Water Oxygen Isotope Research Articles

Hydrogen isotope ratios of leaf wax n-alkanes in grasses are insensitive to transpiration

We analyzed hydrogen isotope ratios of high-molecular weight n-alkanes ( δD l) and oxygen isotope ratios of α-cellulose ( δ 18O C) for C 3 and C 4 grasses grown in the field and in controlled-environment growth chambers. The relatively firm understanding of 18O-enrichment in leaf water and α-cellulose was used to elucidate fractionation patterns of δD l signatures. In the different relative humidity environments of the growth chambers, we observed clear and predictable effects of leaf-water enrichment on δ 18O C values. Using a Craig–Gordon model, we demonstrate that leaf water in the growth chamber grasses should have experienced significant D-enriched due to transpiration. Nonetheless, we found no effect of transpirational D-enrichment on the δD l values. In field samples, we saw clear evidence of enrichment (correlating with relative humidity of the field sites) in both δ 18O C and δD l. These seemingly contrasting results could be explained if leaf waxes are synthesized in an environment that is isotopically similar to water entering plant roots due to either temporal or spatial isolation from evaporatively enriched leaf waters. For grasses in the controlled environment, there was no enrichment of source water, whereas enrichment of grass source water via evaporation from soils and/or stems was likely for grass samples grown in the field. Based on these results, evaporation from soils and/or stems appears to affect δD l, but transpiration from leaves does not. Further evidence for this conclusion is found in modeling expected net evapotranspirational enrichment. A Craig–Gordon model applied to each of the field sites yields leaf water oxygen isotope ratios that can be used to accurately predict the observed δ 18O C values. In contrast, the calculated leaf water hydrogen isotope ratios are more enriched than what is required to predict observed δD l values. These calculations lend support to the conclusion that while δ 18O C reflects both soil evaporation and transpiration, δD l appears to only record evaporation from soils and/or stems. Therefore, the δD of n-alkanes can likely be used to reconstruct the δD of water entering a leaf, supporting the soil-enrichment model of Smith and Freeman (2006). In both the field and controlled studies, we found significant photosynthetic pathway effects on n-alkane δD suggesting that biochemical pathways or plant phylogeny have a greater effect on leaf wax δD than leaf-water enrichment in grasses.

Temperature-induced fractionation of oxygen isotopes of diatom frustules and growth water in Lake Sihailongwan in Northeast China

Diatom oxygen isotopes have been widely applied in quantitative reconstruction of the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment, but have rarely been reported in China. In the present study, Lake Sihailongwan in Northeast China was selected for detailed investigation of oxygen isotopic fractionation between diatom frustules and lake water induced by growth temperature. This study involved a 2-year period of field monitoring of the lake water temperature at multiple depths and biweekly collections of traps for both sediment and water at shallow and bottom depths (7 and 49 m below the lake surface, respectively), diatom separation and purification of the trap sediments, and oxygen isotope measurement for diatom silica and lake water samples. The conditioned experiment conducted herein demonstrated that the laboratory device, methods and techniques used in this study were capable of generating reliable data for the typical oxygen isotope composition of diatom frustules. The data obtained revealed a prominent linear relationship between the oxygen isotope composition of the modern diatom and lake temperature during growth. The fractionation coefficient was about −0.185‰/°C−0.238‰/°C in the temperature range of 3.6–24°C, which is consistent with the observations from various aquatic environments and laboratory culture with different diatom taxa. These findings provide strong support for the dominant control of the growth temperature on the oxygen isotope fractionation between the diatom frustules and ambient water. A notable difference in the fractionation coefficient was observed between the surface and bottom diatom oxygen isotopes, suggesting that various depositional processes and taphonomic effects influenced the surface and bottom trap samples. Another factor leading to this difference may be that enrichment by evaporation and dilution by rainfall have a stronger influence on the surface. Overall, the results presented here demonstrate significant progress in evaluation of diatom oxygen isotopes in China and draw attention to the differences between surface and bottom diatom oxygen isotope compositions.

