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24 - Using stable isotopes to identify orographic precipitation events at Monteverde, Costa Rica

from Part III - Hydrometeorology of tropical montane cloud forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2011

By
A. L. Rhodes ,
A. J. Guswa  and
S. E. Newell
Edited by
L. A. Bruijnzeel ,
F. N. Scatena  and
L. S. Hamilton
A. L. Rhodes
Affiliation:
Smith College, USA
A. J. Guswa
Affiliation:
Smith College, USA
S. E. Newell
Affiliation:
Smith College, USA
L. A. Bruijnzeel
Affiliation:
Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
F. N. Scatena
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
L. S. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

ABSTRACT

Monteverde, in north-western Costa Rica, is located on the leeward side of the Continental Divide, and experiences strong seasonal variations in precipitation. The majority of rainfall to the region occurs during the wet season (May–October) when the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) brings convective rainfall. In addition, trade winds produce orographic uplift and condensation, and this hydrological input is dominant during the transitional (November–January) and dry (February–April) seasons. This chapter assesses the viability of using stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen to identify and distinguish waters arisen from these two condensation mechanisms, with the future goal of using these signatures to trace precipitation through the hydrological cycle.

Open-field precipitation and throughfall were sampled at Monteverde at an elevation of 1460 m.a.s.l. from mid-June 2003 to mid-January 2004. Cumulative precipitation was collected over a variable sampling interval that ranged from 1 to 48 days. The sampling interval averaged 4 days during June–July 2003 and January 2004; otherwise, samples were collected on average every 26 days. The wet season yielded a wide range of isotopic values, from −13.1 to −3.0‰ (δ18O) and −96 to −15‰ (δ2H). The isotopically lightest samples were collected during June and September/October, when the ITCZ is over Costa Rica. Rain and fog samples collected during the transitional season were isotopically heavier, ranging from −4.3 to −1.9‰ (δ18O) and −16 to + 6‰ (δ2H). January precipitation samples all yielded positive δ2H values and had isotopic compositions similar to those of fog water samples reported elsewhere.

Type
Chapter
Information
Tropical Montane Cloud Forests
Science for Conservation and Management
 , pp. 242 - 248
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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