Relationship Between Isotope Ratios in Precipitation and Surface Water
Across Watersheds of the National Ecological Observation Network
Abstract
The timescales associated with precipitation moving through watersheds
reveal processes that are critical to understanding many hydrologic
systems. Measurements of environmental stable water isotope ratios (δ
2H and δ 18O) have been used as
tracers to study hydrologic timescales by examining how long it takes
for incoming precipitation tracers become stream discharge, yet limited
measurements both spatially and temporally have bounded macroscale
evaluations so far. In this observation driven study across North
American biomes within the National Ecological Observation Network
(NEON), we examined δ 18O and δ 2H
stable water isotope in precipitation (δP) and surface water (δQ) at 26
co-located sites. With an average 54 precipitation samples and 139
surface water samples per site, assessment of local meteoric water lines
(LMWL) and local surface water line (LSWL) showed geographic variation
across North America. Taking the ratio of estimated seasonal amplitudes
of δP and δQ to calculate young water fractions (
Fyw), showed a Fyw range
from 1% to 93% with most sites having Fyw below
20%. Calculated mean transit times (MTT) based on a gamma convolution
model showed a range from 0.10 to 13.2 years, with half of the sites
having MTT estimates lower than 2 years. Significant correlations (r)
were found only between the Fyw and watershed
area, longest flow length, and the longest flow length/slope, whereas
the only significant correlation observed for MTT was with site
latitude. The estimated Fyw and MTT provide
information describing hydrologic processes at NEON sites, however
limited correlations of Fyw and MTT with the
environmental characteristics we analyzed demonstrate that these
quantities are primarily driven by site or area specific factors. The
analysis of isotope data presented here provides important constraints
on isotope variation in North American biomes and the timescales of
water movement through NEON study sites.