Spatio-temporal variability of stable isotopes in precipitation and
stream water of a high elevation tropical catchment in the Central Andes
of Colombia
Abstract
The Colombian Andean Mountains host the headwaters of the main basins of
the country. However, the interactions between high-mountain ecosystems
and the isotopic composition of water in this region has been poorly
studied. Here we present and analyze the first set of stable isotopes
data collected in the Central Andes of Colombia. Stable isotopic
composition of stream water and precipitation was determined for a
period between 2017 and 2018 in the Upper Claro River Basin. The driving
factors influencing the spatial and temporal variability of δ
2H, δ 18O and d-excess were
identified and compared to daily air temperature and precipitation at
seven meteorological stations. A Local Meteoric Water Line was defined
as δ²H = 8.13 δ 18O + 12.5, R
2=0.98. δ 2H, δ
18O and d-excess values of precipitation were more
negative during the rainy season and changes were more related to
precipitation events and amounts than to temperature. An altitude effect
of -0.11 ‰ / 100 m and -0.18 ‰ / 100 m was estimated for stream water
and precipitation, respectively, where the latter showed a non-linear
behavior. The data set was compared to stations of the Global Network of
Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) database in Colombia and a
back-trajectory analysis of air masses was conducted to compare with
d-excess. δ 18O weighted means changed with respect to
the position of the Central Andes and the altitudinal range 2,100 to
3,100 m a.s.l.. High d-excess can be attributed to moisture recycling
enhanced by the local ecosystems and the travel of precipitable water
from the Amazon basin across the northern Andes. The results showed a
high range of variation due to the differences in elevation, seasonality
and atmospheric circulation patterns across the year. The present study
contributes to fill the gap of spatial and temporal isotopic composition
data in the northern Andes as well as to the implementation of the first
“National Network for Isotopes” in Colombia.