Abstract
ABSTRACTFor certain remote areas like Mongolia, field-based precipitation, surface and ground water isotopic data are scarce. So far no such data exist for the Mongolian Gobi desert, which hinders the understanding of isotopic fractionation processes in this extreme, arid region. We collected 26 event-based precipitation samples, 39 Bij river samples, and 75 samples from other water bodies in the Dzungarian Gobi in SW Mongolia over a period of 16 months for hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope analysis. δ2H and δ18O values in precipitation show high seasonal variation and cover an extreme range: 175 ‰ for δ2H and 24 ‰ for δ18O values. The calculated local meteoric water line (LMWL) shows the isotopic characteristics of precipitation in an arid region. Individual water samples fall into one of three groups: within, above or below the 95 % confidence interval of LMWL. Data presented provide a basis for future studies in this region.
Highlights
Hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope values of water are widely used for tracing the global hydrogeological cycle, and a derived isotopic parameter, namely the d-excess (d = δ2H − 8 δ18O; [1]), is used to study moisture recycling processes [2,3]
The nearest station contributing data for long-term International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) is the Fukang station (87°56′0′′E, 44°16′60′′N, 460 m above sea level (a.s.l.)) in NW China, located over 450 km south-west from our study area, i.e. the Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in the Dzungarian Gobi in Mongolia, from which it is separated by a mountain range at the international border between China and Mongolia
Study area The Great Gobi B SPA stretches over 9000 km2 and covers a large part of the Dzungarian Gobi in southwestern Mongolia (Figure 1) [20,21]
Summary
Hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope values of water are widely used for tracing the global hydrogeological cycle, and a derived isotopic parameter, namely the d-excess (d = δ2H − 8 δ18O; [1]), is used to study moisture recycling processes [2,3]. The nearest station contributing data for long-term International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) is the Fukang station (87°56′0′′E, 44°16′60′′N, 460 m above sea level (a.s.l.)) in NW China, located over 450 km south-west from our study area, i.e. the Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in the Dzungarian Gobi in Mongolia, from which it is separated by a mountain range at the international border between China and Mongolia
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