Isotope hydrological study of mean transit time in the granitic Strengbach catchment (Vosges massif, France): application of the FlowPC model with modified input function

Measurements of O-18 concentrations in precipitation, soil solution, spring and runoff are used to determine water transit time in the small granitic Strengbach catchment (0.8 km(2); 883-1146 m above sea level) located in the Vosges Mountains of northeastern France. Water transit times were calculated by applying the exponential, exponential piston and dispersion models of the FIowPC program to isotopic input (rainfall) and output (spring and stream water) data sets during the period 1989-95. The input function of the model was modified compared with the former version of the model and estimated by a deterministic approach based on a simplified hydrological balance. The fit between observed and calculated output data showed marked improvements compared with results obtained using the initial version of the model. An exponential piston version of the model applied to spring water indicates a 38.5 month mean transit time, which suggests that the volume in the aquifer, expressed in water depth, is 2-4 m. A considerable thickness (> 45 m) of fractured bedrock may be involved for such a volume of water to be stored in the aquifer. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.