Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Stable isotope characteristics of precipitation of Pamba River basin, Kerala, India

  • Published:
Journal of Earth System Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Stable isotope composition of precipitation from Pamba River basin, Kerala, India, is evaluated to understand the role of spatial and temporal variations on rainwater isotope characteristics. Physiographically different locations in the basin showed strong spatial and temporal variations. δ 18O varied from −7.63 to −1.75 ‰ in the lowlands; from −9.32 to −1.94 ‰ in the midlands and from −11.6 to −4.00 ‰ in the highlands. Local Meteoric Water Lines (LMWL) for the three regions were determined separately and an overall LMWL for the whole of the basin was found to be δ 2H = 6.6 (±0.4) δ 18 O+10.4 (±2.0). Altitude effect was evident for the basin (0.1 ‰ for δ 18O and 0.8 ‰ for δ 2H per 100 m elevation), while the amount effect was weak. The precipitation formed from the marine moisture supplied at a steady rate, without much isotopic evolution in this period may have masked the possible depletion of heavier isotopes with increasing rainfall. Consistently high d-excess values showed the influence of recycled vapour, despite the prevailing high relative humidity. The oceanic and continental vapour source origins for the south-west and north-east monsoons were clearly noted in the precipitation in the basin. Rayleigh distillation model showed about 30% rainout of the monsoon vapour mass in the basin.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aragus-Aragus L, Froehlich K and Rozanski K 2000 Deuterium and oxygen–18 isotopic composition of precipitation and atmospheric moisture; Hydrol. Process. 14 1344–1355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brietenbach S F M, Adkins J F, Meyar H, Marwan M, Kumar K K and Haug G H 2010 Strong influence of water vapour source dynamics on stable isotopes in precipitation observed in southern Meghalaya, NE India; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 292 212–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cappa C D, Hendricks M B, DePaolo D J and Cohen R C 2003 Isotopic fractionation of water during evaporation; J. Geophys. Res. 108(D16) 4522–4534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Celine G and James E J 2015 Assessing the implications of extension of rubber plantation on the hydrology of humid tropical river basin; Int. J. Environ. Res. 9 (3) 841–852.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chattopadhyay S 2015 Environmental consequences of rubber plantations in Kerala; NRPPD Discussion Paper 44, pp. 10–11.

  • Clark I D and Fritz P 1997 Environmental isotopes in hydrogeology; Lewis/CRC Press.

  • Cortes A, Durazo J and Farvolden R N 1997 Study of isotope hydrology of the basin of Mexico and vicinity: Annotated bibliography and interpretation; J. Hydrol. 198 346–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craig H 1961 Isotope variations in meteoric waters; Science 133(3465) 1702–1703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croucher P 2007 Professional helicopter pilot studies; pp. 8–28.

  • CWC 2006 Integrated hydrological data book; Central Water Commission, New Delhi, 29p.

  • CWRDM 1995 Water Atlas of Kerala; 9p.

  • Dansgaard W 1964 Stable isotopes in precipitation; Tellus XVI(4) 436–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deshpande R D, Bhattacharya S K, Jani R A and Gupta S K 2003 Distribution of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in shallow groundwaters from southern India: Influence of a dual monsoon system; J. Hydrol. 271 226–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein S and Mayeda T 1953 Variation of the O 18 content of waters from natural sources; Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 4 213–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forstel H 1982 18O/ 16O ratio of water in plants and their environment; In: Stable Isotopes (eds) Schmidt H L, Forstel H, and Heizinger K J, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 503–516.

  • Fox J M, Castella J -C, Ziegler A D and Westley S B 2014 Rubber plantations expand in mountainous southeast Asia: What are the consequences for the environments; East West Center, Asia Pacific Issues 114 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritz P and Fontes J C. 1986 Isotopes in cloud physics: Multiphase and multistage condensation process; In: Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry. Volume 2, the Terrestrial Environment (eds) Fritz P and Fontes J Ch, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 71–73.

  • Gammons C H, Poulson S R, Pellicori D A, Reed P J, Roesler A J and Petersue E M 2006 The hydrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of precipitation, evaporated mine water, and river water in Montana, USA; J. Hydrol. 328 319–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia M, Villalba F, Aragus-Aragus L and Rozamski K 1998 The role of atmospheric circulation patterns in controlling the regional distribution of stable isotope contents in precipitation: Preliminary results from two transects in Ecuadorian Andes, In: Isotope Techniques in the Study of Environmental Change; IAEA, Vienna, pp. 127–140.

