WATER ENVIRONMENT - IAEA · of fluvial processes and • to minimize the adverse effects of such fluvial pro-cesses on soil and water resources. Analytical Services and Quality Assurance

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WATER &

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IAEA Sub-programme on water resourcesIHS plans for 1999-2000In memoriamMeasuring climate changeHydrology, isotopes and the IAEA1997 IAEA group fellowship trainingIsotopes in arid-zone hydrology

Stream gauging with tracers in Graz, Austria. See page 6

CONTENTS

No. 2, January 1998NEWS

Surface water pollutionGeothermal acidic fluidsWater scarce regionsGeothermal exploration: regional AsiaIHS staff members awardedTechnical review: CFCs as dating toolsBecome a contributor

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SUB-PROGRAMMEOBJECTIVES

• to assist, through integra-tion of isotope techniquesin applied research andpractical applications, insolving practical problemsrelated to sustainable andefficient management ofwater resources.

• to promote research andfield studies related to man-induced changes and hydro-climatic influences on thewater cycle and its interac-tion with other geosphericsystems.

PROJECTS IN THESUB-PROGRAMME

Human Impact on Wa-ter Resources (F4.01)

• to further develop andenhance applications ofisotope methodologies inthe assessment of adverseconsequences of presentwater utilization practices.

• to achieve improved wa-ter utilization policies thatwould minimize waterquality degradation causedby human activities.

Water Resources in Re-gions of Water Scarcity(F4.02)

• to contribute to and im-prove the assessment andprotection of water re-sources in regions of waterscarcity, in particular inarid and semi-arid areas.

• to assist Member Statesin such regions to incorpo-rate isotope methods intoroutine practices for thedetermination of hydrologi-cal parameters for opti-mum utilization of scarcewater resources.

Hydro-climaticChanges and Impact onCatchment and SurfaceWater Systems (F4.03)

• to assess and demon-strate the applicability ofisotope techniques in se-lected studies of the hydro-sphere and atmosphere re-lated to natural and man-induced environmental

changes

• to enable better predic-tion of their future implica-tions on water resources.

• to enhance the contribu-tion of isotope applicationsfor improved understandingof fluvial processes and

• to minimize the adverseeffects of such fluvial pro-cesses on soil and waterresources.

Analytical Services andQuality Assurance(F4.04)

• to provide assistance inthe determination of theisotope and chemical com-position of water and otherenvironmental materialsand to assure analyticalquality.

Support to TechnicalCo-operation Pro-grammes (F4.05)

• to provide technical sup-port to the Agency’s techni-cal co-operation projects inMember States.

WATER & ENVIRONMENT NEWS No. 2, January 1998

IAEA SUB-PROGRAMMEDEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF

WATER RESOURCES(1997-1998)

How to Contact UsHow to Contact Us

Isotope Hydrology SectionInternational Atomic Energy AgencyP.O. Box 100, Wagramerstrasse 5A-1400, ViennaAUSTRIA

Head of the Section:Mr. KlausFröhlichTel. +43-1-2060-21735/21736Fax: +43-1-20607e-mail: [email protected]

These projects are be-ing implemented by theIsotope Hydrology Sec-tion and the Agency’s

Laboratories

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been trained.The achievements of the

CRP (co-ordinated researchprogramme) on isotope tech-niques in water resources in-vestigations in arid and semi-arid regions, which was re-cently concluded, will also behighlighted in this issue. Theimplementation of a new CRPon surface water pollution hasbeen started. Activities of cur-rent CRPs and TC (technicalco-operation) projects will bereported.

CFC measurement is oneof the new activities in theAgency’s Isotope HydrologyLaboratory. Some basic as-pects of this promisingmethod are highlighted here.

Klaus Fröhlich

niques.The last quarter of 1997

saw a number of researchco-ordination and advisorygroup meetings on Isotope

Hydrology. In this issue, wereport on training activities,which is one of the focalareas of the Section’s mis-sion. Since the mid-1980s,about 500 participants have

At the 41st regular ses-sion of the IAEA

General Conference held inVienna from 29 Septemberto 3 October, 1997, theIAEA Member Statesadopted a resolution on Iso-tope Hydrology for WaterResources Management,requesting the Agency tocontinue efforts directed to-wards fuller utilization of iso-tope techniques for waterresources development andmanagement in developingcountries, including mea-sures to control groundwaterand surface water pollution;and to ensure that nationaland international organiza-tions dealing directly withwater resources manage-ment are fully informed ofthe role of isotope tech-

The Isotope Hydrol-ogy Section has re-cently proposed atwo-year plan for the

IAEA sub-programme onthe development and man-agement of water resources,as part of the Agency’s pro-gramme for the 1999-2000cycle.

Six new Co-ordinatedResearch Programmes(CRP) have been proposedfor this period:

• Isotopes in study of pol-lutant behavior in the unsat-urated zone

• Isotope studies forgroundwater salinization inwater scarce areas

• Paleowater as a drink-ing water reserve andpalaeoclimatic archive

• Processes controllingisotope composition of con-tinental indicators of climate

• Isotopes in reconstruct-ing the response of fluvialsystems to changes in landcover and climate

• Influence of physico-chemical processes on theevolution and migration of

trace constituents including(radio) isotopes

Generally speaking, the1999-2000 programme willbe a consolidation of the on-going programme. Sometopics in the ongoing cycle(1997-1998), namely: lakewater studies, arid zonegroundwater dynamics,mathematical modeling and

geothermics will be phasedout. The achievements ofthese projects will result inenhanced application withinthe framework of the techni-cal co-operation programme.

There are a number ofprojects in the ongoing pro-gramme which will be startingin the current cycle and willextend into the 1999-2000 cy-cle. These projects include:urban hydrology, water pollu-tion, water resources in areasof water scarcity, global envi-ronmental (climate) change,Global Network for Isotopesin Precipitation (GNIP), andthe isotope hydrologydatabase.

The inclusion of the pro-posed new projects in the1999-2000 programme of theAgency is subject to finaladministrative approval.

GENERALGENERAL


The 1997 IAEA Gen-eral Conference re-quested the Agency “tocontinue efforts di-rected towards fullerutilization of isotopetechniques for waterresources...”

