Elsevier

Journal of Hydrology

Volume 60, Issues 1–4, January 1983, Pages 157-173
Journal of Hydrology

Research paper
The use of natural tracers as indicators of soil-water movement in a temperate semi-arid region

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(83)90019-7Get rights and content

Abstract

In a semi-arid area of southern Australia a change in land use from Eucalyptus scrub to cropping with wheat is shown to have caused considerable change in the mechanism of the movement of soil water and the amount of deep drainage. Chloride concentrations of soil water have been used to show the mean annual amount of deep drainage increases from less than 0.1 to ∼ 3 mm yr.−1 following clearing of the native vegetation.

The concentration of environmental tritium in soil water beneath the native vegetation is consistent with the hypothesis that some relatively recent water (post 1960) has penetrated to depths of at least 12m along channels occupied by living roots. Where the native vegetation has been cleared, no water which fell as rain since 1960 was found at depths greater than 2.5 m.

18O and deuterium concentrations suggest that some water movement to the roots of the native vegetation is in the vapour phase.

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