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Stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen are often used for water balance calculations of lakes. We present an approach combining the lake water balance with an isotope mass balance to constrain the sources and sinks of the water of a small dimictic lake subjected to eutrophication. Meteorological and hydraulic data in combination with measured isotope signatures of the different water compartments enabled to assess the degree of surface water/groundwater interaction and the amount of overland flow into the lake. Groundwater could be excluded as a lake water source, as its water level was always below the lake water level. In the absence of a channelled inflow, precipitation and overland flow were the remaining options, whereby the latter was only active during periods of exceptionally high rainfall. While the groundwater signatures adjacent to the lake showed an influence of lake water, the lake water balance itself indicated that the associated volumetric water loss to groundwater is rather negligible. In the present case, only a combined assessment of hydrological and isotopic data allowed for an accurate characterization of the studied lake and a quantification of its water sources and sinks, highlighting the importance of using more than one methodological approach for such a purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Interactions between hydrological characteristics and microbial activities affect the isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate in surface water. Nitrogen and oxygen isotopic signatures of riverine nitrate in 133 sampling locations distributed over the Bode River catchment in the Harz Mountains, Germany, were used to identify nitrate sources and transformation processes. An annual monitoring programme consisting of seasonal sampling campaigns in spring, summer and autumn was conducted.δ15N andδ18O of nitrate and corresponding concentrations were measured as well asδ2H andδ18O of water to determine the deuterium excess. In addition, precipitation on 25 sampling stations was sampled and considered as a potential input factor. The Bode River catchment is strongly influenced by agricultural land use which is about 70 % of the overall size of the catchment. Different nitrogen sources such as ammonia (NH4) fertilizer, soil nitrogen, organic fertilizer or nitrate in precipitation show partly clear nitrate isotopic differences. Processes such as microbial denitrification result in fractionation and lead to an increase inδ15N of nitrate. We observed an evident regional and partly temporal variation of nitrate isotope signatures which are clearly different between main landscape types. Spring water sections within the high mountains contain nitrate in low concentrations with lowδ15NNO3values of −3 ‰ and highδ18ONO3values up to 13 ‰. High mountain stream water sub-catchments dominated by nearly undisturbed forest and grassland contribute nitrate withδ15NNO3andδ18ONO3values of −1 and −3.5 ‰, respectively. In the further flow path, which is affected by an increasing agricultural land use and urban sewage, we recognized an increase inδ15NNO3andδ18ONO3up to 22 and 18 ‰, respectively, with high variations during the year. A correlation seems to exist between the percentage of agricultural land use area and the correspondingδ15NNO3values for sub-catchments. A shift towards heavier isotope values in stream water samples taken in July 2012 is significant (p-value = 6 · 10−6) compared to samples from March and October 2012. We also see a season-depending impact of microbial denitrification. Denitrification, especially evident in the lowlands, predominantly takes place in the riverbeds. In addition, mixing processes of different nitrate sources and temperature-depending biological processes such as nitrification have to be taken into consideration. Constant-tempered groundwater does not play a noticeable role in the processes of the stream water system. As constrained from oxygen isotope signatures, precipitation associated with low nitrate concentrations does not have an obvious impact on stream water nitrate in the high mountain region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River water samples were analysed for stable isotopes (deuterium and oxygen-18) collected from 46 sites during spring 2008, and from monthly samples at the outlets of seven sub-basins of the River Weser (46,200 km2 basin area in total) over a five year period from 2003 to 2007, to characterise temporal and spatial isotope patterns of river water. Results indicate a pronounced elevation effect (0.2‰ and 1 to 2‰ per 100 m for δ18O and δ2H, respectively) as well as influence of seawater mixing for a few coastal locations. A lumped parameter modelling approach was used to compare residence times and relative amounts of direct flow, fast and slow groundwater with those derived