New paper out in Vadose Zone Journal on the differences between stable isotopic signal in mobile and bulk soil water

We compare in our latest study soil water isotope data from suction cup lysimeter, that are limited to sample the mobile water (MW), with soil water isotope data sampled with the direct water-vapor analysis, that samples the bulk soil water (BW). We present for six landscape units at three VeWa sites that the BW isotopic compositions shows a kinetic fractionation, which is indicative for soil evaporation, but MW does not. We suggest that the relative volume of MW to BW is relevant for explaining these isotopic differences, since MW volumes are usually relatively low during periods of high evaporation. We additionally use the numerical 1-D flow model SWIS (Soil Water Isotope Simulator) to simulate the hydrometric and isotopic dynamics at the studied sites. The simulations accounting for a fast and slow flow supported the conceptualization of two soil pore domains (MW and BW) with isotopic exchange via vapor exchange. Please see the manuscript here.