The isotopic and hydrologic response of small, closed‐basin lakes to climate forcing from predictive models: Application to paleoclimate studies in the upper Columbia River basin

Simulations conducted using a coupled lake‐catchment, hydrologic and isotope mass‐balance model indicate that small, closed‐basin lakes in north‐central Washington are isotopically sensitive to changes in precipitation, relative humidity, and temperature. Most notably, model simulations predicted inconsistent lake responses to precipitation changes due to differences in lake outseepage rates and surface area to volume (SA :V) ratios. Greater outseepage within model experiments resulted in increased sensitivity to changes in mean precipitation. Moreover, simulations suggest that, in lakes with appreciable outseepage, SA :V ratio changes resulting from lake‐level variations control the direction of changes in lake water oxygen isotope composition (δ18O). Specifically, in lakes with a SA:V ratio that increases at higher lake levels, steady state δ18O values will increase in response to greater long‐term average precipitation. These results suggest that closed‐basin lakes with low outseepage rates will exhibit a transient isotopic response to stochastic variability in hydrologic forcing but will not strongly respond at steady state to variation in mean hydrologic conditions. Conversely, closed‐basin lakes with appreciable outseepage will exhibit strong isotopic responses to both stochastic variability and variation in mean hydrologic conditions (i.e., mean precipitation, relative humidity, and temperature control of catchment hydrologic inputs to the lake). These relationships provide a mechanism for explaining inconsistencies in the isotopic responses of lakes within a given region to hydrologic forcing and demonstrate that semiquantitative models for describing the relationship between lake hydrologic and isotopic responses to climate variability are not appropriate for all closed‐basin lakes.

Revised phosphate–water fractionation equation reassessing paleotemperatures derived from biogenic apatite

Oxygen isotopes of biogenic apatite have been widely used to reassess anomalous temperatures inferred from oxygen isotope ratios of ancient biogenic calcite, more prone to diagenetic alteration. However, recent studies have highlighted that oxygen isotope ratios of biogenic apatite differ dependent on used analytical techniques. This questions the applicability of the phosphate–water fractionation equations established over 25 years ago using earlier analytical techniques to more recently acquired data. In this work we present a new phosphate–water oxygen isotope fractionation equation based on oxygen isotopes determined on fish raised in aquariums at controlled temperature and with monitored water oxygen isotope composition. The new equation reveals a similar slope, but an offset of about + 2‰ to the earlier published equations. This work has major implications for paleoclimatic reconstructions using oxygen isotopes of biogenic apatite since calculated temperatures have been underestimated by about 4 to 8 °C depending on applied techniques and standardization of the analyses.

Can shells of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) be used to estimate low summer discharge of rivers and associated droughts?

This paper examines if shell oxygen isotope ratios (δ18Oar) of Unio sp. can be used as a proxy of past discharge of the river Meuse. The proxy was developed from a modern dataset for the reference time interval 1997–2007, which showed a logarithmic relationship between discharge and measured water oxygen isotope ratios (δ18Ow). To test this relationship for past time intervals, δ18Oar values were measured in the aragonite of the growth increments of four Unio sp. shells; two from a relatively wet period and two from a very dry time interval (1910–1918 and 1969–1977, respectively). Shell δ18Oar records were converted into δ18Ow values using existing water temperature records. Summer δ18Ow values, reconstructed from δ18Oar of 1910–1918, showed a similar range as the summer δ18Ow values for the reference time interval 1997–2007, whilst summer reconstructed δ18Ow values for the time interval 1969–1977 were anomalously high. These high δ18Ow values suggest that the river Meuse experienced severe summer droughts during the latter time interval. δ18Ow values were then applied to calculate discharge values. It was attempted to estimate discharge from the reconstructed δ18Ow values using the logarithmic relationship between δ18Ow and discharge. A comparison of the calculated summer discharge results with observed discharge data showed that Meuse low-discharge events below a threshold value of 6 m3/s can be detected in the reconstructed δ18Ow records, but true quantification remains problematic.

Composition, spatial distribution, and environmental significance of water ions in Pumayum Co catchment, southern Tibet

The chemistry of major cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, and K+) and anions (HCO3−, SO42−, and Cl−) in the water of Lake Pumayum Co and its inflow river was studied, revealing the obvious ionic difference among various inflow rivers and the lake. The chemical type of the lake water was Mg2+-Ca2+-HCO3−-SO42+, but the major ions of the main inflow rivers were Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO3−. In the lake inlet of Jiaqu River, the main inflow river, there was significant variance of water chemistry within the depth less than 2 m. However, it was almost homogeneous at other area of the lake. Therefore, with the evidence of distribution of water chemistry and oxygen isotope of lake water, a conclusion can be outlined that Jiaqu River had a distinct effect on the hydrochemistry of the water on the submerged delta, whereas this is not the case for other rivers. The Gibbs plot revealed that the dominant mechanism responsible for controlling chemical compositions of the lake water was rocks weathering in the drainage area. Ion ratios and ternary plots further explored the main processes controlling the water chemistry of the catchment, i.e., carbonate weathering, pyrite weathering, and silicate weathering. The different hydrochemistry characteristics between river water and lake water may result from the CaCO3 precipitation. The findings will benefit the explanation of the environmental significance of carbonate in paleolimnological studies in the lake.

