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

随着全球降水中氚浓度的下降，利用氚作为水文示踪剂和同位素年龄约束变得越来越困难。拟议的研究可以通过确定是否以及如何利用低浓度的环境氚（0-35氚单位）来更好地了解径流生成的水化学系统，从而对水文学科学做出原创性贡献。拟议的研究将在格鲁吉亚皮埃蒙特省190平方公里的Falling Creek盆地内进行。本研究将获取和解释主要离子、稳定氧同位素和氚数据，这些数据来自于降水、地表水（在各种流动条件下）、皮埃蒙特风化层中的渗透带和饱和带。这项研究的结果将有助于更好地理解(1)流域内自然水运动和化学过程的速率和机制，以及(2)未来区域水文调查如何继续利用氚。

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.