Stable isotope‐based mean catchment altitudes of springs in the Lebanon Mountains

Abstract

Stable isotopes of water are known to provide information on mean altitudes of spring recharge areas, which is an important parameter for groundwater resources management especially in karstic environments. Very often, a lack of precipitation input data limits the possibility for an appropriate estimation of mean catchment altitudes. In the Jeita spring catchment, Lebanon, a characterization of precipitation input was possible with samples collected at six stations at varying altitudes (88 amount‐weighted monthly samples). A local meteoric water line for the Jeita spring catchment was characterized as δ2H = 6.04 * δ18O + 8.45 (R2 = .92) for a 2‐year observation period between October 2012 and September 2014. Integral samples from the snow layer were collected at 22 sites at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 2,300 m above sea level at the end of February 2012 and February 2013, when snow height reached a maximum of more than 6 m at the highest peak in the catchment. Water samples were continuously collected from six springs (Jeita, Kashkoush, Labbane, Assal, Afqa, and Rouaiss). Jeita spring water samples were collected additionally in daily time steps during the snowmelt season in 2012. Mean isotope values of the sampled springs range from −6.8‰ to −8.2‰, and from −33‰ to −44‰, for δ18O and δ2H, respectively. The stable isotope data show that input variability (space and time, snow cover, and rainfall) has direct impacts on mean altitude estimates of spring catchments. A more profound interpretation of spring response to rainfall for six local springs in the Lebanon Mountains was possible in comparison to four earlier described springs collected in the Anti‐Lebanon Mountains in Syria.

Human mobility at Tell Atchana (Alalakh), Hatay, Turkey during the 2nd millennium BC: Integration of isotopic and genomic evidence

“…Stable oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O) of human tooth enamel are mainly derived from drinking water [ 112 , 115 , 117 – 119 ], which, in turn, is determined by the interaction of several factors, most importantly, elevation, temperature, humidity, and distance from the sea [ 111 , 113 , 114 ]. In the Amuq Valley, δ 18 O values of modern precipitation average between -7‰ and -6‰ ( Fig 4 ) [ 123 – 126 ], which is also consistent with measured Orontes water values from Syria [ 127 – 129 ]. However, climate change could have altered the bioavailable oxygen over time, and therefore intra-population analysis is generally the preferred method of evaluating δ 18 O results [ 130 ].…”

Human mobility at Tell Atchana (Alalakh) during the 2nd millennium BC: integration of isotopic and genomic evidence

“…If a person spent their childhood prior to the completion of enamel formation of sampled permanent teeth at a different place than their adulthood (typically taken to be represented by the place where the individual was buried), this should result in a mismatch between the δ 18 O and/or 87 Sr/ Sr values in their teeth versus the environment, provided the bioavailable isotopic signatures of both places differ from one another[35,89,[93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103].Stable oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O) of human tooth enamel are mainly derived from drinking water[94,97,[99][100][101] which, in turn, is determined by the interaction of several factors, most importantly, elevation, temperature, humidity, and distance from the sea[93,95,96]. In the Amuq Valley, δ 18 O values of modern precipitation average between -7‰ and -6‰(Fig 7)[104- 107], which is also consistent with measured Orontes water values from Syria[108][109][110].…”

A Complicated Karst Spring System: Identified by Karst Springs Using Water Level, Hydrogeochemical, and Isotopic Data in Jinan, China

“…Shuster and White [39] use the chemigraphs of several karst springs to reveal the flow type in a karst aquifer. Luo (2018) [38] used the chemigraphs of karst springs to divide the whole karst system into several vertically separated systems.Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of karst springs are considered as conservative traces to characterize the conceptual hydrogeological model of karst aquifers [50], such as to identify the recharge area [22,[51][52][53], determine the recharge amount [8], reveal the responses to rainfall event [54], separate the groundwater flow components [55], and estimate the aquifer storage [32].Jinan karst system is one of the typical karst spring systems in North China, discharging by 108 springs in 2.6 km 2 of the city center. Earlier studies for Jinan karst springs were mainly focused on the hydrodynamic responses to exploitation [56,57] or rainfall [58,59], and the hydrochemical characteristic [60].…”

“…Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of karst springs are considered as conservative traces to characterize the conceptual hydrogeological model of karst aquifers [50], such as to identify the recharge area [22,[51][52][53], determine the recharge amount [8], reveal the responses to rainfall event [54], separate the groundwater flow components [55], and estimate the aquifer storage [32].…”