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Isotopic Composition of Water in the Unsaturated and Saturated Zones

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Isotopes of the Earth's Hydrosphere

Abstract

On the basis of experimental data, it has been pointed out that the isotopic composition of shallow groundwaters, which are replenished by infiltration of atmospheric precipitation through the unsaturated zone, is characterized on average by the heavy isotopes of typical precipitation of a given region. Under certain conditions, there are some differences in isotopic ratios for the two types of water mentioned above. This is explained by the fact that precipitation in the spring–summer season is partially and often completely re-evaporated from the Earth’s surface and from the unsaturated zone both directly and due to transpiration of moisture by plants.

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Correspondence to V. I. Ferronsky .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Ferronsky, V.I., Polyakov, V.A. (2012). Isotopic Composition of Water in the Unsaturated and Saturated Zones. In: Isotopes of the Earth's Hydrosphere. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2856-1_6

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