Monitoring water stable isotopic composition in soils using gas-permeable tubing and infrared laser absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

[1] In soils, the isotopic composition of water (δ2H and δ18O) provides qualitative (e.g., location of the evaporation front) and quantitative (e.g., evaporation flux and root water uptake depths) information. However, the main disadvantage of the isotope methodology is that contrary to other soil state variables that can be monitored over long time periods, δ2H and δ18O are typically analyzed following destructive sampling. Here we present a nondestructive method for monitoring soil liquid water δ2H and δ18O over a wide range of water availability conditions and temperatures by sampling water vapor equilibrated with soil water using gas-permeable polypropylene tubing and a cavity ring-down laser absorption spectrometer. By analyzing water vapor δ2H and δ18O sampled with the tubing from a fine sand for temperatures ranging between 8°C and 24°C, we demonstrate that our new method is capable of monitoring δ2H and δ18O in soils online with high precision and after calibration, also with high accuracy. Our sampling protocol enabled detecting changes of δ2H and δ18O following nonfractionating addition and removal of liquid water and water vapor of different isotopic compositions. Finally, the time needed for the tubing to monitor these changes is compatible with the observed variations of δ2H and δ18O in soils under natural conditions.