Rapid Field Measurement of the Stable Isotopes of Water

水的稳定同位素(氧-18和氢)在水文学中被广泛用于研究降水的渗透、地下水的排放等过程，并帮助建立水量平衡和集水区。这些同位素还被用作探索水在地表和地下环境中的运输过程和迁移的实验中的保守示踪剂。目前，对同位素的分析通常是在昂贵的大型实验室进行的，成本很高。分析技术的最新发展向市场推出了一种价格便宜得多的同位素分析仪，这种仪器速度快，携带方便，可以在现场使用。有了这项技术，每次分析的成本降低到不到几美元，从而允许更广泛的采样。分析仪的便携性还允许在现场收集实时数据，这在优化数据在适当分析时间范围内的分布方面具有很大优势。申请者希望获得洛斯加托斯研究稳定的同位素分析仪，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和氚，以探索降水对破裂的基岩含水层的渗透，北极淡水湖水量平衡中降雨、融雪和冰之间的关系，以及受污染的湖水潜在地渗透到用于饮用水供应的海岸线环境中。该分析仪还将用于在垃圾填埋场附近的自然衰减路径上进行的示踪实验，以及将探索土壤和耕作厚度对渗透过程的影响的地表水实验。由于该仪器只需要很少的培训，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。大约8-10名研究生将在最初的几年使用分析仪，预计之后会有更多的人使用。根据研究实验室目前的分析成本，分析仪的成本将在第一年年底之前在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.