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Isotopic typology of the precipitation in the Western Mediterranean Region at three different time scales
Author(s) -
CelleJeanton Hélène,
Travi Yves,
Blavoux Bernard
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2000gl012407
Subject(s) - mediterranean climate , precipitation , environmental science , climatology , sampling (signal processing) , mediterranean sea , physical geography , geology , geography , meteorology , archaeology , filter (signal processing) , computer science , computer vision
Environmental isotopes ( 18 O, ²H) have been measured, between March 1997 and March 1999, at 10 stations located in the Mediterranean seaside countries (2 in Spain, 1 in Tunisia, 7 in France). Data collected on monthly, event and fractionated basis allow to understand the modifications of the isotopic content of precipitation due to meteorological phenomena. A monthly monitoring shows that the Western Mediterranean has a unique isotopic characteristic that is between Atlantic and Eastern Mediterranean. A daily survey highlights the impact of the origins and trajectories of air masses on the amount and the oxygen‐18 content of rainfalls: enriched and higher amount Mediterranean precipitation, depleted and lower amount Atlantic precipitation. At last, fractionated sampling of heavy precipitation allows to establish a typology of the variations of the isotopic composition during a rain event.