Product Description
The application of natural isotopes, stable as well as radioactive, has become a widespread tool for hydrological research, especially surface- and groundwater behavior and exploration. By far the most common isotopes applied are those of the elements of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon, which are crucial in the water cycle. The concentration ratios of the stable isotopes in water (2H/1H, 18O/16O) vary depending on the source of the water and natural processes such as evaporation and condensation. The radioactive isotopes 3H and 14C may provide indications of the source of water and the time elapsed since infiltration. Introduction to Isotope Hydrology explains, in a simple but mathematically, physically, and chemically correct form, the consequences of natural processes to stable isotope concentrations and radioactivities. It also presents indications of possible applications without the pretention of a cookbook. After a largely theoretical introduction, the elements of the water cycle are treated successively: precipitation globally, regionally, and locally; different forms of surface water, including rivers, rivulets and small streams, lakes and stagnant waters, estuaries, and the sea; and groundwater infiltration and flow. The book also includes three appendices that deal with water sample treatment in the field and in the laboratory, measurement techniques for stable and radioactive isotopes, and the inorganic carbon chemistry of water, needed for understanding the behavior of the carbon isotopes. |