扇状地河川における出水時の硝酸イオン流出 〜水の酸素安定同位体比を用いた検討〜

Nitrate loading through baseflow during a storm event was calculated by the hydrograph separation. The hydrograph generated by a 54-mm rainfall in the Fuefuki River watershed in Yamanashi Prefecture (Japan) was separated into two components, namely rainwater and prestorm water, using water-oxygen isotope values. The stormflow discharge was 159 hours long. During this period, the water released from prestorm water was 87% of the total discharge and that released from rain water was 13%. The average concentrations of nitrate in the rainwater and prestorm water were 0.8 and 5.6mg · l-1, respectively. The nitrate concentrations were determined from riverwater collected during the storm flow event, which were between 4.8 and 5.6mg · l-1. The nitrate loading is mainly from prestorm water. The origin of the prestorm water was identified to be baseflow on the watershed. These results suggest that baseflow is the main source of nitrates in the Fuefuki River.

Study on the mechanism of isotope fractionation in soil water during the evaporation process under equilibrium condition

In this study, with the method of vacuum extraction, two evaporative processes of soil water and free water under equilibrium condition were simulated. For each sample, water vapor was condensed by liquid nitrogen and was collected in four time intervals. From the analysis of hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of the water collected at different times, it was discovered that the isotope fractionation of soil water also follows the mode, which is just the same as the evaporative process of free water. The relationship between the stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in residual water showed that the simulative evaporation line was close to the global meteoric water line (GMWL) under the equilibrium condition at about 20°C. Comparison of the two types of evaporative processes indicated that the isotope fractionation and evaporation velocity of soil water were only slightly modified by the Van der Waals force.

Laboratory chalcopyrite oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans: Oxygen and sulfur isotope fractionation

Abstract Laboratory experiments were conducted to simulate chalcopyrite oxidation under anaerobic and aerobic conditions in the absence or presence of the bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Experiments were carried out with 3 different oxygen isotope values of water (δ18OH2O) so that approach to equilibrium or steady-state isotope fractionation for different starting conditions could be evaluated. The contribution of dissolved O2 and water-derived oxygen to dissolved sulfate formed by chalcopyrite oxidation was unambiguously resolved during the aerobic experiments. Aerobic oxidation of chalcopyrite showed 93 ± 1% incorporation of water oxygen into the resulting sulfate during the biological experiments. Anaerobic experiments showed similar percentages of water oxygen incorporation into sulfate, but were more variable. The experiments also allowed determination of sulfate–water oxygen isotope fractionation, e18OSO4–H2O, of ~ 3.8‰ for the anaerobic experiments. Aerobic oxidation produced apparent eSO4–H2O values (6.4‰) higher than the anaerobic experiments, possibly due to additional incorporation of dissolved O2 into sulfate. δ34SSO4 values are ~ 4‰ lower than the parent sulfide mineral during anaerobic oxidation of chalcopyrite, with no significant difference between abiotic and biological processes. For the aerobic experiments, a small depletion in δ34SSO4 of ~− 1.5 ± 0.2‰ was observed for the biological experiments. Fewer solids precipitated during oxidation under aerobic conditions than under anaerobic conditions, which may account for the observed differences in sulfur isotope fractionation under these contrasting conditions.

Stable isotopic signature of precipitation under various synoptic classifications

The relative abundance of naturally occurring heavy isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in atmospheric water depends on several factors, along the course from the place of origin to its ultimate collection either as condensate vapour or in the form of precipitation. Regional, meso and local scale atmospheric processes, influence the final isotopic signature of a precipitation event. Apparently, many of the factors controlling the isotopic composition of precipitation occurring over an area are correlated and to a large extent, depend upon the synoptic circulation patterns and the associated weather types prevailing over the area. As a result synoptic classification can be a useful tool in the study of the isotopic composition of precipitation and through that in the study of the water cycle in the atmosphere and the reconstruction of past climatic conditions. In that context several synoptic classification schemes provided under the COST733 action were applied on event-based isotopic data from four sites within the domain 7–30E, 34–49N. Many schemes succeeded in providing distinguishable isotopic signatures for the respective synoptic classes and an initial assessment of the relative performance of the various classification methods as well as different number of categories used was made possible.

