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Spatial and temporal dynamics of water isotopes in the riverine-marine mixing zone along the German Baltic Sea coast
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  • Bernhard Aichner,
  • Timo Rittweg,
  • Rhena Schumann,
  • Sven Dahlke,
  • Svend Duggen,
  • David Dubbert
Bernhard Aichner
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin eV

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Timo Rittweg
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin eV
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Rhena Schumann
University of Rostock
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Sven Dahlke
University of Greifswald
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Svend Duggen
A. P. Møller Skolen
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David Dubbert
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in the Forschungsverbund Berlin eV
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Abstract

River estuaries are characterized by mixing processes between isotopically depleted freshwater inflows and isotopically more enriched marine water masses. Therefore, they often show linear correlation between salinity and water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H values). Here we evaluated spatial and seasonal isotope dynamics along three estuarine lagoon transects at the northern German Baltic Sea coast. The data show strong seasonality of isotope values even at locations located furthest from the river mouths. They further reveal a positive and linear salinity-isotope correlation in spring, but hyperbolic and partially even reverse correlation in summers. We conclude that additional physical processes, such as evaporation from the shallow lagoons, overprint the two-phase mixing correlation during summers. Understanding of those water isotope dynamics are crucial in context of ecological studies, for example when interpreting oxygen and hydrogen isotope data in aquatic organisms that depend on ambient estuarine waters.
10 Jan 2022Submitted to Hydrological Processes
11 Jan 2022Submission Checks Completed
11 Jan 2022Assigned to Editor
20 Jan 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
20 Jan 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
Sep 2022Published in Hydrological Processes volume 36 issue 9. 10.1002/hyp.14686