from a combined water balance and tritium balance modelling approach. Residence times of direct runoff were estimated to be between one and three and a half months. Much longer groundwater residence times are necessary to explain tritium recession in river water. The modelling fits for stable isotope data in river water, derived with residence times and base flow amounts combined from a water and tritium balance approach, emphasise that beneath a characterisation of a direct flow component, seasonal variations of stable isotope values in river water carry information on groundwater contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As demand for regional and organically produced foodstuff has increased in Europe, the need has arisen to verify the products' origin and production method. For food authenticity tracking (production method and origin), we examined 286 samples of wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum ), and apples ( Malus domestica ) from different regions in Germany for their stable isotope compositions of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur. Single-variate authentication methods were used. Suitable isotope tracers to determine wheat's regional origin were δ 18 O and δ 34 S. δ 13 C helped to distinguish between organic and conventional wheat samples. For the separation of the production regions of potatoes, several isotope tracers were suitable (e.g. δ 18 O, δ 2 H, δ 15 N, δ 13 C and δ 34 S isotopes in potato protein), but only protein δ 15 N was suitable to differentiate between organic and conventional potato samples. For the apple samples, 2 H and 18 O isotopes helped to identify production regions, but no significant statistical differences could be found between organically and conventionally farmed apples. For food authenticity tracking, our study showed the need to take the various isotopes into account. There is an urgent need for a broad reference database if isotope measurements are to become a main tool for determining product's origin.

To receive information about the duration of a person's stay abroad related to those questions in forensics, stable isotopes of H-C-N-S were analysed in beard hair samples from four young soldiers, who went from Fürstenfeldbruck (Bavaria, Germany) to Phoenix (Arizona, USA) on the same date for their pilot training over a time period of 3 months. All study subjects were almost of the same age, had similar physical constitutions and stayed at the same military bases for the whole study period. However, the results showed considerable individual variabilities. In Arizona, hair δ(13)C increased by 2.3‰ (±0.6) and δ(34)S decreased by 1.8‰ (±1.2). No remarkable shifts of hair δ(15)N and δ(2)H were observed. Significant shifts of δ(13)C or δ(34)S in the shaved beard hair samples occurred 8 or 9 days after arrival in Arizona, respectively. The time lag to receive the isotope signals in hair due to US diet correspond to the growth period that hair needs to cover the distance of 2-3 mm from its root to the surface of the skin. This implies that isotopic changes due to the consumption of food and drinks were incorporated almost immediately into the hair protein. Consequently, if connected with an isotopic change of the diet, short-term stays for only a few days might be clearly recognizable within the first millimetres of a scalp hair strand which includes the hair roots.

Novel tree ring parameters - δ(13)C and δ(2)H from methoxyl groups - have been developed to reconstruct palaeoclimate. Tests with δ(13)C and δ(18)O derived from whole wood and cellulose samples, however, indicated differences in the isotopic composition and climate signal, depending on the extracted wood component. We assess this signal dependency by analysing (i) δ(13)C and δ(18)O from whole wood and cellulose and (ii) δ(13)C and δ(2)H from methoxyl groups, using Pinus sylvestris L. growing near Altenkirchen (Germany). Results indicate significant correlations among the time series derived from whole wood, cellulose, and lignin methoxyl groups. Compared with the whole wood samples, δ(13)C from methoxyl groups showed a different and overall lower response to climate parameters. On the other hand, δ(2)H from methoxyl groups showed high correlations with temperature and was also correlated with ring width, indicating its potential as a temperature proxy. Isotope time series with the highest correlation with climatic parameter were: (i) whole wood and cellulose δ(13)C with growing season precipitation and summer temperature; (ii) methoxyl groups with spring precipitation; (iii) whole wood and cellulose δ(18)O correlates with annual evapotranspiration and water balance; and (iv) methoxyl group δ(2)H with spring temperatures. These findings reveal that multiple climate elements can be reconstructed from different wood components and that whole wood proxies perform comparably to cellulose time series.