Stable isotope variations of dew under three different climates

Chao Tian,Kudzai Farai Kaseke,Kun Du,Fadong Li,Xiao Zhang,Marie-Gabrielle Medici,Wenzhe Jiao,Lixin Wang,Daniel Beysens

doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01151-6

Abstract

As a supplementary or the only water source in dry regions, dew plays a critical role in the survival of organisms. The new hydrological tracer 17O-excess, with almost sole dependence on relative humidity, provides a new way to distinguish the evaporation processes and reconstruct the paleoclimate. Up to now, there is no published daily dew isotope record on δ2H, δ18O, δ17O, d-excess, and 17O-excess. Here, we collected daily dew between July 2014 and April 2018 from three distinct climatic regions (i.e., Gobabeb in the central Namib Desert with desert climate, Nice in France with Mediterranean climate, and Indianapolis in the central United States with humid continental climate). The δ2H, δ18O, and δ17O of dew were simultaneously analyzed using a Triple Water Vapor Isotope Analyzer based on Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy technique, and then d-excess and 17O-excess were calculated. This report presents daily dew isotope dataset under three climatic regions. It is useful for researchers to use it as a reference when studying global dew dynamics and dew formation mechanisms.

Highlights

Background & SummaryGlobal warming has increased the demand of moisture in the local atmosphere, leading to a decrease in precipitation over many regions, both of which could contribute to drought[1,2]
Dew is beneficial to the survival, growth and development of the plants in arid regions or during droughts, such as bringing nocturnal moisture[11–13] and being directly absorbed and utilized by leaves through plant stomata or special physical features[14–16]
Dew frequency decreased by 5.2 days per decade from 1961 to 2010 in China due primarily to near-surface warming and associated decreases in relative humidity (RH)[11]

Summary

Introduction

Background & SummaryGlobal warming has increased the demand of moisture in the local atmosphere, leading to a decrease in precipitation over many regions, both of which could contribute to drought[1,2]. We provide daily dew isotope dataset (δ2H, δ18O, δ17O, d-excess, and 17O-excess) under three different climatic regions including Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute (hereafter Gobabeb) in the central Namib Desert with desert climate, Nice in France with Mediterranean climate, and Indianapolis in the central United States with humid continental climate collected between July 2014 to April 2018.

Results

Conclusion