RUI: Environmental Tritium Systematics Applied to the Interpretation of the Geochemical and Hydrological Dynamics of Watersheds

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The utilization of tritium as a hydrological tracer and as an isotopic age-constraint is becoming increasingly more difficult as tritium concentrations decrease in global precipitation. The proposed study can make an original contribution to the science of hydrology by determining if and how low concentrations of environmental tritium (0-35 tritium units) can be utilized to better understand the hydrochemical systematics of runoff generation. The proposed study will be conducted within the 190 km2 Falling Creek basin in the Piedmont Province of Georgia. This study will acquire and interpret major ion, stable oxygen isotope, and tritium data derived from precipitation, surface water (under a wide range of flow conditions), the vadose zone and the saturated zone within the Piedmont regolith. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of (1) the rates and mechanisms of natural water movement and chemical processes within watersheds and (2) how future regional hydrological investigations may continue to utilize tritium.