Assessing land use influences on isotopic variability and stream water ages in urbanising rural catchments.
Isotopes Environ Health Stud
; 58(3): 277-300, 2022 Jun.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35549960
ABSTRACT
Stable water isotopes are invaluable in helping understand catchment functioning and are widely used in experimental catchments, with higher frequency data becoming increasingly common. Such datasets incur substantial logistical costs, reducing their feasibility for use by decision makers needing to understand multi-catchment, landscape-scale functioning over a relatively short period to assess the impact of proposed land use change. Instead, reconnaissance style surveys (high spatial resolution across the landscape at a lower temporal frequency, over a relatively short period) offer an alternative, complementary approach. To test if such sampling could identify heterogeneities in hydrological functioning, and associated landscape controls, we sampled 27 stream sites fortnightly for one year within a peri-urban landscape undergoing land use change. Visual examination of raw data and application of mean transit time and young water fraction models indicated urbanisation, agriculture and responsive soils caused more rapid cycling of precipitation to stream water, whereas mature forestry provided attenuation. We were also able to identify contiguous catchments which functioned fundamentally differently, meaning their response to land use alteration would also be different. This study demonstrated how stable water isotopes can be a valuable, low-cost addition to tools available for environmental decision makers by providing local, process-based information.
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Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Agua
/
Ríos
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Isotopes Environ Health Stud
Asunto de la revista:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Reino Unido