Cosmogenic Isotopes Unravel the Hydrochronology and Water Storage Dynamics of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone
Abstract
Abstract One of the principal questions in hydrology is how and when water leaves the critical zone storage as either stream flow or evapotranspiration. We investigated subsurface water storage and storage selection of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (California, USA) within the age‐ranked storage selection framework, constrained by a novel combination of cosmogenic radioactive and stable isotopes: tritium, sodium‐22, sulfur‐35, and oxygen‐18. We found a significant positive correlation between tritium and stream flow rate and between sulfur‐35 and stream flow rate, indicating that the age distribution of stream flow varies with stream flow rate. Storage selection functions that vary with stream flow rate are better able to reproduce tritium concentrations in stream flow than functions that are constant in time. For the Southern Sierra Critical Zone, there is a strong preference to discharge the oldest water in storage during dry conditions but only a weak preference for younger water during wet conditions. The preference of evapotranspiration for younger water, constrained by oxygen‐18 in stream water, is essential to parameterize subsurface storage but needs to be confirmed by isotopic or other investigations of evapotranspiration. This is the first study to illustrate how a combination of cosmogenic radioactive isotopes reveals themore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[3];
[4];
[1];
[5]
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); U.S. Forest Service, Fresno, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States)
- VU Univ., Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1513298
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1495234
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-739758
Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397; 893353
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Hydrochronology; Storage Selection Functions; Tritium; Sulfur‐35; Sodium‐22; Oxygen‐18
Citation Formats
Visser, A., Thaw, M., Deinhart, A., Bibby, R., Safeeq, M., Conklin, M., Esser, B., and Van der Velde, Y. Cosmogenic Isotopes Unravel the Hydrochronology and Water Storage Dynamics of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1029/2018WR023665.
Visser, A., Thaw, M., Deinhart, A., Bibby, R., Safeeq, M., Conklin, M., Esser, B., & Van der Velde, Y. Cosmogenic Isotopes Unravel the Hydrochronology and Water Storage Dynamics of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023665
Visser, A., Thaw, M., Deinhart, A., Bibby, R., Safeeq, M., Conklin, M., Esser, B., and Van der Velde, Y. Tue .
"Cosmogenic Isotopes Unravel the Hydrochronology and Water Storage Dynamics of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023665. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1513298.
@article{osti_1513298,
title = {Cosmogenic Isotopes Unravel the Hydrochronology and Water Storage Dynamics of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone},
author = {Visser, A. and Thaw, M. and Deinhart, A. and Bibby, R. and Safeeq, M. and Conklin, M. and Esser, B. and Van der Velde, Y.},
abstractNote = {Abstract One of the principal questions in hydrology is how and when water leaves the critical zone storage as either stream flow or evapotranspiration. We investigated subsurface water storage and storage selection of the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (California, USA) within the age‐ranked storage selection framework, constrained by a novel combination of cosmogenic radioactive and stable isotopes: tritium, sodium‐22, sulfur‐35, and oxygen‐18. We found a significant positive correlation between tritium and stream flow rate and between sulfur‐35 and stream flow rate, indicating that the age distribution of stream flow varies with stream flow rate. Storage selection functions that vary with stream flow rate are better able to reproduce tritium concentrations in stream flow than functions that are constant in time. For the Southern Sierra Critical Zone, there is a strong preference to discharge the oldest water in storage during dry conditions but only a weak preference for younger water during wet conditions. The preference of evapotranspiration for younger water, constrained by oxygen‐18 in stream water, is essential to parameterize subsurface storage but needs to be confirmed by isotopic or other investigations of evapotranspiration. This is the first study to illustrate how a combination of cosmogenic radioactive isotopes reveals the hydrochronology and water storage dynamics of catchments, constrains the subsurface architecture of the critical zone, and provides insight into landscape evolution.},
doi = {10.1029/2018WR023665},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
number = 2,
volume = 55,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 29 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Tue Jan 29 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Age‐Ranked Storage‐Discharge Relations: A Unified Description of Spatially Lumped Flow and Water Age in Hydrologic Systems
journal, August 2019
- Harman, C. J.
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The Demographics of Water: A Review of Water Ages in the Critical Zone
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Expansion and contraction of the flowing stream network alter hillslope flowpath lengths and the shape of the travel time distribution
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The Demographics of Water: A Review of Water Ages in the Critical Zone
text, January 2019
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- ETH Zurich
Expansion and contraction of the flowing stream network alter hillslope flowpath lengths and the shape of the travel time distribution
text, January 2019
- Van Meerveld, H. J. Ilja; Kirchner, James W.; Vis, Marc J. P.
- ETH Zurich
Expansion and contraction of the flowing stream network alter hillslope flowpath lengths and the shape of the travel time distribution
text, January 2019
- Van Meerveld, H. J. Ilja; Kirchner, James W.; Vis, Marc J. P.
- Copernicus Publications