EGU22-6246, updated on 28 Jul 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6246
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Use of Isotopes in Examining Precipitation Patterns in North-Central Ukraine

Elizabeth Avery1, Olena Samonina2, Lidiia Kryshtop2, Iryna Vyshenska2, Alan E. Fryar1, and Andrea M. Erhardt1
Elizabeth Avery et al.
  • 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA
  • 2Department of Environmental Sciences, National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv Ukraine

North-central Ukraine is vulnerable to temperature increases and precipitation pattern changes associated with climate change. With water management becoming increasingly important, information on current water sources and moisture recycling is critically needed. Isotope ratios of oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δ2H) in precipitation are sensitive to these variables and allow comparisons across the region. For this study, precipitation was collected over a period of one year from Kyiv and Cherkasy and local meteoric water lines were created for both cities. The δ2H and δ18O values from collected precipitation and published 3H data for Kyiv from the year 2000 show an influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and provide information about processes affecting precipitation along the storm trajectory. The δ18O values also show correlation with temperature, indicating that precipitation patterns may be affected by the rising temperatures in the region, as predicted by recent regional studies using Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios and the global climate model GFDL-ESM2M. When compared to backtracked storm trajectory data, clear relationships emerged between water isotope ratios, storm paths, and likely moisture recycling. These results show that when isotopic data are used with backtracked storm trajectories and NAO cycles, a more complete idea of regional processes can be formed, including addition of water vapor from more localized sources. Overall, δ2H, δ18O, 3H, and backtracked storm trajectory data provide more regional and local information on water vapor processes, improving climate-change-driven precipitation forecasts in Ukraine.

How to cite: Avery, E., Samonina, O., Kryshtop, L., Vyshenska, I., Fryar, A. E., and Erhardt, A. M.: Use of Isotopes in Examining Precipitation Patterns in North-Central Ukraine, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-6246, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6246, 2022.