A Review of Isotope Applications in Catchment Hydrology

Vitvar, Tomáš; Aggarwal, Pradeep; McDonnell, Jeffrey J.

doi:10.1007/1-4020-3023-1_12

Cited by 59 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…These responses are typically decoupled with the displacement of stored water during rainfall periods and the slow drainage during dry periods and the rapid response of new water inputs via well-connected pathways (Bonell, 1998). The Mean Transit Time (MTT) is defined as the average time elapsed since water drops entered the catchment and the time they are observed in the catchment outlet (Vitvar et al, 2005). Mean Response Time (MRT) on the other hand, is an indicator of the rainfall-runoff response as it represents the speed and volume of outflow with which a catchment responds to water input (precipitation).…”

Section: Estimating Rtd and Ttd For Events And Baseflow Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…whether it comes from rain or snowmelt (event water) or from water stored in the watershed prior to the event (groundwater, soil water, lakes etc.) (Vitvar et al, 2005). This knowledge has been used to understand the interactions between precipitation, runoff pathways and runoff generation processes, and as a proxy for the capacity of a catchment to store water and chemicals and regulate its flow .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrated response and transit time distributions of watersheds by combining hydrograph separation and long-term transit time modeling

Roa-García

Weiler

2010

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. We present a new modeling approach analyzing and predicting the Transit Time Distribution (TTD) and the Response Time Distribution (RTD) from hourly to annual time scales as two distinct hydrological processes. The model integrates Isotope Hydrograph Separation (IHS) and the Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph (IUH) approach as a tool to provide a more realistic description of transit and response time of water in catchments. Individual event simulations and parameterizations were combined with long-term baseflow simulation and parameterizations; this provides a comprehensive picture of the catchment response for a long time span for the hydraulic and isotopic processes. The proposed method was tested in three Andean headwater catchments to compare the effects of land use on hydrological response and solute transport. Results show that the characteristics of events and antecedent conditions have a significant influence on TTD and RTD, but in general the RTD of the grassland dominated catchment is concentrated in the shorter time spans and has a higher cumulative TTD, while the forest dominated catchment has a relatively higher response distribution and lower cumulative TTD. The catchment where wetlands concentrate shows a flashier response, but wetlands also appear to prolong transit time.

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Section: Estimating Rtd and Ttd For Events And Baseflow Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated response and transit time distributions of watersheds by combining hydrograph separation and long-term transit time modeling

Roa-García

Weiler

2010

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…Due to their conservative nature in the water cycle, the relative simple sampling and nowadays cheaper and faster measurement technique, they are a commonly used tracer to determine the mean residence time of water in a catchment (Vitvar et al, 2007). One of the first studies that used stable isotopes of water to determine snowmelt runoff was from Dincer et al (1970) and was followed by several of other studies (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution of stable water isotopes in alpine snow cover

Dietermann

Weiler

2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The aim of this study was to analyse and predict the mean stable water isotopic composition of the snow cover at specific geographic locations and altitudes. In addition, the dependence of the isotopic composition of the entire snow cover on altitude was analysed. Snow in four Swiss catchments was sampled at the end of the accumulation period in April 2010 and a second time during snowmelt in May 2010 and analysed for stable isotope composition of 2 H and 18 O. The sampling was conducted at both south-facing and north-facing slopes at elevation differences of 100 m, for a total altitude difference of approximately 1000 m. The observed variability of isotopic composition of the snow cover was analysed with stepwise multiple linear regression models. The analysis indicated that there is only a limited altitude effect on the isotopic composition when considering all samples. This is due to the high variability of the isotopic composition of the precipitation during the winter months and, in particular in the case of south-facing slopes, an enrichment of heavy isotopes due to intermittent melting processes. This enrichment effect could clearly be observed in the samples which were taken later in the year. A small altitudinal gradient of the isotopic composition could only be observed at some north-facing slopes. However, the dependence of snow depth and the day of the year were significant predictor variables in all models. This study indicates the necessity to further study the variability of water isotopes in the snow cover to increase prediction for isotopic composition of snowmelt and hence increase model performance of residence time models for alpine areas in order to better understand the accumulation processes and the sources of water in the snow cover of high mountains.

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“…The stable isotopes of water ( 2 H and 18 O) were chosen as tracers for their conservative behaviour (Vitvar et al, 2005), and electrical conductivity (EC) was selected as additional, low cost tracer considered as proxy of solute concentration. Samples from tracer analysis were mainly collected from different water sources at BCC and lower RVC (2010-ongoing) and, less intensively, at ChA, ChB andupper RVC (2011-2013).…”

Section: Hydrological Tracersmentioning

confidence: 99%