Affiliation:
1. National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies, Romania
Abstract
Tracing contaminant in surface and groundwater remains an issue of significance. Nitrate is one of the parameters to be monitored identifying the source and biogeochemical transformations of the nitrogen of interest for the management of water resource. Increasing the inorganic nitrogen concentrations in surface waters can be due to upstream discharge or ammonium sewage effluents, leaching from agricultural land, discharge of farm or industrial effluents, and/or seasonal effects. An effective tool to identify the origin of pollutants are the stable isotopes. Environmental isotopes (O-H-N-O) are great tracers for the physical processes affecting water and considered key parameters to assess the origin, path, and history of a water source. Stable water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) are affected by meteorological processes that provide a specific fingerprint of their origin. The stable isotopes in nitrate (δ15N and δ18O) are fundamental to identifying the sources of nitrate contamination. Theoretical principles of stable isotopes and isotopic effects are discussed.
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