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Isotopic assessment of fog drip water contribution to vegetation during dry season in Junshan wetland, northern Dongting Lake

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Abstract

Stable isotopes 2H and 18O of fog drip water, lake water, soil profiles, and vegetation leaves in Junshan wetland of East Dongting Lake, China, were investigated to estimate the contribution of fog drip water to wetland vegetation. Because of its recycled terrestrial meteoric water source, fog drip water is characterized by isotopic compositions that plot above the local meteoric water line (LMWL). Lake water undergoes intense evaporation owing to its low water volume and long residence time. The isotopic compositions of soil water suggest that it is recharged by both recent rainfall and fog drip water. A binary mixing model shows that approximately 16% of unsaturated soil water originates from continuous recharge by fog drip water, reaching 31% in surface soil where the vegetation roots are mainly distributed. Inspired by the literatures on acidification of intercepted clouds and fog as the major factor in forest die-back in Europe, the findings in this study inform future investigations into the relationships between fog water deposition and wetland degradation especially in heavily industrialized foggy areas.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB417005) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51578212). The authors are grateful for the help of the State Key Laboratory of Hydrology–Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering at Hohai University, where all analyses were performed. Special thanks to the editors and anonymous reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Lucheng Zhan & Jiansheng Chen

  2. College of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Jiansheng Chen

  3. State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Ling Li

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  1. Lucheng Zhan
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  2. Jiansheng Chen
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  3. Ling Li
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Correspondence to Jiansheng Chen.

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Zhan, L., Chen, J. & Li, L. Isotopic assessment of fog drip water contribution to vegetation during dry season in Junshan wetland, northern Dongting Lake. Wetlands Ecol Manage 25, 345–357 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-016-9521-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-016-9521-z

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