Realtime stable isotope monitoring of natural waters by parallel-flow laser spectroscopy.

A parallel-flow H(2)O(liquid)-H(2)O(vapor) equilibration and laser spectroscopy method provides a new way to monitor the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopic composition of water from rivers or lakes or in hydrologic tracer tests in real time. Two custom-built equilibrator devices and one commercial membrane device were tested to determine if they could be used to convert natural water samples (lakes, rivers, groundwater) to a H(2)O gas phase for continuous online δ(18)O and δD isotopic analysis by laser spectroscopy. Both the commercial minimodule device and the marble-filled equilibrator produced water vapor in isotopic equilibrium with the flowing liquid water, suggesting that unattended field measurement using these devices is possible. Oxygen isotope disequilibrium was indicated using the minimodule device at low temperatures.