The transfer of oxygen isotopic signals from precipitation to drip water and modern calcite on the seasonal time scale in Yongxing Cave, central China

Stable isotope data of precipitation (δ18Op and deuterium excess), drip water (δ18Od), and modern calcite precipitates (δ18Oc and δ13Cc) from Yongxing Cave, central China, are presented, with monthly sampling intervals from June 2013 to September 2016. Moderate correlations between the monthly variation of δ18Op values (from − 11.5 to − 0.7‰) and precipitation amount (r = − 0.59, n = 34, p < 0.01) and deuterium excess (r = 0.39, n = 31, p < 0.01) imply a combined effect of changes in precipitation amount and atmospheric circulation. At five drip sites, the δ18Od values have a much smaller variability (from − 9.1 to − 7.5‰), without seasonal signals, probably a consequence of the mixing in the karst reservoir with a deep aquifer. The mean δ18Od value (− 8.4‰) for all drip waters is significantly more negative than the mean δ18Op value (− 6.9‰) weighted by precipitation amount, but close to the wet season (May to September) mean value (− 8.3‰), suggesting that a threshold of precipitation amount must be exceeded to provide recharge. Calculation based on the equilibrium fractionation factor indicates that the δ18Oc values are not in isotopic equilibrium with their corresponding drip waters, with a range of disequilibrium effects from 0.4 to 1.4‰. The δ18Oc and δ13Cc values generally increase progressively away from the locus of precipitation on glass plates. The disequilibrium effects in the cave are likely caused by progressive calcite precipitation and CO2 degassing related to a high gradient of CO2 concentration between drip waters and cave air. Our study provides an important reference to interpret δ18Oc records from the monsoon region of China.