Introduction To Isotope Hydrology

This publication presents, in a simple, but scientifically rigorous manner, the consequences of natural processes to stable isotope concentrations and radioactivities, and discusses the implications of these processes.

Within the discipline of environmental sciences, the stable-isotope methodology is being increasingly used, especially in the study of the water cycle and of paleo-climatology. This book reviews the natural variability of stable isotopes in the hydrosphere, describing the physico-chemical basis of isotope fractionalism, and applying this knowledge to natural waters as they move through the hydrologic cycle from the ocean to the atmosphere, the biosphere and the lithosphere. It focuses on the processes at the surface-atmosphere and land-biosphere-atmosphere interfaces, since these are the sites of major changes in isotope composition. In response to the increasing awareness of our changing climate, a discussion on the global view of the changing water cycle, in the past and future, concludes up the presentation.

Groundwater is an increasingly important resource to human populations around the world, and the study and protection of groundwater is an essential part of hydrogeology - the subset of hydrology that concentrates on the subsurface. Environmental isotopes, naturally occurring nuclides in water and solutes, have become fundamental tools for tracing

In Indian context.

This book represents a new "earth systems" approach to catchments that encompasses the physical and biogeochemical interactions that control the hydrology and biogeochemistry of the system. The text provides a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of catchment hydrology, principles of isotope geochemistry, and the isotope variability in the hydrologic cycle -- but the main focus of the book is on case studies in isotope hydrology and isotope geochemistry that explore the applications of isotope techniques for investigating modern environmental problems. Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology is the first synthesis of physical hydrology and isotope geochemistry with catchment focus, and is a valuable reference for professionals and students alike in the fields of hydrology, hydrochemistry, and environmental science. This important interdisciplinary text provides extensive guidelines for the application of isotope techniques for all investigatores facing the challenge of protecting precious water, soil, and ecological resources from the ever-increasing problems associated with population growth and environmental change, including those from urban development and agricultural land uses.

Table of Contents Ch. 1 Introduction 1 Ch. 2 Basic concepts of nuclear physics 8 Ch. 3 Nuclear instrumentation techniques 25 Ch. 4 Environmental isotopes of water molecule and the applications 37 Ch. 5 Tritium, radio carbon and chlorine-36 dating 69 Ch. 6 Chlorofluorocarbons (C Cl[subscript 3]F, CFC - 11, and C Cl[subscript 2]F[subscript 2]) CFC-12 as dating tools and hydrologic tracers 93 Ch. 7 Artificial radioactive isotopes as tracers in surface, subsurface and ground water resources 99 Ch. 8 Application of sealed sources 122 Ch. 9 Sediment studies 149.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Environmental Tracers" that was published in Water

Environmental isotope and nuclear techniques provide unmatched insights into the processes governing the water cycle and its variability. This monograph presents state of the art applications and new developments of isotopes in hydrology, environmental disciplines and climate change studies. Coverage ranges from the assessment of groundwater resources in terms of recharge and flow regime to studies of the past and present global environmental and climate changes.

Contains 174 extended abstracts of papers presented during 11 technical sessions of the 11th symposium in the series that was convened during 19-23 May 2003 in Vienna. Nearly 275 participants from 69 countries participated in the symposium to discuss the past, present and future of isotope applications in hydrology and climate research.

This book covers the distribution, hydrochemistry and geophysics of the naturally occurring stable isotopes namely: hydrogen, oxygen and radioactive tritium, carbon and other cosmogenic and radiogenic isotopes of the uranium-thorium series, in the oceans and in atmosphere, the earth's surface and ground water. The use of environmental isotopes in the three main areas of natural waters is discussed: origin, dynamics and residence time in natural reservoirs. The origin of the hydrosphere is examined in the light of isotopic, new cosmochemical and recent theoretical results. The book will be of interest to scientists and researchers who use environmental isotopes in solving scientific and practical problems in hydrology, hydrogeology, oceanography, meteorology, hydrogeochemistry and cosmochemistry. Lecturers, students and postgraduates in these fields will also find it useful.