Advances in tracer-aided mixing models for Critical Zone hydrology

Safeguarding water resources for both society and ecosystems requires improved understanding of hydrological fluxes within the Critical Zone. Tracer-aided mixing models have long been used to investigate water flow paths through this zone, linking atmospheric inputs to subsurface storage. Recent advances in tracer measurements, particularly stable water isotopes, together with new modeling frameworks, now enable hydrological partitioning to be explored in greater detail and across a wider range of spatial and temporal scales. In this poster, we synthesize recent methodological advances in tracer-aided hydrological modeling. These developments provide new insights into mixing processes in the Critical Zone, enable more explicit testing of model assumptions, and support more robust treatment of uncertainty in estimates of water fluxes.

Reference:

Popp, A.L., Beria, H., Sprenger, M., Ala-Aho, P., Coenders-Gerrits, M., Groh, J., Klaus, J., Knapp, J., Koren, G., Bakiri, I., Xu Fei, E., Gillon, M., Harman, C., Hissler, C., Holmes, T., Jeelani, G., Kalvans, A., Montemagno, A., Zeray Öztürk, E., Žvab Rožič, P., Stadnyk, T., Stumpp, C., Valiente, N., von Freyberg, J., van Meerveld, I., Penna, D., Vreˇca, P., Zuecco, G., Kirchner, J. W. Recent Advances in Tracer-Aided Mixing Modeling of Water in the Critical Zone. Reviews of Geophysics doi.org/10.1029/2024RG000866.