Stable isotopes of modern herbivore tooth enamel in the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for paleoelevation reconstructions

Fossil tooth enamel from herbivores is considered one of the best proxies for paleoclimate and paleoelevation reconstructions, due to its low susceptibility to diagenetic alteration. A synthesis of oxygen and carbon isotope analyses of modern tooth enamel from herbivores such as Tibetan yaks, asses and antelopes is assessed. The average δ13C(PDB) value of herbivore tooth enamel in the Lhasa and south Qiangtang terrains is −11.3% ± 1.1%, whereas in the north Qiangtang and Hoh Xil terrains value is −10.2% ± 1.4% consistent with the current C3-dominant ecotype in the Tibetan Plateau. In addition, the average δ18O(PDB) values from tooth enamel show a northward systematic increase from −11.8% ± 3.4% in the Gyirong Basin, to −11.1% ± 1.1% in the Lhasa and southern Qiangtang terrains, and then to −9.0% ± 1.1% in the northern Qiangtang and the Hoh Xil areas, similar to those of the local river water and precipitation variation trends. It is suggested that δ18O(PDB) values of tooth enamel should not be used directly to evaluate the paleo-elevation of the Tibetan Plateau, because oxygen isotopic composition from tooth enamel is a combination of drinking water (precipitation- and river-sourced) and diet (plant-sourced). Moreover, an empirical relationship between oxygen isotope of tooth enamel and modern river water, and as well as elevation is recommended, which can be used in future studies of Tibetan Plateau paleoelevation.

Oxygen isotopic fractionation during inorganic calcite precipitation ― Effects of temperature, precipitation rate and pH

Stable oxygen isotopic fractionation during inorganic calcite precipitation was experimentally studied by spontaneous precipitation at various pH (8.3 < pH < 10.5), precipitation rates (1.8 < log R < 4.4 μmol m − 2 h − 1 ) and temperatures (5, 25, and 40 °C) using the CO 2 diffusion technique. The results show that the apparent stable oxygen isotopic fractionation factor between calcite and water ( α calcite–water) is affected by temperature, the pH of the solution, and the precipitation rate of calcite. Isotopic equilibrium is not maintained during spontaneous precipitation from the solution. Under isotopic non-equilibrium conditions, at a constant temperature and precipitation rate, apparent 1000ln α calcite–water decreases with increasing pH of the solution. If the temperature and pH are held constant, apparent 1000ln α calcite–water values decrease with elevated precipitation rates of calcite. At pH = 8.3, oxygen isotopic fractionation between inorganically precipitated calcite and water as a function of the precipitation rate ( R) can be described by the expressions 1000 ln α calcite – water = - 1.102 log R + 34.56 1000 ln α calcite – water = - 1.094 log R + 30.87 1000 ln α calcite – water = - 0.534 log R + 26.80 at 5, 25, and 40 °C, respectively. The impact of precipitation rate on 1000ln α calcite–water value in our experiments clearly indicates a kinetic effect on oxygen isotopic fractionation during calcite precipitation from aqueous solution, even if calcite precipitated slowly from aqueous solution at the given temperature range. Our results support Coplen's work [Coplen T. B. (2007) Calibration of the calcite–water oxygen isotope geothermometer at Devils Hole, Nevada, a natural laboratory. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71, 3948–3957], which indicates that the equilibrium oxygen isotopic fractionation factor might be greater than the commonly accepted value.

Oxygen isotope variation in the water cycle of the Yamzho lake Basin in southern Tibetan Plateau

