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http://dx.doi.org/10.5467/JKESS.2014.35.2.97

Influences of Fractionation of Stable Isotopic Composition of Rain and Snowmelt on Isotopic Hydrograph Separation  

Lee, Jeonghoon (Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University)
Koh, Dong-Chan (Groundwater Department, Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources)
Choo, Mi Kyung (Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean earth science society / v.35, no.2, 2014 , pp. 97-103 More about this Journal
Abstract
An isotopic hydrograph separation technique has been able to determine the contribution of new water (event water such as rain or snowmelt) and old water (pre-event water like groundwater) to a stream hydrograph for last several decades using stable water isotopes. It is based on the assumption that the isotopic compositions of both new water and old water at a given instant in time are known and the stream water is a mixture of the two waters. In this study, we show that there is a systematic error (standard error in the new water fraction) in the isotopic hydrograph separation if the average isotopic compositions of new water were used ignoring the temporal variations of those of new water. The standard error in the new water fraction is caused by: (1) the isotopic difference between the average value and temporal variations of new water; (2) the new water fraction as runoff contributing to the stream during rainfall or spring melt; and (3) the isotopic differences between new and old water (inversely). The standard error is large, in particular, when new water dominates the stream flow, such as runoff during intense rainfall and in areas of low infiltration during spring melt. To reduce the error in the isotopic hydrograph separation, incorporation of fractionation in the isotopic composition of new water observed at a point should be considered with simultaneous sampling of new water, old water and stream water.
Keywords
stable water isotopes; isotopic hydrograph separation; precipitation and snowmelt; groundwater; stream;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 5  (Citation Analysis)
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