Articles | Volume 28, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1711-2024
© Author(s) 2024. 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-28-1711-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Apr 2024
Research article |
| 15 Apr 2024
| 15 Apr 2024
Stream water sourcing from high-elevation snowpack inferred from stable isotopes of water: a novel application of d-excess values
Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
Rosemary W. H. Carroll
Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA
David Marchetti
Natural and Environmental Sciences Department, Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO, USA
Carleton Bern
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO, USA
Harsh Beria
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Wendy Brown
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
Alexander Newman
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
Curtis Beutler
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
Kenneth H. Williams
Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
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Short summary
Stable isotopes of water (described as d-excess) in mountain snowpack can be used to infer proportions of high-elevation snowmelt in stream water. In a Colorado River headwater catchment, nearly half of the water during peak streamflow is derived from melted snow at elevations greater than 3200 m. High-elevation snowpack contributions were higher for years with lower snowpack and warmer spring temperatures. Thus, we suggest that d-excess could serve to assess high-elevation snowpack changes.
Stable isotopes of water (described as d-excess) in mountain snowpack can be used to infer...