Six new Co-ordinated Re-search Programmes (CRP)have been proposed for the1999-2000 cycle.

torial EDITORIAL

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climates over several glacialcycles, covering from severaltens to hundreds of thousandsof years.

Besides, tritium (3H) and ra-diocarbon (14C) are good iso-topic clocks, the use of whichis essential in calibrating thehydrological records. Studiesin the Libyan desert, in Sene-gal and in Nigeria have shownthat there is “fossil water” or“palaeowater”. In the Nigeriancase, noble gas and radiocar-bon in the water demonstratethat the recharge to the deepaquifers took place at thesame time as the Last GlacialMaximum in northern Europe,and that the mean annualtemperature was some 7 0Clower than at present.

with the use of inert tracers,including Cl and noblegases.

According to Dr. Edmunds,groundwater is a particularlygood archive for obtainingdirect records of past hydro-logical events - droughts andfloods. Especially the confir-

mation of con-tinuous peri-ods of climaticdeteriorationand ameliora-tion may berecognised.Thus, thegroundwateracts as a kindof low pass fil-ter smoothingout the cli-mate signalsas the water ist ransmi t t edalong the hy-draulic gradi-

ent in aquifers. The mostreliable information comesfrom water stored in thelarge sedimentary basins.Arid regions are also impor-tant since the signals frompast humid periods may bestored near the water table.

It has also been demon-strated that the unsaturatedzone may offer a relativelyhigh resolution archive ofpast climates in semi-aridcontinental areas wherethere are few, if any, othertypes of archive materials.

Climatic information is in-creasingly being obtainedfrom Cl in the unsaturatedzone. Dr. Edmunds gaveexamples of possible cli-matic archives for the past100+ years where this couldbe verified against instru-mental records from semi-arid regions of Africa. More-over, in favourable locations(the Sahara and westernUSA for example), the un-saturated zone may pre-serve records of wet and dry

Dr W. M. Edmunds,British Geological Sur-

vey, was invited by the Agencyto deliver a speech at the sci-entific conference on NuclearEnergy and the Environment,held in conjunction with the41st session of the IAEA Gen-eral Conferenceon 30 September1997.

In his introduc-tion, he pointedout that climatechange has beena constant featureof our planet andhas invariablyhad an impact onthe hydrologicalcycle. Environ-mental isotopes,whose distributionin natural com-pounds is gov-erned by environ-mental conditions, are amongthe most powerful tools for in-vestigating past and currentenvironmental changes. Thestable isotopes of oxygen andhydrogen (2H/1H, 18O/16O) haveproved invaluable as proxy in-dicators of climate related pa-rameters - surface air tempera-ture, relative humidity of theatmosphere, and amount ofprecipitation. Radiocarbonand tritium released from nu-clear weapon tests have alsohelped understand the trans-port and mixing of air masses.

When comparing isotopes inwater and in other environ-mental media, he emphasisedthat aquifers can be goodarchives, and direct evidenceof climate and related environ-mental changes may be de-duced from palaeowaters asopposed to some of the otherindicators where (with the ex-ception of ice cores) evidenceof hydrological change is ob-tained indirectly. He alsostressed that the application ofisotopes should be combined

Wewere all greatlyshocked and sad-

dened to learn that Dr.Werner Giggenbach, a well-known geothermal geo-chemist, passed away afterhe suffered a heart strokewhile working in the Rabaulvolcano area.

Dr. Giggenbach was a valu-able staff member of the Iso-tope Hydrology Section andeven after he left the Agencyhe continued to make remark-able contributions to our pro-grammes, acting as anAgency expert on innumer-able occasions and sharinghis know-how for the betterunderstanding of geothermalphenomena by using isotopicand geochemical techniques.He will be remembered as anexcellent scientist.

GENERALGENERAL

CALENDAR

1998IAEA MEETINGSAND TRAINING

February, Vienna,CS (ConsultantService) to pre-pare a technicalreport on isotopesin arid zone hy-drology

February, Africa,CM (ConsultantMeeting) on effec-tive water re-sources manage-ment - need forintegration of iso-tope field investi-gations in Africa

April 27-29, Vi-enna, RCM on ra-dio nuclide trans-port dynamics infresh water re-sources

April, Vienna, CMon finalization ofthe manual onfield methods forgeochemical andisotope investiga-tions in geother-mal areas

April, Vienna,I n t e r - r e g i o n a ltraining course onanalytical tech-niques and qualityassurance in envi-ronmental isotopeanalysis

May 5-7, Vienna,RCM on the useof tracers and en-vironmental iso-topes for evalua-tion of pollution insurface water

May 18-20, Re-(Continued on page 5)

IN MEMORIAM


“Groundwater isa particularly

good archive forobtaining directrecords of pasthydrological

events - droughtsand floods.”

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greatly strengthened byparticipation of national andinternational institutes inthe research and develop-ment progammes of theIAEA, as well as throughpractical applications of iso-tope hydrology.

ring isotopic species, oftenreferred to as"environmental isotopes," of-fer convenient tools for as-sessing time/space inte-grated responses. Thesetools are especially helpfulfor process tracing, particu-larly in hydrogeological stud-ies of regional-scale ground-water systems. The method-ologies have particular appli-cations in studies related toidentifying the "genesis" ofwater, tracing componentflows and their pathways, un-derstanding mixing dynam-ics, and indirectly estimatingtravel time of water. Interna-tional effort is certainty re-quired to more effectivelyincorporate environmentalisotope methodologies in-tothe overall domain of wa-ter resources assessmentand management practices.

In this context, nuclear sci-ence and technology in thewater resources sector hasbeen an integral part of theprogrammes of the Interna-tional Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) since its inception in1958. IAEA's activities inthis specific field during thelast four decades constitutea major contribution towarddevelopment, field verifica-tion, and application of iso-tope/tracer techniques."Isotope Hydrology" is nowan internationally recognisedscientific discipline, partly asa result of this effort. Asubstantial amount of fielddata and experience hasbeen acquired by the IAEA inisotope hydrology, and infor-mation exchange at an inter-national scale is beingachieved through publica-tions and meetings. Furtherrefinement of isotope meth-ods is supported by the im-plementation of co-ordinatedresearch programmes. Jointinternational efforts towardadvancement of water sci-ences as a whole will be

Editor’s note: In a recent issue ( v.5, no. 3, 1997), Hydrogeology Jour-nal published an editorial messagewritten by Yuecel Yurtsever, who hasbeen an associate editor of the journalfor some years. His message is quotedhere for our readers.