  • Gonfianitini R, Roche M -A, Olivry J -C., Fontes J -C. and Zuppi G M 2001 The altitude effect on the isotopic composition of tropical rains; Chem. Geol. 181 147–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gopakumar R and Takara K 2009 Water balance and mean water residence time of the Vembanad Wetland of Kerala State, India; In: Ecohydrology of surface and groundwater dependent systems: Concepts, methods and recent developments, IAHS Publ. 328 223–232.

  • Gordon L J, Steffen W, Jonsson B F, Folkem C, Falkenmark M and Johannessen A 2005 Human modification of global water vapor flows from the land surface; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102 7611–7617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gourdiola-Claramonte M, Troch P A, Ziegler A D, Giambelluca T W, Vogler J B and Nullet M A 2008 Local hydrological effects of introducing non-native vegetation in a tropical catchment; Ecohydrology 1 13–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guan H, Simmons G T and Love A J 2009 Orographic controls of rain water isotope distribution in the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia; J. Hydrol. 374 255–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta S K and Deshpande R D 2003 Synoptic hydrology of India from the data of isotopes in precipitation; Curr. Sci. 85 (11) 1591–1595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta S K and Deshpande R D 2005 Groundwater isotopic investigations in India: What has been learned? Curr. Sci. 89 (5) 825–835.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta S K, Deshpande R D, Bhattacharya S K and Jani R A 2005 Groundwater δ 18O and δD from central Indian peninsula: Influence of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal branches of the summer monsoon; J. Hydrol. 303 38–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu C, Froehlich K, Zhou P, Lou Q, Zeng S and Zhou W 2013 Seasonal variation of oxygen–18 in precipitation and surface water of the Poyang Lake Basin, China; Isot. Environ. Healt. S 49 (2) 188–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunjak T, Lutz H O and Roller-Lutz Z 2013 Stable isotope composition of the meteoric precipitation in Croatia; Isot. Environ. Healt. S 49 (3) 336–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James M E 1991 Studies on space–time variabilities of hydrometeorological parameters over Kerala State; Thesis submitted to the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India.

  • Kattan Z 2006 Characterization of surface water and groundwater in the Damascus Ghotta Basin: Hydrochemical and environmental isotope approaches; Environ. Geol. 51 173–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar U S, Kumar B, Rai S P and Sharma S 2010 Stable isotope ratios in precipitation and their relationship with meteorological conditions in the Kumaon Himalayas, India; J. Hydrol. 391 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madhusoodhanan C G, Putty M R Y and Eldho T I 2012 Assessment of basin yield for the Western Ghats rivers of Kerala, Proceedings of the National Conference on Hydraulics & Water Resources; SVNIT, Surat, India, pp. 152–161.

  • Mayaja N A and Srinivasa C V 2014 Rainfall characteristics of Pampa river basin, Kerala: A time series analysis; Int. J. Innov. Res. Adv. Eng. 1 (8) 363–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menon P A and Rajan C K 1989 Climate of Kerala; Classic Publishing House, Cochin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merlivat L and Jouzel J 1979 Global climatic interpretation of the deuterium–oxygen-18 relationship for precipitation; J. Geophys. Res. 84 5029–5033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NWDA 2008 Feasibility Report of Pamba Achankovil Vaippar Link; National Water Development Agency , Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng T R, Wang C H, Huang C C, Fei L Y, Chen C T A and Hwong J L 2010 Stable isotopic characterization of Taiwan’s precipitation: A case study of western Pacific monsoon region; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 289 357–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pradeep Kumar P K 1994 Physiographic features and changes in rainfall pattern of Kerala; Ph.D. thesis submitted to Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India.

  • Rhodes A L, Guswa A J and Newell S E 2000 Seasonal variation in the stable isotopic composition of precipitation in the tropical montane forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica; Water Resour. Res. 42 W11402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rozanski K, Araguas-Araguas L and Gonfiantini R 1993 Isotopic patterns in modern global precipitation; In: Climate change in continental isotopic records (eds) Swart P K, Lohmann K L, McKenzie J and Savin S, American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, pp. 1–37.

