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Stable Isotopes in Large Scale Hydrological Applications

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Abstract

Measurement and modeling of the stable isotope signature of water in continental runoff provides unique information for large scale hydrological process studies and global water budget assessment. This chapter presents theory and case studies that illustrate isotopic signals relevant to understanding large scale hydrological processes. We provide examples illustrating isotopic labeling arising from isotopically varying runoff sources, open-water evaporation from lakes and wetlands, and river channel evaporation. Incorporation of isotopes in global and regional distributed runoff models may support the formal implementation of water isotopes as tools for monitoring large scale changes in continental water budgets and for model validation, but this work will require more comprehensive monitoring efforts for both surface water and meteoric precipitation isotopic composition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alberta Research Council, University of Victoria, Vancouver Island Technology Park, 3 - 4476 Markham St, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8Z 7X8

    John J. Gibson

  2. Global Water Center of the CUNY Environmental Crossroads Initiative, The City College of New York at the City University of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY, 10031, USA

    Balázs M. Fekete

  3. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue Climate Change Research Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Gabriel J. Bowen

Authors
  1. John J. Gibson
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  2. Balázs M. Fekete
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  3. Gabriel J. Bowen
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Correspondence to John J. Gibson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University System, Garner Field Rd. 1619, Uvalde, 78801, U.S.A.

    Jason B. West

  2. Dept. Earth & Atmospheric Science, Purdue University, Stadium Mall Drive 550, West Lafayette, 47907-2051, U.S.A.

    Gabriel J. Bowen

  3. Dept. Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, 94720, U.S.A.

    Todd E. Dawson

  4. Dept. Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, 94720, U.S.A.

    Kevin P. Tu

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Gibson, J.J., Fekete, B.M., Bowen, G.J. (2010). Stable Isotopes in Large Scale Hydrological Applications. In: West, J., Bowen, G., Dawson, T., Tu, K. (eds) Isoscapes. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3354-3_18

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