During the lastdecade, the attentionof the scientific com-munity dealing with

water resources has focusedto a great extent on improvedmanagement strategiesthrough an integrated ap-proach. These efforts deal notonly with the flux of water butalso the flow and circulation ofwater, based on improved un-derstanding of the interrela-tionships and interdepen-dency of the physical, chemi-cal, and biological processesinvolved. Knowledge of theseprocesses is needed to evalu-ate sustainability of the re-source in terms of its quality.A multi-disciplinary approachis required to identify the ex-tremely complex cause-effectrelationships among the pro-cesses that occur duringtransport and transformationof water and its constituentsalong flow pathways. Integra-tion of the principles andavailable techniques in physi-cal hydrology, hydrochem-istry, and isotope hydrologyprovides the most affectiveapproach to understanding thecompositional response ofnatural hydro-ecological sys-tems to stresses being im-posed on watr resources.

The field of "Isotope Hydrol-ogy" has been emerging andcontributing to the scope ofmethodologies available toscientists and engineers in-volved in water resources andrelated environmental studies.One area of contribution hasbeen improvements in nuclearanalytical techniques for low-level counting and isotope ra-tio mass spectrometry. In ad-dition new applications thatare based on naturally occur-

“Analytical techniques”, and“Mathematical models inisotope hydrology”. Intro-ductory lectures on geol-ogy, hydrogeology and hy-drogeochemistry were alsoprovided for those whosefield was not in geo-sciences. A review of ad-vances in the application ofthe principles in variousfields such as lake studies,unsaturated zone hydrol-ogy, groundwater studies,pollution studies, geother-mal studies, and catchmentstudies, was also given. Iso-tope laboratory work, labo-ratory and field tracer workprovided opportunities forthe participants to get“hands-on” experience inisotope hydrology. Com-puter exercises enabled theparticipants to undertaketheir project work, mainly inprocessing project data.Field visits and measure-ments in Graz and the sur-rounding areas of Viennawere held in co-operationwith Joanneum ResearchCentre in Graz and Arsenal(Austrian Research andTesting Centre) in Vienna.

This regular training is amajor effort on the part ofthe Agency to assist theMember States in develop-ing their manpower in Iso-tope Hydrology.

(Continued from page 7)

GENERALGENERAL

ston, USA, RCM onuse of isotopes foranalyses of flowand transport dy-namics in ground-water systems

May 25-28,Bucharest, RCM onsedimentation as-sessment studiesby environmentalradionuclides andtheir application tosoil conservationmeasures

June, Vienna, CS torepare a technicalreport on method-ologies in the use ofisotopes in soil ero-sion and sedimen-tation

June, Africa, AGM(Advisory GroupMeeting) on needfor integration ofisotope field investi-gations in Africa

August, Vienna, CSon analytical qualityof isotope analysesof water and envi-ronmental samples

September 2-4, Vi-enna, RCM on theapplication of iso-tope techniques tothe assessment ofaquifer systems inmajor urban areas

September 8-11,Vienna, RCM onisotope-aided stud-ies of atmosphericcarbon dioxide andother green housegases - Phase 2

October 6-9,Monaco, Interna-tional Symposium


(Continued on page 9)


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he 1997 IAEA Group Fellowship Training in Iso-tope Hydrology was held at the Agency’s Head-

quarters in Vienna from 1 September to 31 October,1997. This training course is sponsored by the Agencyand organized by the Isotope Hydrology Section,and has been held every two years since 1987.

Twenty-three scientists and engineers from twenty-two Member States participated in the training this year:

• Mr. Julio CAMPOS GORRITI, Autoridad Autónoma del LagoTiticaca, BOLIVIA

• Mr. Fernando MOLINA Z IGA, Instituto Costarricense deElectricidad, COSTA RICA

• Ms. Judith DOMINGUEZ CATASÚS, Instituto Superior deCiencias y Tecnología Nucleares, CUBA

• Mr. Fedlu HASSEN KERETA, Ethiopian Institute of Geologi-cal Survey, ETHIOPIA

• Mr. Victor Manuel ORTIZ CORZO, Instituto Nacional deElectricidad, GUATEMALA

• Mr. Alfred RAJOELISAONINA, Directorate of Water/Ministryof Energy and Mines, MADAGASCAR

• Mr. Madia SIDORO, Direction Nationale de l'Hydraulique etde l'Energie, MALI

• Mr. Enrique TELLO HINOJOSA, Comisión Federal deElect-ricidad, Morelia, MEXICO

• Mr. Davaa GOMBYIN, Hydrometeorological Research Insti-tute, MONGOLIA

• Mr. Mohamed AOUBOUAZZA, Service des Expérimentationsdes Essais de la Normalization, MOROCCO

• Ms. Maria AMAKALI, Ministry of Agriculture, Water andRural Development, NAMIBIA

• Mr. Gregory Milton CHRISTELIS, Ministry of Agriculture,Water and Rural Development, NAMIBIA


TRAININGTRAINING

1997 IAEA GROUP FELLOWSHIP TRAINING IN ISOTOPE HYDROLOGY

Above: Hands-on experience inusing the multi-parameter probe(Photo credit: J.Gerardo-Abaya /IAEA).Below: A groupphoto of thetrainees withsome of the Iso-tope HydrologySection staff infront of themulti-nationalflags (Photocredit: C. Devia-Torres/IAEA).


