Baseline study of Oxygen 18 and deuterium in the Roswell, New Mexico, groundwater basin

Technical Report · Sat May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:6098542

Hoy, R N; Gross, G W

The isotopic ratios of deuterium and oxygen 18 were measured in precipitation, surface, and ground water samples from the Roswell Artesian ground water basin in south-central New Mexico. The narrow range of D and 180 indicates mixing effects which are ascribed to one or more of the following factors: long ground water flow paths; large temperature fluctuations affecting which overwhelm the influence of elevation on precipitation; two sources of atmospheric moisture; interaquifer leakage; and recharge from intermittent streams with the flow-length expanding and contracting over large distances. It is concluded that a more precise definition of circulation patterns on the basis of stable isotope differences will require a much greater sampling frequency in both space and time.

• Research Organization: New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces (USA). New Mexico Water Resources Research Inst.
• OSTI ID: 6098542
• Report Number(s): PB-83-173302
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
AQUIFERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEW MEXICO
GROUND WATER
ARID LANDS
ARTESIAN BASINS
DEUTERIUM
ISOTOPE RATIO
MIXING
MOUNTAINS
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
PRECIPITATION SCAVENGING
RUNOFF
STREAMS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION VI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STABLE ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WATER
520500* - Environment
Aquatic- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
580100 - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989)