Erfahrungen mit dem Einsatz von Umwelttracern in der Abflussanalyse

The use of environmental tracers in hydrology and hydrogeology has gained considerable importance during the past decade. The stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen are used to calculate the mean catchment altitudes of groundwater and springs as well as to separate long and short term stored runoff components. The latter calls for accurate knowledge of the input concentration (precipitation, infiltration), which is better determined by split sampling. Another possibility of separating runoff components is the use of dissolved substances as parameters, as these reflects to rock-water interactions or to man-made influences on the hydrological system. However, it is necessary to compare quantified analysis of mass transport with mathematical/hydrological interpretations.