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• Mr. Riaz Ahmad WAHEED, Soil Biology DivisionNIAB, PAKISTAN

• Mr. Arnel MEJORADA, PNOC Energy DevelopmentCorp., PHILIPPINES

• Ms. Alla E. TKACHENKO, Russian Research Insti-tute of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology, RUSSIA

• Mr. Mohammed AL HAIMY, Ministry of Agricultureand Water Hydrology Division, SAUDI ARABIA

• Mr. Mohammed ABDELAZIZ YOUSIF, Non-NiloticWater Administration, SUDAN

• Mr. Mesak MILINTAWISAMAI, Environmental Re-search and Training Centre, THAILAND

• Mr. Türker KURTTAS, International Research andApplication Centre for Karst Water Resources, HacettepeUniversity, TURKEY

• Ms. Deborah Apophia NAKATO, Directorate of Wa-ter Development, UGANDA

• Mr. Milton A. OKAO, Directorate of Water Develop-ment, UGANDA

• Mr. Diego Ricardo DELMONTE NUÑ EZ, Direc-ción Nacional de Tecnología Nuclear, URUGUAY

• Mr. Kien Chinh NGUYEN, Centre for Nuclear Tech-niques, Isotope Hydrology Department, VIET NAM

The training this year included an intensiveprogramme composed of some 80 hours oflectures, around 100 hours of practical work, and60 hours of project course work. Lectures deliv-ered by staff members of the Isotope HydrologySection and invited outside experts covered awide range of topics in isotope hydrology. Thetitles included “Principles of environmental iso-tope hydrology”, “Statistical methods in isotopehydrology”, “Artificial tracers in hydrology”,


TRAININGTRAININGLower Left: Liliana Andreescu shows the method for stable isotope measurement (Photo credit: T. Kurttas/Turkey).

Upper right: Edmundo Garcia-Agudo demonstrates proce-dures in a tracer test (Photo credit: T. Kurttas/Turkey).Middle right: Under an umbrella, Luis Araguas Araguasexplains how to use the multi-parameter probe (Photocredit:J. Gerardo-Abaya/IAEA).


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recharge from the Chari riverduring the flood period. Deu-terium analyses on ground-water and some more 14Cdata are awaited in order tomake a definitive interpreta-tion concerning the role ofChad paleo-lake and bound-ary recharge (piezometric de-pression).

F. HUSSEIN presentedan isotope - hydrologicalstudy carried out in the NileValley. During a three-monthpumping test, samples werecollected from nine wells.The first results show thatwater discharged by the studywells has a high proportion ofpre-1970 recharge, i.e. theproportion infiltrated beforethe High Dam was exploited.In other cases, however,more isotopically enrichedwater (irrigation water) is dis-charged after two and a halfyears of pumping. This watercontains a higher proportionof component of recent Nilewater with a typical isotopicsignature reflecting the influ-ence of the High Dam. Theseresults were found to behighly relevant to theAgency’s on-going technicalco-operation project on theuse of isotope techniques forthe estimation of rechargefrom Nile aquifers to thedesert fringes at West Esnaand Wadi Qena in upperEgypt.

An outline was given by V.L. FERRONSKY of differentpalaeoclimatic results re-cently obtained, from ground-water studies within the cen-tral and northern regions ofthe European Russia and thesouthern part of the WestSiberian lowlands. Informa-tion related to changes both inaridity-humidity regime fromclimatic records of lake sedi-ments extracted from thesouthern and middle parts ofthe Caspian Sea, was alsopresented. During the last


two presentations, it wasstrongly recommended thatcorrelated observations bemade on satellite imagery(meteosat), to verify the airmasses trajectories. It wasalso suggested to comparethe hydrometeorologicaldata with those in the Sahe-lian zone during the recentdrought period and to de-velop further studies on wa-ter dynamics by means ofradioactive isotopes (3H and14C).

The study by W.M. ED-MUNDS and collaborators inthe Sahel zone of NorthernNigeria is part of a multidis-ciplinary environmental pro-ject : << The Sahel Project>>. Hydrogeological studiesinclude the geochemicalanalysis of rainfall andgroundwater in the unsatu-rated and saturated zones.They permit some provi-sional conclusions to bedrawn in relation to waterresources, palaeoclimatol-ogy and palaeohydrology :The main recharge to theconfined middle and loweraquifers occurred some25,000 years ago. The mostsevere drought episode ofthe past 4,000 years oc-curred 1,200-1,000 years BPand lasted an estimated twocenturies. Present dayrecharge rates in the MangaGrasslands were found to behigh (up to 130mm/year).

Y. TRAVI presentedthe project concerned with astudy of groundwater replen-ishment and mechanisms ofthe recharge related toaquifer vulnerability evalua-tions in the Sahel zone ofChad (Chari-Baguirmi plain).The d18O - d2H relationshipestablished for the 1995rainy season gives a goodidea of the evolution of therain signal related to theITCZ mechanisms. Chemi-cal and isotopic data showevidence of present

sotopic tools are particu-larly useful for the qualita-

tive and quantitative manage-ment of groundwater re-sources in arid and semi-aridregions. However, isotopicbaseline data are not suffi-cient, and therefore isotopictools are not used in manygroundwater management op-erations. Improved techniquesfor the unsaturated zone arenecessary to facilitate furtherapplications. In order to im-prove management, isotopetechniques for arid zone hy-drology have to be consoli-dated and popularized. Theseare among the conclusionsreached at the second (final)research co-ordination meet-ing of the CRP (Co-ordinatedResearch Programme) on“Isotope techniques in waterresources investigations in aridand semi-arid regions” (1994-1997) held at the IAEA Head-quarters in Vienna from 6 to 9October 1997. The meetingwas attended by chief investi-gators representing Algeria,Egypt, France, India, the Rus-sian Federation, and theUnited Kingdom.

O. SAIGHI described workrelated to the stable isotopecomposition (18O and 2H) ofprecipitation in Ahaggar massifI (Central Algerian Sahara).The results suggest a doubleor multiple origin (Guineanmonsoon in summer, Atlanticor Mediterranean in winter) forthe air masses which generatethe precipitation.

In his second presentation,O. SAIGHI reported the resultson aquifer recharge in the Cen-tral Ahaggar. In this crystallinemassif, the small alluvialaquifers provide the only re-sources. These resources areoverexploited and the isotopeinvestigations show that thedeeper resources in the crys-talline massif are not ade-quate.

In the discussion on theseCRP NewsCRP News


9

used in countries with noreactor facility for produc-tion of appropriate tracers,e.g. 82Br. In oxygenated wa-ters the use of 99mTc seemsto be unproblematic, the be-havior of the tracer in highlypolluted and/or reductiveenvironments appears as apotential problem which canbe elucidated by appropri-ate investigations. A newCRP on the use of tracersand environmental isotopesfor the evaluation of pollu-tion in surface water wasrecently approved by theAgency and will be imple-mented during the period1997-1999. The responsi-ble officer for this project is

Edmundo Garcia-Agudo.

needs in this field.The use of artificial tracers

in the measurement of traveltime, dispersion coefficientsand flow rates in surface wa-ter is well developed, andappropriate instrumentationand suited tracers are avail-able. While the use of ra-dioactive tracers may be lim-ited by public acceptanceand by the limited supply ofusable short lived nuclides,fluorescent dyes appear tobe the favorite tracers inthese cases, for high sensi-tivity of detection. However,not enough data is availableon the behavior and stabilityof fluorescent tracers inhighly polluted water, spe-cially for contaminated in-dustrial discharges.

Parent/daughter systemslike 99Mo/99mTc could be

Radioactive tracershave proven their im-portance in many hy-drological and indus-

trial applications. Their useshould be considered wher-ever they are licensed to beused. A group of experts con-cluded this at a consultantsmeeting held at the IAEAHeadquarters, 6 - 8 May 1997,on the use of artificial tracersand environmental isotopes insurface water pollution stud-ies.

The group gathered to eval-uate the state of the art ofusing artificial tracers and en-vironmental isotopes in waterquality studies, to discuss pa-rameters which could be bet-ter or more easily measuredusing tracer technologies, andto identify further research

CRP NewsCRP News

on Marine Pollution

October, Vienna, CSto prepare a techni-cal report on investi-gations on CO2 andother greenhousegases

November, Vienna,CS to prepare a tech-nical document onslow moving ground-water

November, Paris, CSon teaching materialin isotope hydrology

November 9-13, Vi-enna, RCM onisotope-based as-sessment of ground-water renewal andrelated anthro-pogenic effects inwater scarce areas

NON-IAEA MEET-INGS AND TRAIN-ING

January 6-8, Notting-ham, UK, Stable Iso-tope Mass Spec-trometers UsersGroup

February 16-19,Christchurch, NewZealand, SPERA 98,Environmental Ra-dioactivity and its Ap-plication in Environ-mental Studies

March 9-13, Vienna,Workshop onisotope-based envi-ronmental investiga-tions in the CaspianSea (InternationalYear of the Ocean)

April 19-23, London,Past GlobalChanges and their



he presence of acidicfluids in most of the

geothermal systems aroundthe world has been a limitingfactor to their optimal exploita-tion. The corrosiveness ofthese fluids to geothermalplants, casings and distribu-tion pipes demands constantefforts to understand the ori-gin and causes of their exis-tence in geothermal systems.Among the geochemical andisotope methods, sulfur iso-topes and noble gas isotopesare the most useful ones.Geochemical modeling willhelp to delineate the chemicalevolution of the acidic fluids.Case studies from the Philip-pines and the United States ofAmerica and other areas haveidentified two major types ofacidic fluids: the H2SO4 andHCl fluids.

Eleven scientists fromMember States (China, Ice-land, Italy, Japan, Mexico,

Philippines, Russia, Turkeyand USA) took part in thefirst research co-ordinationmeeting of the CRP on “TheUse of Isotope Techniques inInvestigating Acidic Fluids inGeothermal Exploitation”(1997-1999) held at theIAEA Headquarters in Vi-enna from 21 to 23 October,1997, to discuss and sum-marize the current knowl-edge on the acidity in hy-drothermal systems in differ-ent types of geological set-tings, and to delineate thefuture direction for joint re-search efforts. Research onvarious sources of acidity,particularly in andesitic sys-tems, and comparison withthose in basaltic and rhyoliticareas is being undertaken.Understanding will providethe possibility for betterreservoir management (seephoto on the next page) .

glacial period, (22,000years BP) groundwater wasnot replenished. After thisperiod, reduced recharge inaquifers has been related tothe presence of permafrost.A feature which needs to beclarified is the problem ofdefining the boundary of theglaciation. It was sug-gested that all 14C data becompiled to resolve thisproblem.

A.R. NAIR described anenvironmental isotope pro-ject carried out along aburied river course inJaisalmer (India). Thegroundwater along thiscourse is old due to the veryremote Himalayan source.In the area of a large irriga-tion project, the contributionof canal water and returnflow of irrigation water tothe groundwater has beendelineated. The groundwa-ter salinity is attributed bothto

the uplift of local saline




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and Yemen which are all lo-cated in water scarce regions.The country representativeswere senior level manage-ment staff from national insti-tutions, such as Deputy Minis-ter for Irrigation, Directors inwater resources departmentsof related ministries, and se-nior staff from national waterresearch centers and univer-sities. The represented coun-tries showed keen interest inthe identified priority topicsand indicated full governmentcommitment for future activi-ties to be implemented in ap-plications of isotope hydrol-ogy at the national or regionalscale.

ter basins affected by salin-ity.

• Water pollution, pollu-tant transport, managementfor groundwater quality pro-tection and assessment ofaquifer vulnerability.

• Soil erosion, reservoirsedimentation and sedimenttransport.

Thirty one representativesinvited by UNESCO ascountry coordinators of theIHP (International Hydrologi-cal Programme) from the fol-lowing countries attendedthe meeting: Algeria,Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,Mauritania, Morocco, Oman,Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Ara-bia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia

TC NewsTC News

Left: A piece of acorroded pipefrom the casingof a geothermalwell in Iceland(Photo credit: H.A rmannsson /Iceland). Right:Scientists fromdifferent coun-tries working ona wellhead ofP a l i n p i n o ngeothermal fieldin the Philippines( R A S / 8 / 0 7 5 )(Photo credit: J.Gerardo-Abaya/

Four priority fields havebeen identified by coun-tries participating in theIAEA/UNESCO Work-

shop on the Integration of Iso-tope Techniques in the Investi-gations for Water Resources inArid and Semi-Arid Regionsheld in Rabat, Morocco from 8to 12 September 1997. Thesepriority areas are:

• Recharge assessment inarid zones, with particular em-phasis on the assessment ofeffectiveness of artificialrecharge schemes in whichvast amounts of investmentshave already been made andsimilar artificial rechargeschemes are under construc-tion.

