Stable isotope compositions of precipitation from Gunnison, Colorado 2007-2016: implications for the climatology of a high-elevation valley.

ABSTRACT: Stable isotope ratios of precipitation are useful tracers of climatic and hydrological processes. To better understand the isotope hydro-climatology of a high-elevation Rocky Mountain valley we collected meteoric water samples from Gunnison, Colorado, USA and determined stable isotope values for 239 individual precipitation events over a nine year period. Annual precipitation in Gunnison is moderately bi-modal with significant winter snowfall and convective summer thunderstorms associated with the North American Monsoon. Stable isotope values of precipitation span a large range, with summer rains as high as δ²H = +19‰ and δ¹⁸O = +4.8‰ (relative to V-SMOW) and winter snowfall as low as δ²H = -286‰ and δ¹⁸O = -36.7‰. These data define a local meteo

SUBMITTER: Marchetti DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6658734 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature