Munksgaard, N.C., Wurster, C.M., Bass, A., and Bird, M.I. (2012) Extreme short-term stable isotope variability revealed by continuous rainwater analysis. Hydrological Processes, 26 (23). pp. 3630-3634.

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only

 

65

1

Abstract

The continuous real-time analysis, at 30-s intervals, of precipitation at an Australian tropical location revealed extreme and rapidly changing δ¹⁸O and δD values related to variations in moisture source areas, transport paths and precipitation histories. The range of δ¹⁸O (-19.6‰ to +2.6‰) and δD (-140‰ to +13‰) values from 5948 measurements of nine rain events over 15 days during an 8-month period at a single location was comparable with the range measured in 1532 monthly samples from all seven Australian Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation stations from 1962 to 2002. Extreme variations in δ¹⁸O (-8.7‰ to -19.6‰) and δD (-54‰ to -140‰) were recorded within a single 4-h period. Real-time stable isotope monitoring of precipitation at a high temporal resolution enables new and powerful tracer applications in climatology, hydrology, ecophysiology and palaeoclimatology.

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page