• Management of groundwa-

Within the frame-work of theAgency’s regionaltechnical co-

operation project RAS/8/075on isotope geochemistry forexploitation of geothermal en-ergy for Asia and the Pacific, agroup of project staff from par-ticipating countries [China (1),Costa Rica (1), Indonesia (2),Mexico (1), thePhilippines (10), and Thailand(2)] met in the Philippines from26 May to 5 June 1997 toexchange their experience in

geothermal development.The topics of demonstrationsand discussions included:

• Sampling methodologies• Data reduction tech-

niques• Exploration methods for

low and high enthalpygeothermal systems

• Problems encountered inexploitation and their solu-tions

• Computer programmes(e.g. CHILLER, WATCH)and

• Regional Isotope Hydrol-

ogy Database developedthrough the project in co-operation with the East ChinaGeological Institute.

Planned future activities ofthe project include: field in-vestigations in geothermal ar-eas in the participating coun-tries; another group activity in1998; inter-laboratory com-parison (phase I: major waterchemistry); and further devel-opment of the regionaldatabase.

The responsible officer forthis project is Jane Gerardo-


11

Luis Araguas Araguasgave the following five lec-tures at a training course onisotope hydrology held inMadrid, Spain, from 2 to 6June 1997.

• Application of environ-mental isotopes in studyinghydrological processes in theunsaturated zone

• Isotope methods in theinvestigation of saliniztionproblems

• Environmental isotopesin paleo-climatic studies

• Geochemical and iso-topic methods in studyinghydrothermal systems

• Presentation of casestudies.

The course was organizedby the Autonomous Univer-sity of Madrid and the Centrefor Studies and Experimen-tation (CEDEX), Ministry ofPublic Works in Madrid.Thirty eight participants fromSpain and Latin Americancountries attended thecourse.

Yuecel Yurtsever deliveredthe following lectures at the28th international post-graduate training course on"Hydrological Methods of De-veloping Environmental Man-agement" held in Budapest,Hungary, from 1 February to31 July, 1997.

• Basic principles of isotopeand tracer methods in hydrol-ogy

• Concepts and applicationsof environmental isotopes inwater resources and relatedenvironmental studies

• Tracer applications forsite-specific hydro-engineering problems

• Isotope and tracer appli-cations in pollution studies.

The course, sponsored byUNESCO and WMO, is orga-nized on an annual basis bythe National Water ResourcesResearch Institute (VITUKI) inBudapest. Thirteen partici-pants from thirteen differentcountries attended the coursethis year.

BRIEF NewsBRIEF News

Significance for theFuture (IGBP-Pages)

April 26-28, Cairo,Egypt, “Arab Water98”

May 25-30, Moscow,Third InternationalCongress and Tech-nical Exhibition,"Water, Ecology andTechnology" ECWA-TECH'98)

June 13 - 20, Ker-manshah, Iran, Sec-ond InternationalSymposium on Wa-ter Resources inKarstic Formations

June, Geneva, An-nual Session of theGNIP Steering Com-mittee

July 1- 4, Portoroz,Slovenia, IsotopeWorkshop IV of theEuropean Society forIsotope Research,4th IW-ESIR'87

August 17-20, Es-poo, Finland, 2nd In-ternational Confer-ence on Climate andWater

August, Beijing,China, 9th Interna-tional Conference onIsotope Chronology,Dating and Cos-mochronology, andIsotope Geology

August, Canada,Continuous FlowMass SpectrometryWorkshop

September (5 days),Paris, UNESCO In-t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l



Yuecel Yurtsever presenteda key-note paper entitled"Role and contribution of envi-ronmental tracers for thestudy of sources and pro-cesses of groundwater salin-ization" at the symposium on"Hydro-chemistry" of the 5thScientific Assembly of the In-ternational Association of Hy-drological Sciences (IAHS),held in Rabat, Morocco from24 April to 3 May 1997.

The Scientific Assembly isheld every four years.

Three hundred and sixty sci-entists from fifty-four coun-tries, and representatives ofUN agencies and non-governmental organizations

attended the Assembly.

Jane Gerardo-Abaya madean oral presentation on "TheUse of Environmental Iso-topes in Water Pollution In-vestigations:related IAEAactivities” at the 4th Interna-tional Conference onGroundwater Pollution heldin Bled, Slovenia from 17 to20 June, 1997.

The Conference was orga-nized by the Wessex Insti-tute of Technology and theUniversity of Ljubljana, withthe participation of aboutone hundred scientists fromover twenty-eight countries.

groundwater and to theevaporation of shallowgroundwater.

In the discussion on thispresentation, it was stronglyrecommended that baselinemeasurements be made onthe rain to assess the meanprecipitation signal.

It was also suggested toverify the vertical variationin groundwater and, if thisis not possible, to checkfurther samples.

These contributions willbe published in an IAEATechnical Document.

The responsible officerfor this project is KlausFröhlich.


Zhonghe PANG deliveredthree lectures at the “16thPostgraduate TrainingCourse on GroundwaterTracing Techniques” held inGraz, Austria, from 18 Au-gust to 26 September 1997.

• Introduction to IsotopeHydrology

• Environmental Isotopesas Natural Tracers

• Application of Environ-mental Isotope Data in Hy-drogeology

The training course, spon-sored by the Austrian gov-ernment with support fromUNESCO, is organized ev-ery two years by the Joan-neum Research Centre andthe Technical University ofGraz in Austria.

Twenty-two scientists andengineers from eighteen de-veloping countries, includ-ing three IAEA fellows, par-ticipated in the training thisyear.


12

Three staff members of the Isotope Hydrology Sectionrecently received awards from the Agency.

Mr. Luis ARAGUAS ARAGUAS received the 1997“Distinguished Service Award” at a ceremony that tookplace in the presence of Members of the Board of Gover-nors on 6 October 1997, for his discharging in a mostefficient manner the overall responsibilities in relation to the"Global Network for Isotopes in Precipitation" (GNIP) whichis being operated by the Agency in co-operation with WMO,and for his initiative in compiling into a computerizeddatabase the historical data collected through GNIP since1960. Mr. Araguas also initiated work on the design andcode-verification of a new computer based isotope hydrol-ogy database, being developed. This award is offered annu-ally by the Director General of the IAEA to staff members.

meeting are assembled inthis volume.

