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Stable isotopes in atmospheric water vapor and applications to the hydrologic cycle

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TLDR
Improved measurement and modeling of water vapor isotopic composition opens the door to new advances in the understanding of the atmospheric water cycle, in processes ranging from the marine boundary layer, through deep convection and tropospheric mixing, and into the water cycle of the stratosphere.
Abstract
The measurement and simulation of water vapor isotopic composition has matured rapidly over the last decade, with long-term datasets and comprehensive modeling capabilities now available. Theories for water vapor isotopic composition have been developed by extending the theories that have been used for the isotopic composition of precipitation to include a more nuanced understanding of evaporation, large-scale mixing, deep convection, and kinetic fractionation. The technologies for in-situ and remote sensing measurements of water vapor isotopic composition have developed especially rapidly over the last decade, with discrete water vapor sampling methods, based on mass spectroscopy, giving way to laser spectroscopic methods and satellite- and ground-based infrared absorption techniques. The simulation of water vapor isotopic composition has evolved from General Circulation Model (GCM) methods for simulating precipitation isotopic composition to sophisticated isotope-enabled microphysics schemes using higher-order moments for water- and ice-size distributions. The incorporation of isotopes into GCMs has enabled more detailed diagnostics of the water cycle and has led to improvements in its simulation. The combination of improved measurement and modeling of water vapor isotopic composition opens the door to new advances in our understanding of the atmospheric water cycle, in processes ranging from the marine boundary layer, through deep convection and tropospheric mixing, and into the water cycle of the stratosphere. Finally, studies of the processes governing modern water vapor isotopic composition provide an improved framework for the interpretation of paleoclimate proxy records of the hydrological cycle.

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Rainforest-initiated wet season onset over the southern Amazon.

TL;DR: This analysis provides compelling observational evidence that rainforest transpiration during the late dry season plays a central role in initiating the dry-to-wet season transition over the southern Amazon, and provides a mechanistic framework for understanding how deforestation extends the dry season and enhances regional vulnerability to drought.
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CORRIGENDUM of the MJO Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection in Cloudsat-Calipso Data and GISS GCM Simulations

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Overview of the MOSAiC expedition—Atmosphere

Matthew D. Shupe, +113 more
- 01 Jan 2022 - 
TL;DR: The MOSAiC program as mentioned in this paper was organized into four subgroups: atmospheric state, clouds and precipitation, gases and aerosols, and energy budgets, using a variety of approaches, and across multiple scales.
Journal ArticleDOI

Understanding snow hydrological processes through the lens of stable water isotopes

TL;DR: In this article, a review summarizes the state of knowledge of how different hydro-meteorological processes affect the isotopic composition of snow, and, through selected examples, discusses how stable water isotopes can provide a better understanding of snow hydrological processes.
References
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Book ChapterDOI

The Use of Stable Isotopes of Water for Determining Sources of Water for Plant Transpiration

Abstract: Over the last ten years, there has been a large increase in the number of vegetation studies that have incorporated measurements of the stable isotopic composition of water. There are many methods for measuring the amount of water being used by plants, but until recently it has been difficult to determine from where plants obtained their water. This has been particularly difficult where there is more than one available water source (e.g. where groundwater is shallow or streams are nearby).
Journal ArticleDOI

The MUSICA MetOp/IASI H 2 O and δD products: characterisation and long-term comparison to NDACC/FTIR data

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented the MUSICA IASI data for three different geophysical locations (subtropics, midlatitudes, and Arctic), and provided a comprehensive characterisation of the complex nature of such space-based isotopologue remote-sensing products.
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Tropical ice core isotopes: Do they reflect changes in storm activity?

TL;DR: The oxygen isotopic composition (H218O/H216O) of water vapor samples over the tropical oceans has been measured at three locations during distinct meteorological regimes as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI

Atmospheric water vapor transport and continental hydrology over the Americas

TL;DR: The advective transport of atmospheric water vapor, its role in global hydrology, and the water balance of continental regions are discussed and explored in this article, where the total flux is decomposed into transport by mean motion and transport by correlated transient anomalies in the wind and humidity fields.
Journal ArticleDOI

Constraints on 2-Way Transport across the Arctic Tropopause Based on O3, Stratospheric Tracer (SF6) Ages, and Water Vapor Isotope (D, T) Tracers

TL;DR: In this paper, a powerful set of contrasting transport tracers are examined, such as deuterated water vapor (HDO) which is shown to trace the passage of water vapor from the troposphere into the lowermost stratosphere (LS), or the SF6 age defined as theresidence time of an air parcel within the stratosphere since its entry at the Tropopause.
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