Articles | Volume 26, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5835-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5835-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
17 Nov 2022
Technical note |
| 17 Nov 2022
| 17 Nov 2022
Technical note: On uncertainties in plant water isotopic composition following extraction by cryogenic vacuum distillation
Haoyu Diao
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Philipp Schuler
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
Gregory R. Goldsmith
Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866 USA
Rolf T. W. Siegwolf
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
Matthias Saurer
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
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Revised manuscript under review for ESSD
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This study describes a unique large-scale isotope dataset to study water dynamics in European forests. Researchers collected data from 40 beech and spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023, using a standardized method to ensure consistency. The results show that water sources for trees change between seasons and vary by tree species. This large dataset offers valuable information for understanding plant water use, improving ecohydrological models, and mapping water cycles across Europe.
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Short summary
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This study describes a unique large-scale isotope dataset to study water dynamics in European forests. Researchers collected data from 40 beech and spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023, using a standardized method to ensure consistency. The results show that water sources for trees change between seasons and vary by tree species. This large dataset offers valuable information for understanding plant water use, improving ecohydrological models, and mapping water cycles across Europe.
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When it rains, water remains in the ground for variable amounts of time before it is taken up by plants or becomes streamflow. Understanding how long water stays in the ground before it is taken up by plants or becomes streamflow helps predict what will happen to the water cycle in future climates. Some studies suggest that plants take up water that has been in the ground for a long time; in contrast, we find that plants take up a significant amount of recent rain.
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Short summary
We systematically investigate the uncertainties in previously observed isotopic offsets between plant source water and water extracted by cryogenic vacuum distillation. Our results show that hydrogen isotope exchange between organic material and water is a real phenomenon. However, the isotopic offsets are rather influenced by the actual amount of extracted water, sublimation, and evaporation. Our findings will help improve interpretations of ecohydrological processes in isotope-based studies.
We systematically investigate the uncertainties in previously observed isotopic offsets between...