Manual on MathematicalModels in Isotope Hydro-geology. This manual(IAEA-TECDOC-910, pub-lished in 1995), prepared byfour invited experts, pro-vides an overview of thebasic concepts of existingmodeling approaches, pro-cedures for their applicationto different hydrological sys-tems, their limitations anddata requirements. Guid-ance in their practical appli-cations, illustrative casestudies and information onexisting PC software arealso included. While thesubject matter of isotopetransport modeling and im-proved quantitative evalua-tions through natural iso-topes in water sciences is

Reference and Inter-Comparison Materials forStable Isotopes of Light Ele-ments. This publication(IAEA-TECDOC-825, pub-lished in 1995) is the proceed-ings of a consultants meetingheld in Vienna, 1-3 December1993. The meeting on StableIsotope Standards and Inter-comparison Materials was thefifth of this type to review anddiscuss the characteristics,quality and availability of theexisting standards and inter-calibration materials, and toassess needs for new materi-als, in view of developmentsand applications. A large partof the discussions was de-voted to the new materialsprepared for sulfur isotopeanalysis and the analytical re-quirements for high precisionisotopic analysis of CO2. Six-teen papers presented at the

BRIEF NewsBRIEF News

Council Meeting forIHP

September 27 -Oct. 2, Las Vegas,Nevada, USA, 28thCongress of the In-ternational Associa-tion of Hydrogeolo-gists

November 16-19,Abidjan, IvoryCoast, InternationalConference on wa-ter resources inAfrica during the20th century

1999IAEA MEETINGSAND TRAINING

Vienna, Sympo-sium on isotopetechniques in waterresources develop-ment and manage-ment


IN THE NEXTISSUE...

Programme review: Refer-ence materials and inter-labcomparison in isotope hydrol-ogy organized by the IAEA

Technical review: Boronisotopes and their applicationto investigations on ground-water pollution (tentative)

News updates on:• Slow moving groundwater

and waste disposal• Isotopes and urban hy-

drology• Groundwater pollution• Teaching materials in iso-

tope hydrology• Isotopes and groundwater

renewal• Monitoring the isotope

composition of precipitation(GNIP)

• Groundwater renewal inwater scarce areas

still in the developmentstage, this manual summa-rizes the methodologiespresently available to assistthe practitioner in the properuse within the framework ofongoing isotope hydrologi-cal field studies. In view ofthe widespread use of iso-tope methods in groundwa-ter hydrology, the method-ologies covered in the man-ual are directed towards hy-drogeological applications,although most of the con-ceptual formulations pre-sented would generally bevalid. The manual is a use-ful guide for scientists andpractitioners involved in iso-tope hydrological applica-tions, particularly in quanti-tative evaluation of isotopedata in groundwater sys-tems.

st

IHS Staff Members Awarded

Ms. Hedwig FRUEHWIRTH re-ceived a “Merit Award” for herexcellent performance.

Ms. Helene FADLAOUI receivedthe “Long Service Award” for herlong-term service with the Agency(20 years).


13

and avoid erroneous conclu-sions eventually drawn fromconcentration measurements.It should be noted that al-though the CFC concentra-tions in the water dependstrongly on the temperature,the concentration ratios arealmost temperature-independent (Fig.3). Conse-quently, in cases where therecharge temperature is un-certain, the age of the groundwater can still be determined.As seen in Fig.3, in general, a5oC error in estimation of therecharge temperature wouldresult in an error of more than20% in the calculated atmo-spheric CFC concentrations,causing an uncertainty of sev-eral years, particularly for wa-ter recharged after 1975. Onthe other hand, a 5oC error inrecharge temperature wouldresult in only a slight differ-ence in the calculated atmo-spheric CFC concentrationratios (<6%). The annual in-crease rate of atmosphericCFC concentration ratios is sorapid (>6% between 1950 and1990), that a 5oC error in therecharge temperature wouldonly cause an uncertainty inthe age estimation of 1 yearor less. Additionally, it is evenpossible, based on the agedetermined by the CFC ratiosto estimate further therecharge temperature, e.g., ifthe CFC concentrations in thewater are lower than expectedfrom the recharge year, therecharge temperature mustbe higher than assumed, andvice versa.

Limitations of CFCsPossible limitations of the

use of CFC dating techniqueare:

• Compared to other trac-ers, CFC concentrations ingroundwater are more sensi-tive to contamination from ur-


(“age”) of the groundwater.

Advantages of CFCs asDating Tools

CFCs present several ad-vantages over the other tran-sient tracers:

• The analysis is easy, in-expensive and rapid. CFCconcentrations are deter-mined by a gas chromato-graphic method. A single de-termination requires lessthan 30 ml of water and 30minutes of time.

• 3H “bomb” peaks willcontinue to fade. Thus, in thedecades ahead the easy de-tection of CFCs will allowthem to be used in hydrologi-cal studies in cases where itis difficult or impossible toachieve results with 3H.CFCs are globally dis-tributed, their atmosphericconcentrations are notstrongly dependent on lati-tude. This makes them espe-cially useful in studies in thesouthern hemisphere, whichreceived much fewer bombHTO than the northern hemi-sphere in the mid-1960’s.

• CFCs are very sensitiveindicators to contaminationof groundwater by modernsurface water. The detectionlimit of CFCs is about0.01pmol/kg. Therefore, lessthan 0.1% modern surfacewater in pre-1940 groundwa-ter is detectable.

• CFC concentration ratioscan be used to estimate theage of the groundwater(Fig.2). From the relativeconcentrations of two CFCsin a water sample one candetermine the atmosphericCFC concentration ratio atthe time when the water wasisolated from the atmo-sphere. This may provideadditional and more preciseinformation about thegroundwater age, is an inde-pendent plausibility check

hat are CFCs?Chlorofluorocar-

bons (CFCs),specifically CFC-11 (CCl3F),CFC-12 (CCl2F2) and CFC-113(C2Cl3F3), are chemically sta-ble, entirely man-made com-pounds. CFCs have beenmanufactured for a variety ofpurposes and released on alarge scale into the atmo-sphere and hydrosphere since1940's.

Because of their rapid accu-mulation in the atmosphere,their contribution to ozone de-struction in the lower strato-sphere, and their contributionas atmospheric greenhousegases, CFCs have receivedwidespread attention in recentyears. Since the 1970s, in ad-dition to many individual moni-toring efforts, regular mea-surements of atmosphericCFC concentrations havebeen carried out at stationsthroughout the world. Based onthe production records and re-lease data prior to 1977 andworld-wide atmospheric mea-surements thereafter, growthcurves of atmospheric concen-trations of CFCs from 1940 tothe present have been recon-structed (Fig.1).

