Identification of Sources of Atmospheric Vapour using Isotopic Signature of Air Moisture at Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

As a result of research and applications of isotope hydrology in the country during the last few decades, it has become possible to study continental scale hydrological cycle and trace the movement of water molecules from their origin on the surface of the ocean through rain bearing clouds to precipitation to evapo-transpiration and groundwater recharge and back to ocean and atmosphere. It is also realized that this process of tracking the journey of water molecules using stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen can lead to quantitative understanding of the involved physical processes because of the isotopic fractionation being proportional to the extent the process has advanced