In 1980, Nagra, the Swiss National Cooperative for the Storage of Radioactive Waste, began a comprehensive field investigation programme to assess the feasibility and safety of a repository for the final disposal of high-level radioactive waste in northern Switzerland. An international team of scientists has carried out a comprehensive study on the isotope hydrogeology of deep groundwaters. One of the major implications of this work pertains to the storage of radioactive waste. The study goes far beyond an in-depth regional study as it draws together the results of diverse techniques, many of which have been re-evaluated or further developed.This book presents in great detail the results of one of the most comprehensive isotope hydrology studies ever undertaken.

This book represents a new "earth systems" approach to catchments that encompasses the physical and biogeochemical interactions that control the hydrology and biogeochemistry of the system. The text provides a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of catchment hydrology, principles of isotope geochemistry, and the isotope variability in the hydrologic cycle -- but the main focus of the book is on case studies in isotope hydrology and isotope geochemistry that explore the applications of isotope techniques for investigating modern environmental problems. Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology is the first synthesis of physical hydrology and isotope geochemistry with catchment focus, and is a valuable reference for professionals and students alike in the fields of hydrology, hydrochemistry, and environmental science. This important interdisciplinary text provides extensive guidelines for the application of isotope techniques for all investigatores facing the challenge of protecting precious water, soil, and ecological resources from the ever-increasing problems associated with population growth and environmental change, including those from urban development and agricultural land uses.

Groundwater is an increasingly important resource to human populations around the world, and the study and protection of groundwater is an essential part of hydrogeology - the subset of hydrology that concentrates on the subsurface. Environmental isotopes, naturally occurring nuclides in water and solutes, have become fundamental tools for tracing

This updated and expanded edition provides a thorough understanding of the measurable properties of groundwater systems and the knowledge to apply hydrochemical, geological, isotopic, and dating approaches to their work. This volume includes question and answer discussions for key concepts presented in the text and the basic hydrological, geological, and physical parameters to be observed and measured. Chemical and Isotopic Groundwater Hydrology, Third Edition covers the chemical tools of groundwater hydrology, the isotopic composition of water and groundwater dating by tritum, carbon-14, Cl-36, and He-4, as well as the application of fossil groundwater as a paleoclimatic indicator.

This publication presents, in a simple, but scientifically rigorous manner, the consequences of natural processes to stable isotope concentrations and radioactivities, and discusses the implications of these processes.

Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology synthesizes the research of specialists into a comprehensive review of the application of environmental tracers to the study of soil water and groundwater flow. The book includes chapters which cover ionic tracers, noble gases, chlorofluorocarbons, tritium, chlorine-36, oxygen-18, deuterium, and isotopes of carbon, strontium, sulphur and nitrogen. Applications of the tracers include the estimation of vertical and horizontal groundwater velocities, groundwater recharge rates, inter-aquifer leakage and mixing processes, chemical processes and palaeohydrology. Practicing hydrologists, soil physicists and hydrology professors and students will find the book to be a valuable support in their work.

Hydrology is a topical and growing subject, as the earth's water resources become scarcer and more vulnerable. Although more than half the surface area of continents is covered with hard fractured rocks, there has until now been no single book available dealing specifically with fractured rock hydrogeology. This book deals comprehensively with the fundamental principles for understanding these rocks, as well as with exploration techniques and assessment. It also provides in-depth discussion of structural mapping, remote sensing, geophysical exploration, GIS, field hydraulic testing, groundwater quality and contamination, geothermal reservoirs, and resources assessment and management. Hydrogeological aspects of various lithology groups, including crystalline rocks, volcanic rocks, carbonate rocks and clastic formations, are dealt with separately, using and discussing examples from all over the world. Applied Hydrogeology of Fractured Rocks will be an invaluable reference source for postgraduate students, researchers, exploration scientists, and engineers engaged in the field of groundwater development in fractured rock areas.

Building on the success of its 1993 predecessor, this second edition of Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution has been thoroughly re-written, updated and extended to provide a complete and authoritative account of modern hydrogeochemistry.Offering a quantitative approach to the study of groundwater quality and the interaction of water, minerals,

Environmental isotope and nuclear techniques provide unmatched insights into the processes governing the water cycle and its variability. This monograph presents state of the art applications and new developments of isotopes in hydrology, environmental disciplines and climate change studies. Coverage ranges from the assessment of groundwater resources in terms of recharge and flow regime to studies of the past and present global environmental and climate changes.

This is the first dedicated book to cover the basics of a wide range of stable isotope applications in a manner appropriate for someone entering the field. At the same time, it offers sufficient detail - and numerous references and examples - to direct research for further inquiry. Discusses diverse topics such as hydrology, carbon in plants, meteorites, carbonates, metamorphic rocks, etc. Explores the theory and principles of isotope fractionation. Offers unique, up-to-date discussion of meteorite (extraterrestrial) isotope data. Presents the subject in an interesting historical context, with the classic papers noted. A useful reference for students taking the course and professionals entering the field of Geochemistry.