A tale of two isotopes: differences in hydrograph separation for a runoff event when using [delta]D versus [delta]18O

It is often assumed that stable water isotopes (dD and d18O) provide redundant information for a given sample of water. In this note we illustrate that the choice of isotope used may influence the resultant hydrograph separation. This is especially true in light of the spatial and temporal variability in the isotopic composition of rainfall water at the catchment scale. We present several possible hydrograph separations based on both dD and d18O observed in rainfall for a single runoff event occurring in the southwest USA. This study demonstrates the potential of using both stable water isotopes by showing that dD and d18O may provide unique information for catchment hydrologists. We also report on the utility of new technology capable of simultaneous measurements of both dD and d18O using off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) methods. This may be of interest to catchment hydrologists seeking to incorporate this type of equipment into their laboratory. Copyright  2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.