Dedication

Bojar, A.-V., Pelc, A. and Lécuyer, C. Stable isotope studies of the water cycle and terrestrial environments: introduction

The water cycle

Lécuyer, C., Bojar, A.-V., Daux, V. and Legendre, S. Geographic variations in the slope of the δ²H–δ¹⁸O meteoric water line over Europe: a record of increasing continentality

Nagavciuc, V., Bădăluță, C.-A. and Ionita, M. The influence of the Carpathian Mountains on the variability of stable isotopes in precipitation and the relationship with large-scale atmospheric circulation

Daux, V., Minster, B., Cauquoin, A., Jossoud, O., Werner, M. and Landais, A. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of tap waters in France

Marche, B. M., Rashid, H. and Parkinson, D.-R. Correlation of seasonal precipitation isotopic profile with the modern climatological data: a case study from the western Newfoundland region of Canada

Varlam, C., Duliu, O. G., Ionete, R. E. and Costinel, D. Time series analysis of the δ²H, δ¹⁸O and d_excess values in correlation with monthly temperature, relative humidity and precipitation in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania: 2012–2018

Bojar, A.-V., Chmiel, S., Bojar, H.-P., Varlam, C. and Barbu, V. Hydrological system in Quaternary clastic deposits, Mehedinţi̧ County, Romania: isotope composition, chemistry and radiocarbon dating

Bădăluţă, C. A., Mihăilă, D., Mihăilă, D., Bădăluță, G. and Bistricean, P. I. Stable isotopic and geochemical characterization of precipitation and riverine waters in the Eastern Carpathians and links with large-scale drivers

Joshi, S. K., Rai, S. P. and Sinha, R. Understanding groundwater recharge processes in the Sutlej-Yamuna plain in NW India using an isotopic approach

Sironić, A., Bronić, I. K., Horvatinčić, N., Barešić, J., Borković, D., Vurnek, M. and Mikelić, I. L. Carbon isotopes in dissolved inorganic carbon as tracers of carbon sources in karst waters of the Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Papp, D. C., Baciu, C., Turunen, K. and Kittilä, A. Applicability of selected stable isotopes to study the hydrodynamics and contaminant transport within mining areas in Romania and Finland

Terrestrial environments

Bojar, A.-V., Lécuyer, C., Duliu, O. G., Bojar, H.-P. and Fourel, F. Isotopic and time series investigations of recent stalagmites (1945–2018), Schlossberg tunnels, Graz, Austria: implications for climate change in Central Europe

Cleary, D. M. and Onac, B. P. Using ratios in cave guano to assess past environmental changes

Tabor, N. J., Jahren, A. H., Wyman, L., Feseha, M., Todd, L. and Kappleman, J. Stable isotope geochemistry of the modern Shinfa River, northwestern Ethiopian lowlands: a potential model for interpreting ancient environments of the Middle Stone Age

Bayat, O., Karimi, A. and Amundson, R. Stable isotope geochemistry of pedogenic carbonates in calcareous materials, Iran: a review and synthesis

Dias Veras, J. D., de Souza Neto, J. A., Sial, A. N., Ferreira, V. P. and Neumann, V. H. de M. L. Stable isotope and chemical stratigraphy of the Eocene Tambaba Formation: correlations with the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum event

Yamamura, D., Suarez, C. A., Titus, A. L., Manlove, H. M. and Jackson, T. Multiproxy approaches to investigating palaeoecology and palaeohydrology in the Upper Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation, USA

Suarez, M. B., Knight, J. A., Godet, A., Ludvigson, G. A., Snell, K. E., Murphy, L. and Kirkland, J. I. Multiproxy strategy for determining palaeoclimate parameters in the Ruby Ranch Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation

Suarez, C. A., Frucci, M. N., Tompkins, T. B. and Suarez, M. B. Quantification of a North American greenhouse hydrological cycle: using oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate from Early Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) turtles

Index

Stable isotope studies have become an invaluable tool in Earth science. 
They offer unique insights into the element composition and chemical mechanisms that influence the nature of water. In turn, analysis of isotopes in water or dissolved constituents allows for tracking of the reactions that modify water chemistry and the ability of an ecosystem to generate or attenuate chemicals. In this volume, the editors have brought together a series of papers that are focused on the use of stable isotopes to understand major controls on the water cycle and the interaction of gases and solids with water. The papers range from empirical studies through to the application of isotope ratios in the natural environment. A range of case studies aid comprehension of these changes in the context of mining, climate, geological processes and interaction with biologically mediated materials. The broad range of interdisciplinary applications from geochemistry, geology, pedology and climate studies are unlikely to have been achieved in a single journal, so this alone underscores the value of the publication. The book is divided into two sections, both using clumped and stable isotopes (including deuterium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur) in various situations. The first part is devoted to water studies focusing on the distribution of isotopes in precipitation, groundwater, lakes, rivers, springs, tap water and mine water, alongside their relationship with terrestrial environments at regional to continental scale.  By contrast, the second part presents case studies from a vast array of global environmental settings, from cave deposits (stalagmites and bat guano) and animal skeletons (dinosaurs, alligators, turtles and bivalves), to palaeosols and present-day soils, as well as the formation of sedimentary carbonates. The use of isotopes in these studies is focused on understanding the interaction between the surficial water cycle and underground water storage, with deposits acting as a geological archive of processes from the Early Cretaceous through to modern times, preserving the impact of climatic and environmental changes. Given the wide-ranging application of stable isotopes, this is an essential book for all researchers and students wishing to apply such techniques, and a useful resource for academic libraries.  

Reviewed by Rob Bowell, Geoscientist, Winter 2025.