Stable Water Isotopes in Fresh Snow Along 2 Slopes in the canton of Grisons/Graubünden, Sw

Manuel Rüdisühli's bachelor thesis dataset from the University of Bern analyzes the spatial variability of δ2H, δ18O, and δ17O isotopes in fresh snow. It contains measurements from six snowfall events in March, sampled along a 1000-meter elevation gradient on the south slope of the Chruez mountain in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland. The work characterizes altitude gradients for the isotopes, with values for δ2H ranging from −50‰ to −160‰ and for δ18O from −8‰ to −20‰.

Use Cases

• Modeling altitude gradients of stable water isotopes in snow based on reported lapse rates of up to 5.5‰/100m for δ2H.
• Analyzing spatial variability of δ2H, δ18O, and δ17O composition in fresh snow across an elevation gradient.
• Investigating the influence of meteorological factors like solar radiation and wind direction on isotope fractionation in snowfall.
• Using δ2H and δ18O values as tracers for hydrological processes such as air mass sources of precipitation.

Strengths

• Data is focused on fresh snow, which the description states minimizes post-precipitation fractionation processes.
• Includes measurements for three stable water isotopes (δ2H, δ18O, δ17O) across six distinct snowfall events.
• Samples were collected over a defined 1000-meter elevation gradient, enabling analysis of altitude effects.
• Reports specific statistically significant altitude gradients, such as 0.64‰/100m for δ18O and 5.5‰/100m for δ2H.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data collection was limited to one month (March) and one geographic region, which may affect generalizability.

Provenance

Source

University of Bern (Bachelor thesis by Manuel Rüdisühli)

Collection Method

Field sampling of fresh snow during six snowfall events in March along an elevation gradient.

Time Range

March (specific year not stated)

Geography

South slope of Chruez mountain, Praettigau region, canton of Grisons/Graubünden, Switzerland