Given the potential use of stable isotope in the paleoclimate reconstruction from lacustrine records as well as in the local hydrology cycle, it is crucial to understand the processes of stable isotope evolution in catchment in the Tibetan Plateau region. Here we present a detailed study on the water oxygen isotope based on 2 years observation including precipitation, river water and lake water in the Yamzho Lake, south of the Tibetan Plateau. Temporal variation of local precipitation δ18O shows an apparent “monsoon cycle”. In monsoon season, δ18O in waters is lower. In non-monsoon season, δ18O in precipitation and lake water is higher and higher river δ18O exists in spring, probably reflecting the effect of land surface evaporation, together with the higher δ18O values in spring precipitation. It is also found that the surface lake water δ18O varies seasonally and annually. The lower lake water δ18O in the late summer is apparently related to the summer monsoon precipitation. The mean δ18O value of lake water in 2007 is 1.2% higher than that in 2004, probably due to the less monsoon precipitation in summer of 2007, as can be confirmed from the precipitation data at the Langkazi meteorological data. It is also found that an obvious shift of vertical lake water δ18O reflects the fast mixture of lake water. δ18O values of lake water are over 10% higher than those of precipitation and river water in this region due to the evaporation fractionation. The modeled results show that the evaporation process of the lake water is sensitive to relative humidity, and the present lake water δ18O reflects a relative humidity of 51% in the Yamzho Lake. It shows that the lake will take 30.5 years to reach present lake water δ18O given a large shift in the input water δ18O. The modeled results also reveal that surface lake water temperature and inflow δ18O have slight effect on the isotopic balance process of lake water in the Yamzho Lake.

OXYGEN ISOTOPE COMPOSITION OF BIVALVE SEASONAL GROWTH INCREMENTS AND AMBIENT WATER IN THE RIVERS RHINE AND MEUSE

Abstract The application of oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) from freshwater bivalves as a proxy for river discharge conditions in the Rhine and Meuse rivers is investigated. We compared a dataset of water temperature and water δ18O values with a selection of recent shell δ18O records for two species of the genus Unio in order to establish: (1) whether differences between the rivers in water δ18O values, reflecting river discharge conditions, are recorded in unionid shells; and (2) to what extent ecological parameters influence the accuracy of bivalve shell δ18O values as proxies of seasonal, water oxygen isotope conditions in these rivers. The results show that shells from the two rivers differ significantly in δ18O values, reflecting different source waters for these two rivers. The seasonal shell δ18O records show truncated sinusoidal patterns with narrow peaks and wide troughs, caused by temperature fractionation and winter growth cessation. Interannual growth rate reconstructions show an ontogenetic grow...

Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of water from inclusions in minerals: design of a new crushing system and on‐line continuous‐flow isotope ratio mass spectrometric analysis

An analytical line for stable isotope analyses of water recovered from fluid inclusions in minerals was built and successfully tested. The line is based on the principle of continuous-flow analysis of water via high-temperature reduction on glassy carbon. It includes a custom-designed set of high-efficiency crushers and a cryo-focusing cell. This paper provides details of the line design and discusses strategies for line conditioning and mitigation of memory effects. The line allows measurements of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes during a single acquisition. The precision of the analyses depends on the amount of water released from the inclusions. The best results are obtained for samples containing at least 0.1-0.2 microL (0.06-0.11 micromol) H(2)O. For such samples precision is better than 1.5 per thousand for deltaD and 0.5 per thousand for delta(18)O (1sigma). Smaller amounts of water can be measured but at lower precision. Analyses of modern calcite formed under stable conditions in a deep cave allowed assessment of the accuracy of the analyses. The deltaD values measured in fluid inclusions of this working standard match the deltaD value of the parent water, and the oxygen isotope values agree within ca. 0.5 per thousand. This indicates that fluid inclusions trapped in calcite at near-ambient temperatures (e.g. speleothems and low-temperatures phreatic calcite) faithfully preserve the original isotopic composition of the parent waters.

Deep-Sea Temperature and Ice Volume Changes Across the Pliocene-Pleistocene Climate Transitions

Earth has undergone profound changes since the late Pliocene, which led to the development [approximately 2.7 million years ago (Ma)] and intensification (approximately 0.9 Ma) of large-scale Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, recorded as transitions in the benthic foraminiferal oxygen isotope (delta18Ob) record. Here we present an orbitally resolved record of deep ocean temperature derived from benthic foraminiferal magnesium/calcium ratios from the North Atlantic, which shows that temperature variations are a substantial portion of the global delta18Ob signal. The record shows two distinct cooling events associated with the late Pliocene (LPT, 2.5 to 3 Ma) and mid-Pleistocene (MPT, 1.2 to 0.85 Ma) climate transitions. Whereas the LPT increase in ice volume is attributed directly to global cooling, the shift to 100,000-year cycles at the MPT is more likely to be a response to an additional change in ice-sheet dynamics.

Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in sub-Arctic lake waters from northern Sweden

Lakes in sub-Arctic regions have the potential of retaining many different aspects of water isotope composition in their sediments which can be used for palaeoclimate reconstruction. It is therefor ...

