Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Antecedent hydrological conditions are recorded through the evolution of dissolved lithium isotope signatures (Li) by juxtaposing two storm events in an upland watershed subject to a Mediterranean climate. Discharge and Li are negatively correlated in both events, but mean Li ratios and associated ranges of variation are distinct between them. We apply a previously developed reactive transport model (RTM) for the site to these event‐scale flow perturbations, but observed shifts in stream Li are not reproduced. To reconcile the stability of the subsurface solute weathering profile with our observations of dynamic stream Li signatures, we couple the RTM to a distribution of fluid transit times that evolve based on storm hydrographs. The approach guides appropriate flux‐weighting of fluid from the RTM over a range of flow path lengths, or equivalently fluid residence times. This flux‐weighted RTM approach accurately reproduces dynamic storm Li‐discharge patterns distinguished by the antecedent conditions of the watershed.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2024gl109624
Language: English
Subfield: Geochemistry and Petrology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
Awards: G1088636562, G1356433355, G14554683, G2145270357, G2446820490, G3207356259, G3669113783, G3880945324, G393177772, G4104599821, ISOTOPIC TOOLS AS NOVEL SENSORS OF EARTH SURFACE RESOURCES, CAREER: Unlocking the Isotopic Signatures of Weathering Recorded in Rivers Through Isotope-Enabled Reactive Transport, G4912518754, G5702163051, G7762834306, G895790057, G991281326
OpenAlex ID: W4402381051