  • Rozanski K, Sonntag G and Munnich K O 1982 Factors controlling stable isotope composition of European precipitation; Tellus 34 142–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saravanan E 1994 Agroclimatological studies of Kerala state for application in land use planning; Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India.

  • Schmidt G A, Le Grande A N and Hoffmann G 2007 Water isotope expressions of intrinsic and forced variability in a coupled ocean–atmosphere model; J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos. 112 D10103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scholl M A, Shanley J B, Zegarra J P and Coplen T B 2009 The stable isotope amount effect: New insights from NEXRAD echotops, Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico; Water Resour. Res. 45 W12407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpkins W W 1995 Isotopic composition of precipitation in central Iowa; J. Hydrol. 172 185–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soman M K and Krishna Kumar K 1993 Space–time evolution of meteorological features associated with the onset of Indian summer monsoon; Mon. Wea. Rev. 121 1177–1194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soman M K, Krishnakumar K and Singh N 1988 Decreasing and trend in the rainfall of Kerala; Curr. Sci. 57 7–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stumpp C, Klaus J and Stichler W 2014 Analysis of long-term stable isotopic composition in German precipitation; J. Hydrol. 517 351–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sturm C, Vimeux F and Krinner G 2007 Intraseasonal variability in South America recorded in stable water isotopes; J. Geophys. Res. 112 D20118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surendran U, Sushanth C M, Mammen G and Joseph E J 2014 Crop water requirement using FAO-CROPWAT model and assessment of water resources for sustainable water resource management in Kozhikode district of humid tropical Kerala, India; Proc. Int. Sympos. Integr. Water Resour. Manag. 2 894–902.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vreča P, Bronić I K, Horvatinčić N and Barešić J 2006 Isotopic characterization of precipitation in Slovenia and Croatia: Comparison of continental and maritime stations; J. Hydrol. 330 457–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vuille M, Werner M, Bradley R S and Keiming F 2005 Stable isotopes in precipitation in the Asian monsoon region ; J. Geophys. Res. 110 D23108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warrier C U, Praveenbabu M, Manjula P, Velayudhan K T, Shahul Hameed A and Vasu K 2010 Isotopic characterization of dual monsoon precipitation – evidence from Kerala, India; Curr. Sci. 98 (11) 1487– 1495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wassenaar L I, Athanasopoulos P and Hendry M J 2011 Isotope hydrology of precipitation, surface and ground waters in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada; J. Hydrol. 411 37–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Windhorst D, Waltz T, Timbe E, Frede H -G and Breuer L 2013 Impact of elevation and weather patterns on the isotopic composition of precipitation in a tropical montane rainforest; Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 17 409– 419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Xiao H, Qin Z and Zou S 2013 Hydrogen and oxygen isotopic records in monthly scales variations of hydrological characteristics in the different landscape zones of alpine cold regions; J. Hydrol. 499 124–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman U, Munnich K O and Roether W 1967 Downward movement of soil moisture traced by means of hydrogen isotopes; In: Isotope Techniques in the Hydrological Cycle, Geophysical Monograph Series 11, American Geophysical Union, pp. 28–36.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for establishing the ‘National Stable Isotope Facility for Research in Basic and Applied Science’ at CWRDM with which we could carry out this programme. We are also grateful to the Chief Engineer, Kerala State Electricity Board; Dr Geetha Gopinath, Principal, Mar Thoma Teachers Training College, Pathanamthitta and the authorities of the Vattapayithra Temple, Alappuzha, for facilitating precipitation sample collection. Thanks are also due to the Directors of the Kerala Agricultural University Rice Research Station at Mancompu, and Sugarcane Research Station, Thiruvalla, for providing the climate data. We thank Prof. K V Jayakumar, former Executive Director, CWRDM, for permitting to carry out this study. We are also thankful to Dr N B Narasimha Prasad, Executive Director, CWRDM, for permitting to publish this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Isotope Hydrology Division, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kunnamangalam P O, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673 571, India

    T R Resmi, K V Sudharma & A Shahul Hameed

Authors
  1. T R Resmi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K V Sudharma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A Shahul Hameed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T R Resmi.

Additional information

Corresponding editor: Subimal Ghosh

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Resmi, T.R., Sudharma, K.V. & Hameed, A.S. Stable isotope characteristics of precipitation of Pamba River basin, Kerala, India. J Earth Syst Sci 125, 1481–1493 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-016-0747-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-016-0747-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation