close to the LMWL in the northern area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The relationship between δ¹⁸O and δD in different precipitation types showed significant differences, which were mainly related to the source of water vapor and meteorological conditions during the process of precipitation formation. Because of the influence of local evaporation and the transport process of water vapor, the d-excess values of atmospheric precipitation were relatively large; the δ¹⁸O in precipitation had a significant amount effect, but had no temperature effect, thus indicating that the rainfall amount was more effective in controlling the stable isotope content of atmospheric precipitation than temperature. The modeled trajectory of vapor sources showed that water vapor of precipitation was mainly derived from the marine vapor carried by the southwest monsoon, local moisture, and the westerly water vapor, and their contributions to the rainfall amount were 43%, 36%, and 21%, respectively. The results of this study can contribute to further understanding of the atmospheric circulation characteristics and water cycle process of the Dongkemadi basin in the headwaters of the Yangtze River.

Stable H and O isotope-based investigation of moisture sources and their role in river and groundwater recharge in the NE Carpathian Mountains, East-Central Europe †

The region situated between the mountain area and the lowlands in NE Romania (East-Central Europe) is experiencing increased competition for water resources triggered by a growing population, intensification of agriculture, and industrial development. To better understand hydrological cycling processes in the region, a study was conducted using stable isotopes of water and atmospheric trajectory data to characterize regional precipitation and vapour sources derived from the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Black Seas, as well as recycled continental moisture, and to assess and partition these contributions to recharge of surface and groundwater. Atmospheric moisture in the lowlands is found to be predominantly delivered along easterly trajectories, while mountainous areas appear to be dominated by North Atlantic Ocean sources, with moisture transported along mid-latitude, westerly storm tracks. Large-scale circulation patterns affect moisture delivery, the North Atlantic Oscillation being particularly influential in winter and the East Atlantic pattern in summer. Winter precipitation is the main contributor to river discharge and aquifer recharge. As winter precipitation amounts are projected to decrease over the next decades, and water abstraction is expected to steadily increase, a general reduction in water availability is projected for the region.

From Amazonia to southern Africa: atmospheric moisture transport through low-level jets and atmospheric rivers

A Lagrangian analysis is applied to identify the main moisture source areas associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs) making landfall along the west coast of South Africa during the extended austral winter months from 1980 to 2014. The results show that areas that provide the anomalous uptake of moisture can be categorized into four regions: (1) the South Atlantic Ocean between 10°S and 30°S, (2) a clear local maximum in the eastern South Atlantic, (3) a continental source of anomalous uptake to the north of the Western Cape, and (4) over South America at a distance of more than 7000 km from the target region. It emerges that the South American moisture source can be linked to a particular phase of the South American low-level jet, known as a no Chaco jet event (NCJE), which transports moisture to the western and central South Atlantic basin. Concisely, we provide strong evidence that the two margins of the South Atlantic Ocean appear connected by two meteorological structures, with the NCJE playing a key role of transporting moisture from South America to the western and central South Atlantic basin, feeding the AR that transports some of the moisture to the west coast of South Africa.