Rapid Field Measurement of the Stable Isotopes of Water

水的稳定同位素（氧-18和氘）在水文学中被广泛用于研究降水入渗、地下水排放等过程，并有助于建立水预算和集水区。这些同位素也被用作保守示踪剂，用于探索地表和地下环境中水的运输过程和迁移。目前，对同位素的分析通常是在大型和昂贵的实验室中进行的，成本很高。分析技术的最新发展已经向市场推出了一种便宜得多的同位素分析仪，这种仪器快速且便携，足以在现场使用。有了这项技术，每次分析的成本降低到不到几美元，允许更广泛的采样。分析仪的可移植性还允许在现场收集实时数据，这是在适当的时间框架内优化数据分布以进行分析的一大优势。申请人希望获得洛斯加托斯研究稳定同位素分析仪，以支持在湖泊，地下水和湿地环境中进行的几项研究。该分析仪将用于测量氧-18和氘，以探索降水对裂隙基岩含水层的渗透，北极淡水湖泊水收支中降雨、融雪和冰之间的关系，以及受污染的湖水可能渗入用于饮用水供应的岸线环境。该分析仪还将用于在垃圾填埋场附近的自然衰减路径中进行示踪实验，以及地表水实验，探索土壤和土层厚度对入渗过程的影响。由于该仪器只需要少量的培训，因此不需要专门的技术人员，进行研究的研究生将自己操作仪器。在最初的几年里，大约有8-10名研究生将使用该分析仪，预计会有更多的学生使用。根据目前研究实验室的分析成本，该分析仪的成本将在第一年年底节省的运营资金中收回。

The stable isotopes of water (Oxygen-18 and Deuterium) are widely used in hydrology to investigate processes such as the infiltration of precipitation, groundwater discharge, and to aid in the establishment of water budgets and catchment areas. These isotopes are also used as conservative tracers in experiments conducted to explore transport processes and the migration of water in both surface and subsurface environments. At present, the analysis for the isotopes is commonly conducted in large and expensive laboratories at a substantial cost. Recent development in analysis technology has introduced a much less expensive isotope analyzer to the market, an instrument that is rapid and portable enough to be used in the field. With this technology the cost is diminished to less than a few dollars per analysis, allowing for significantly more extensive sampling. The portability of the Analyzer also allows for the collection of real-time data in the field, a great advantage in optimizing the distribution of data over appropriate time frames for analysis. The Applicants wish to obtain a Los Gatos Research Stable Isotope Analyzer for the support of several studies conducted in lake, groundwater and wetlands settings. The Analyzer will be used for the measurement of Oxygen-18 and Deuterium to explore the infiltration of precipitation into fractured bedrock aquifers, the relation between rainfall, snowmelt and ice in the water budget for Arctic freshwater lakes, and the potential infiltration of contaminated lakewater into a shoreline environment used for drinking water supply. The Analyzer will also be used in tracer experiments conducted in natural attenuation pathways adjacent to landfills, and in surface-to-groundwater experiments which will explore the impact of soil and till thickness on infiltration processes. As the instrument requires only minor training, a specialized and dedicated technician is not required, and the graduate students conducting the research will run the instrument on their own. Approximately 8-10 graduate students will use the Analyzer in the first few years wtih many more expected beyond that. Based on the present cost of analysis in research labs, the cost of the Analyzer will be recouped in operating funds saved by the end of the first year.