Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID MD_2023_Cooper

Assessing and understanding spatiotemporal variation in stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope values of Maryland’s rivers

Institute: Maryland
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $50,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $64,001

Principal Investigators: Lee W Cooper

Project Summary: Water that reaches the earth’s surface as rain or snow, and then enters watersheds in Maryland can be distinguished by isotopic differences. This means that elevation and temperature as precipitation falls, and evaporation following precipitation events, affects the masses of individual molecules of water, which can contain oxygen with an atomic mass of 16, 17, or 18 and hydrogen with a mass of 1 or 2 (the differences reflecting the presence of different numbers of neutrons in the atoms making up the water molecule). The variations in the water composition reflect processes that are important to the appropriate management and use of water in natural sources in the state. This study is providing baseline isotopic composition measurements of a wide variety of natural surface water sources across the state during different seasons. It will help inform the wise use of water resources, particularly within the context of climate changes.