Review: Environmental tracers in arid-zone hydrology

Application of environmental tracers to arid-zone hydrology over the past several decades is reviewed, with particular reference to the Australian continent. Some notable successes in the application of stable and radio-isotopes include identifying arid-zone groundwater as palaeowaters, understanding the importance of episodicity and of large flood events to recharge, and delineating sources of water to vegetation. Estimating the rates of recharge and discharge have relied to a large extent on chloride and tritium profiles in the unsaturated zone, while radiocarbon and chlorine-36 are used to estimate horizontal flow rates. A number of new research opportunities are suggested. Improved understanding of processes that modify isotopic signatures at the interface zones such as the upper 5 m of the soil zone, the capillary zone, and the discharge zone, are needed to better quantify water fluxes across these zones. Furthermore, linkages between the atmosphere-soil-water-vegetation continuum although qualitatively understood, elude quantitative transfer to a scale commensurate with basin-scale groundwater management. The new generation of improved and more robust stable isotope and radiometric dating techniques, will be invaluable in advancing the science and its application to better management of meagre water resources in dry parts of the world.