Recent studies have con-firmed that CFCs, like otherglobal transient tracers such as3H and 85Kr, can be used as atool for dating groundwater.The basic assumption in datinggroundwater is that the con-centrations of CFCs in a partic-ular water mass are at equilib-rium with the CFC partial pres-sures in the atmosphere at thetime when the water reachesthe groundwater table and isfurther on isolated from theatmosphere. Thus, by measur-ing CFC concentrations ingroundwater, together with theknown “input functions” andsolubility data it is possible todetermine the residence time

TECHNICALTECHNICAL

Liang-Feng HANandManfred Gröning

Isotope HydrologySection, IAEA


“CFCs may notreplace othertracers such as3H and 85Krcompletely; butinstead, theyprovide impor-tant informa-tion that willsupplement theother tracers indating ground-water.”

14

the 1960’s, CFCs pro-nounce any contribution ofrecent groundwater. 2) Dueto the shape of the inputfunctions hydrodynamicdispersion may have asmall effect on CFC-basedages, whereas dispersion ofthe bomb peak typically re-sults in increased 3H/3Heages in post-bomb peak wa-ters and reduced ages inpre-bomb peak waters.

In these two cases, thecombined use of CFCs and3H/3He dating techniquescan help to eliminate someof the uncertainties in mod-ern groundwater dating.

mentioned above, CFC anal-yses may not replace othertracers such as 3H and 85Krcompletely; but instead, theyprovide important informa-tion that will supplement theother tracers in datinggroundwater. The differentshape of the input functionsfor CFCs and 3H providespossibilities to derive wateradmixtures more preciselyand improve water dating(the CFC input functions arerelatively smooth andsteadily increasing, while 3His dominated by the 1963bomb peak). This can bedemonstrated by the follow-ing two examples: 1) In thecase where an “old” ground-water (age of severaldecades) is contaminated bya small portion of “young”water, 3H and CFCs providequantitatively different infor-mation: whereas 3H is mostsensitive to water formed in

ban and industrial sources.• The samples, particularly

the older waters, can be easilycontaminated by trace levels ofCFCs introduced during sam-pling, storage and analysis.

• Generally, the non-localCFC input functions are usedfor groundwater dating. How-ever, because CFCs are re-leased into the atmospherefrom anthropogenic sources,the CFC input functions indensely-inhabited regionsmight be different from thenon-local trends and mighteven be much more variablewith time.

• Other processes that canmodify CFC concentrations ingroundwater, such as sorptionon soil and organic matter, mi-crobial degradation, entertain-ment of excess air can con-tribute to uncertainties in ageestimation of groundwater.

Due to all these limitations


TECHNICALTECHNICAL

ater and Environ-ment News is aquaterly nesletter of

the IAEA sub-programme onthe development and man-agement of water resources. Itpublishes not onlyprogramme-related Agencyactivities but also highlightsrelavant major technicalachievements in the field ofIsotope Hydrology. Contribu-tions from counterparts inMember States and organisa-tions (institutes co-operatingwith the Agency in the waterand environment sector) aremost welcome for inclusion inthe newsletter. Contributionsare classified into one of thefollowing categories for whichthe scope has been proposedas follows.

• Programme reviews pub-lishes articles with views &opinions, reviews of isotopehydrology and relevant pro-grammes

• Research & develop-ment highlights outcomes ofCRPs completed, scopesand objectives of new ones,suggestions and criticismsfrom participating institutesor chief investigators in-volved.

• Technical co-operationhighlights TC activities andmajor achievements, viewsand opinions towards the im-plementation of the projectsfrom counterparts.

• Training activities re-ports on training activitiescompleted, early informationon planned new ones, viewsfrom trainees.

• Technical reviews intro-duces new approaches,achievements and success-ful practical applications orcase studies in isotope hy-drology and allied disci-plines.

• Letters to the editor re-

flects feedback from read-ers, comments, criticismsand suggestions on thenewsletter.

Articles must not exceed2000 words (figures and ta-bles inclusive). Informativefigures and tables are al-ways encouraged to becombined with the text. Anelectronic version accom-panying the hard copy ispreferred.

Contributions may be ad-dressed to:

Water and EnvironmentNews, Isotope HydrologySection, InternationalAtomic Energy Agency,P.O. Box 100, Wagramer-strasse 5, A-1400, Vienna,AUSTRIATel. +43-1-2060-21741;Fax:+43-1-20607;E-Mail: [email protected]


15

Fig. 2. Time-dependent atmospheric concentration ratios of[CFC-11]/[CFC-12], [CFC-113]/[CFC-11], and [CFC-113]/[CFC-12]. Ratios are based on the data presented in Fig.1.

Fig. 1. Global trends of atmospheric CFC concentrations. The lines represent industrial release data estimated from productionrecords. The open squares represent measurements.

1 9 4 0 1 9 5 0 1 9 6 0 1 9 7 0 1 9 8 0 1 9 9 0 2 0 0 0Y E A R

0

1 0 0

2 0 0

3 0 0

4 0 0

5 0 0

6 0 0C

FCs

(PP

TV)

C F C - 1 2C F C - 1 1C F C - 1 1 3

Fig. 3. Atmospheric CFC concentrations and concentrationratios as a function of equilibrium temperature. Data arecalculated from a water sample having the following CFCconcentrations: CFC-11=3.86pmol/kg; CFC-112=1.76pmol/kg; CFC-113=0.305pmol/kg. Curves: 1) CFC-12; 2) CFC-11; 3) CFC-113;4) [CFC-11]/[CFC-12]; 5) [CFC-113]/[CFC-11]; 6) [CFC-113]/[CFC-12].

0 10 20 30 40

0

200

400

600

800

1000

0.00.20.40.60.8

Cal

cula

ted

atm

osph

eric

CFC

s (p

ptv)

Rat

ios

TEMPERATURE ( C)

1

2

3

4

5

6

1940 1960 1980 2000YEAR

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

CFC

RA

TIO

CFC-11/CFC-12

CFC-113/CFC-11

CFC-113/CFC-12

Water and Environment News, Isotopr Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer-strasse 5, P.O.Box 100, A-1400, Vienna, Austria. Printed by IAEA in Vienna


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