A Microdrop Generator for the Calibration of a Water Vapor Isotope Ratio Spectrometer

Abstract A microdrop generator is described that produces water vapor with a known isotopic composition and volume mixing ratio for the calibration of a near-infrared diode laser water isotope ratio spectrometer. The spectrometer is designed to measure in situ the water vapor deuterium and oxygen (17O and 18O) isotope ratios from the low troposphere up to the lower stratosphere with a high temporal resolution, and is based on ultrasensitive optical-feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy. To calibrate the spectrometer, a commercial microdrop generator (Microdrop GmbH) is used to inject water droplets of known size at a preset repetition frequency into a stream of dry nitrogen or synthetic air. Complete evaporation of the small droplets ensures that there is no isotopic fractionation between the liquid phase and the generated moist “air.” The water mixing ratio of the synthetic air is controlled by the repetition rate and gas flow. The current system spans a water mixing ratio range from about 10 to 5000 ppmv, representing the range of conditions expected in the lower to upper troposphere. Both lower and higher mixing ratios can be produced after small modifications to the injector’s operating conditions or the system’s design.

Orographic controls on rain water isotope distribution in the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia

Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of water are common environmental tracers used to investigate hydrological processes, such as evaporation, vegetation water use, surface water–groundwater interaction, and groundwater recharge. The water isotope signature in surface water and groundwater evolves from the initial rain signature. In mountain terrain, rain water stable isotope composition spatially varies due to complex orographic precipitation processes. Many studies have examined the isotope–elevation relationships, while few have quantitatively investigate the terrain aspect and slope effect on rain isotope distribution. In this paper, we examine the orographic effects more completely, including elevation, terrain slope and aspect, on stable isotope distribution in the Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR) of South Australia, using a multivariate regression model. The regression of precipitation isotope composition suggests that orographic effects are the dominant controls on isotope spatial variability. About 75% of spatial variability in δ18O and deuterium excess is represented by the regression using solely orography-related variables (elevation, terrain aspect and slope), with about 25% of δ18O spatial variability attributed to the terrain aspect and slope effect. The lapse rate is about −0.25‰ for every 100 m at both windward and leeward slopes. However, at the same elevation, δ18O at the leeward slope (eastern MLR) is 0.5‰ larger than that at the windward slope. The difference can be explained by different mechanisms – continuous rain-out processes on the windward side and sub-cloud evaporation on the leeward side. Both δ18O and deuterium excess maps (1 km resolution) are constructed based on the regression results for the MLR. Both maps are consistent with groundwater of local precipitation origin, and useful to examine groundwater recharge.

A 1000‐year record of dry conditions in the eastern Canadian prairies reconstructed from oxygen and carbon isotope measurements on Lake Winnipeg sediment organics

AbstractA short sediment core (162 cm), covering the period AD 920–1999, was sampled from the south basin of Lake Winnipeg for a suite of multi‐proxy analyses leading towards a detailed characterisation of the recent millennial lake environment and hydroclimate of southern Manitoba, Canada. Information on the frequency and duration of major dry periods in southern Manitoba, in light of the changes that are likely to occur as a result of an increasingly warming atmosphere, is of specific interest in this study. Intervals of relatively enriched lake sediment cellulose oxygen isotope values (δ18Ocellulose) were found to occur from AD 1180 to 1230 (error range: AD 1104–1231 to 1160–1280), 1610–1640 (error range: AD 1571–1634 to 1603–1662), 1670–1720 (error range: AD 1643–1697 to 1692–1738) and 1750–1780 (error range: AD 1724–1766 to 1756–1794). Regional water balance, inferred from calculated Lake Winnipeg water oxygen isotope values (δ18Oinf‐lw), suggest that the ratio of lake evaporation to catchment input may have been 25–40% higher during these isotopically distinct periods. Associated with the enriched δ18Ocellulose intervals are some depleted carbon isotope values associated with more abundantly preserved sediment organic matter (δ13COM). These suggest reduced microbial oxidation of terrestrially derived organic matter and/or subdued lake productivity during periods of minimised input of nutrients from the catchment area. With reference to other corroborating evidence, it is suggested that the AD 1180–1230, 1610–1640, 1670–1720 and 1750–1780 intervals represent four distinctly drier periods (droughts) in southern Manitoba, Canada. Additionally, lower‐magnitude and duration dry periods may have also occurred from 1320 to 1340 (error range: AD 1257–1363), 1530–1540 (error range: AD 1490–1565 to 1498–1572) and 1570–1580 (error range: AD 1531–1599 to 1539–1606). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.