Satellite-measured water vapor isotopologues across the Tianshan Mountains,central Asia

The satellite-based water vapor stable isotope measurements have been widely used in modern hydrological and atmospheric studies.Their use is important for arid areas where the precipitation events are limited,and below-cloud evaporation is strong.This study presents the spatial and temporal characteristics of water vapor isotopologue across the Tianshan Mountains in arid central Asia using the NASAAura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer(TES).The near-surface water vapor stable isotopes are enriched in summer and depleted in winter,consistent with the seasonality of precipitation isotopes.From the surface to 200 hPa,the isotope values in water vapor show a decreasing trend as the atmospheric pressure decreases and elevation rises.The vapor isotope values in the lower atmosphere in the southern basin of the Tianshan Mountains are usually higher than that in the northern basin,and the seasonal difference in vapor isotopes is slightly more significant in the southern basin.In addition,bottom vapor isotopologue in summer shows a depletion trend from west to east,consistent with the rainout effect of the westerly moisture path in central Asia.The isotopic signature provided by the TES is helpful to understand the moisture transport and below-cloud processes influencing stable water isotopes in meteoric water.

Variations in stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in atmospheric water vapor in the marine boundary layer across a wide latitude range

The newly-developed cavity ring-down laser absorption spectroscopy analyzer with special calibration protocols has enabled the direct measurement of atmospheric vapor isotopes at high spatial and temporal resolution. This paper presents real-time hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope data for atmospheric water vapor above the sea surface, over a wide range of latitudes spanning from 38°N to 69°S. Our results showed relatively higher values of 8180 and 82H in the subtropical regions than those in the tropical and high latitude regions, and also a notable decreasing trend in the Antarctic coastal region. By combining the hydrogen and oxygen isotope data with meteoric water line and backward trajectory model analysis, we explored the kinetic fractionation caused by subsiding air masses and related saturated vapor pressure in the subtropics, and the evaporation-driven kinetic fractionation in the Antarctic region. Simultaneous observations of meteorological and marine variables were used to interpret the isotopic composition characteristics and influential factors, indicating that d-excess is negatively correlated with humidity across a wide range of latitudes and weather conditions worldwide. Coincident with previous studies, d-excess is also positively correlated with sea surface temperature and air temperature （Tair）, with greater sensitivity to Tair. Thus, atmospheric vapor isotopes measured with high accuracy and good spatial- temporal resolution could act as informative tracers for exploring the water cycle at different regional scales. Such monitoring efforts should be undertaken over a longer time period and in different regions of the world.