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The analysis of the stable isotopic composition of hydrogen and oxygen in water samples from soils and plants can help to identify sources of vegetation water uptake. This approach requires that the heterogeneous nature of plant and soil matrices is carefully accounted for during experimental design, sample collection, water extraction and analyses. The comparability and shortcomings of the different methods for extracting water and analyzing isotopic composition have been discussed in specialized literature. Yet, despite insightful comparisons of extraction methods and benchmarking methodologies of laboratories worldwide, the community still lacks a roadmap to guide sample collection, extraction, and isotopic analyses, and many practical issues for potential users remain unresolved: for example, which (soil or plant) water pool(s) does the extracted water represent? These constitute a hurdle for the implementation of the approach by newcomers. Here, we summarize discussions led in the framework of the COST Action WATSON (“WATer isotopeS in the critical zONe: from groundwater recharge to plant transpiration”—CA19120). We provide guidelines for (1) sampling soil and plant material for isotopic analysis, (2) methods for laboratory or in situ water extraction, and (3) measurements of isotopic composition. We highlight the importance of considering the process chain as a whole, from experimental design to isotopic analysis to minimize biased estimates of the relative contribution of different water sources to plant water uptake. We conclude by acknowledging some of the limitations of this methodology and advice on the collection of key environmental parameters prior to sample collection for isotopic analyses.This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Hydrological Processes Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change Science of Water > Water Extremes

The analysis of the stable isotopic composition of hydrogen and oxygen in water samples from soils and plants can help to identify sources of vegetation water uptake. This approach requires that the heterogeneous nature of plant and soil matrices is carefully accounted for during experimental design, sample collection, water extraction and analyses. The comparability and shortcomings of the different methods for extracting water and analyzing isotopic composition have been discussed in specialized literature. Yet, despite insightful comparisons of extraction methods and benchmarking methodologies of laboratories worldwide, the community still lacks a roadmap to guide sample collection, extraction, and isotopic analyses, and many practical issues for potential users remain unresolved: for example, which (soil or plant) water pool(s) does the extracted water represent? These constitute a hurdle for the implementation of the approach by newcomers. Here, we summarize discussions led in the framework of the COST Action WATSON (“WATer isotopeS in the critical zONe: from groundwater recharge to plant transpiration”—CA19120). We provide guidelines for (1) sampling soil and plant material for isotopic analysis, (2) methods for laboratory or in situ water extraction, and (3) measurements of isotopic composition. We highlight the importance of considering the process chain as a whole, from experimental design to isotopic analysis to minimize biased estimates of the relative contribution of different water sources to plant water uptake. We conclude by acknowledging some of the limitations of this methodology and advice on the collection of key environmental parameters prior to sample collection for isotopic analyses. This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Hydrological Processes Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change Science of Water > Water Extremes.

Land application of manure, while beneficial to soil health and plant growth, can lead to an overabundance of nutrients and introduction of emerging contaminants into agricultural fields. Compared with surface application of manure, subsurface injection has been shown to reduce nutrients and antibiotics in surface runoff. However, less is known about the influence of subsurface injection on the transport and persistence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. We simulated rainfall to field plots at two sites (one in Virginia and one in Pennsylvania) 1 or 7 d after liquid dairy manure surface and subsurface application (56 Mg ha–1) and monitored the abundance of culturable antibiotic-resistant fecal coliform bacteria (ARFCB) in surface runoff and soils for 45 d. We performed these tests at both sites in spring 2018 and repeated the test at the Virginia site in fall 2019. Manure subsurface injection, compared with surface application, resulted in less ARFCB in surface runoff, and this reduction was greater at Day 1 after application compared with Day 7. The reductions of ARFCB in surface runoff because of manure subsurface injection were 2.5–593 times at the Virginia site in spring 2018 and fall 2019 and 4–5 times at the Pennsylvania site in spring 2018. The ARFCB were only detectable in the 0-to-5-cm soil depth within 14 d of manure surface application but remained detectable in the injection slits of manure subsurface-injected plots even at Day 45. This study demonstrated that subsurface injection can significantly reduce surface runoff of ARFCB from manure-applied fields.

Widespread observations of ecohydrological separation are interpreted by suggesting that water flowing through highly conductive soil pores resists mixing with matrix storage over periods of days to months (i.e., two 'water worlds' exist). These interpretations imply that heterogeneous flow can produce ecohydrological separation in soils, yet little mechanistic evidence exists to explain this phenomenon. We quantified the separation between mobile water moving through preferential flow paths versus less mobile water remaining in the soil matrix after free-drainage to identify the amount of preferential flow necessary to maintain a two water world's scenario. Soil columns of varying macropore structure were subjected to simulated rainfall of increasing rainfall intensity (26 mm h(-1), 60 mm h(-1), and 110 mm h(-1)) whose stable isotope signatures oscillated around known baseline values. Prior to rainfall, soil matrix water delta H-2 nearly matched the known value used to initially wet the pore space whereas soil delta O-18 deviated from this value by up to 3.4 parts per thousand, suggesting that soils may strongly fractionate O-18. All treatments had up to 100% mixing between rain and matrix water under the lowest (26 mm h(-1)) and medium (60 mm h(-1)) rainfall intensities. The highest rainfall intensity (110 mm h(-1)), however, reduced mixing of rain and matrix water for all treatments and produced significantly different preferential flow estimates between columns with intact soil structure compared to columns with reduced soil structure. Further, artificially limiting exchange between preferential flow paths and matrix water reduced bypass flow under the most intense rainfall. We show that (1) precipitation offset metrics such as lc-excess and d-excess may yield questionable interpretations when used to identify ecohydrological separation, (2) distinct domain separation may require extreme rainfall intensities and (3) domain exchange is an important component of m

Widespread observations of ecohydrological separation are interpreted by suggesting that water flowing through highly conductive soil pores resists mixing with matrix storage over periods of days to months (i.e., two 'water worlds' exist). These interpretations imply that heterogeneous flow can produce ecohydrological separation in soils, yet little mechanistic evidence exists to explain this phenomenon. We quantified the separation between mobile water moving through preferential flow paths versus less mobile water remaining in the soil matrix after free-drainage to identify the amount of preferential flow necessary to maintain a two water world's scenario. Soil columns of varying macropore structure were subjected to simulated rainfall of increasing rainfall intensity (26 mm h(-1), 60 mm h(-1), and 110 mm h(-1)) whose stable isotope signatures oscillated around known baseline values. Prior to rainfall, soil matrix water delta H-2 nearly matched the known value used to initially wet the pore space whereas soil delta O-18 deviated from this value by up to 3.4 parts per thousand, suggesting that soils may strongly fractionate O-18. All treatments had up to 100% mixing between rain and matrix water under the lowest (26 mm h(-1)) and medium (60 mm h(-1)) rainfall intensities. The highest rainfall intensity (110 mm h(-1)), however, reduced mixing of rain and matrix water for all treatments and produced significantly different preferential flow estimates between columns with intact soil structure compared to columns with reduced soil structure. Further, artificially limiting exchange between preferential flow paths and matrix water reduced bypass flow under the most intense rainfall. We show that (1) precipitation offset metrics such as lc-excess and d-excess may yield questionable interpretations when used to identify ecohydrological separation, (2) distinct domain separation may require extreme rainfall intensities and (3) domain exchange is an important component of m