Isotope Study of Moisture Sources, Recharge Areas and Groundwater Flowpaths within the Eastern Batinah Coastal Plain, Sultanate of Oman

Weyhenmeyer, Constanze E.; Bruns, Steve J.; Waber, Niklaus; Macumber, Peter G.; Matter, Albert (2002). Isotope Study of Moisture Sources, Recharge Areas and Groundwater Flowpaths within the Eastern Batinah Coastal Plain, Sultanate of Oman. Water resources research, 38(10), pp. 2-11. American Geophysical Union 10.1029/2000WR000149

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Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses of rainfall samples collected on the eastern Batinah coastal plain of northern Oman between 1995 and 1998 indicate two different principal water vapor sources for precipitation in the area: a northern, Mediterranean source and a southern, Indian Ocean source. As a result, two new local meteoric water lines were defined for the study area. Isotopic analyses of groundwater samples from over 200 springs and wells indicate that the main source of water to the Batinah coastal alluvial aquifer is high-altitude rainfall from the adjacent Jabal Akhdar Mountains, originating from a combination of northern and southern moisture sources. The groundwater recharged at high-altitude forms two plumes of water which is depleted in the heavy isotopes 18O and 2H and stretches from the mountains across the coastal plain to the sea, thereby retaining a chemical homogeneity horizontally and vertically down to a depth exceeding 300 m. In contrast, in areas adjacent to these two plumes the alluvial aquifer is geochemically stratified. Near the coast, saline intrusion results in abrupt changes in chloride concentrations and isotope values.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences

UniBE Contributor:

Waber, Niklaus, Matter, Albert

Subjects:

500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology

ISSN:

0043-1397

Publisher:

American Geophysical Union

Language:

English

Submitter:

Niklaus Waber

Date Deposited:

11 Jul 2016 08:47

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:57

Publisher DOI:

10.1029/2000WR000149

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/84399

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