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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Deuterium And Oxygen-18 Diffusion In A Confined Aquifer: A Numerical Model Of Stable Isotope Diffusion Across Aquitard-Aquifer Boundaries, Benjamin J. Currens
Deuterium And Oxygen-18 Diffusion In A Confined Aquifer: A Numerical Model Of Stable Isotope Diffusion Across Aquitard-Aquifer Boundaries, Benjamin J. Currens
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
The stable isotopes 2H and 18O, combined with noble gases and radioisotopes (e.g., 3H, 14C, 36Cl), are used to infer groundwater age and climate during recharge. Flow regimes within low-velocity flowpaths and long residence times could allow an aquitard-aquifer diffusive flux to alter isotope abundance. Consequently, the diffusion of isotopes (e.g., 14C, 2H and 18O) between aquifers and confining layers needs to be considered in such conditions. In this study, COMSOL Multiphysics was used to determine if diffusion of 18O (and 2H by proxy) from a bounding aquitard could explain …