This isotope hydrology atlas focuses on projects in IAEA Member States in the Asia and Pacific region, where environmental isotopes were used to assess water resources in terms of quantity or quality. It presents location maps of study areas, summary statistics and relevant data plots. Nearly 16,000 isotope records from 105 projects carried out between 1973 and 2007 in 16 Member States are included. For each country a physiographic map is provided that shows major water bodies, locations of stations in the IAEA/WMO Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) and the project study areas. For each project, a map of the study area is provided, together with data tables and plots for median and mean values, average annual precipitation and air temperature, tritium and radiocarbon values.

Groundwater is an increasingly important resource to human populations around the world, and the study and protection of groundwater is an essential part of hydrogeology - the subset of hydrology that concentrates on the subsurface. Environmental isotopes, naturally occurring nuclides in water and solutes, have become fundamental tools for tracing

Within the realm of the newly evolving discipline of environmental sciences, the stable-isotope methodology is being used to an ever-increasing extent, especially in the study of the water cycle and of paleo-climatology. This book introduces the rules of the game, by reviewing the natural variability of stable isotopes in the hydrosphere, describing the physico-chemical basis of isotope fractionation, and applying this knowledge to natural waters as they move through the hydrologic cycle from the ocean to the atmosphere, the biosphere and the lithosphere. There is a special focus on the processes at the surface?atmosphere and land?biosphere?atmosphere interfaces, since these are the sites of major changes in isotope composition. In response to the increasing awareness of our changing climate, a discussion on the global view of the changing water cycle, in the past and future, winds up the presentation.

At the core of all efforts for sustainable human development lies an adequate supply of freshwater. With increasing population numbers and economic growth, it is imperative that we reach a balance between demand and the availability of freshwater, protect available resources in rivers, lakes and aquifers, and prevent disputes over shared resources. Although a significant portion of the Earth's freshwater is renewed by the hydrological cycle, freshwater is still a finite resource and, unlike many other strategic resources, it has no substitute in most of its uses. Nearly half of all freshwater used for drinking and irrigation worldwide is groundwater, on which irrigation and the world's food supply are dependent. Yet, the world's groundwater resources are not well understood. Water resources management and related policy development require widely acceptable scientific information on the hydrology of water bodies. naturally occurring isotopes in water provide unique hydrological information and the associated techniques are highly cost effective. The applications of isotopes in hydrology have from the very beginning been part of the IAEA's programmes related to the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. The focus on the IAEA's work has been to develop appropriate methods for use in water resources management and to assist its Member States in using those methods. The IAEA has helped create a large body of isotope data on the world's rivers, lakes and aquifers that can be used for resource assessment and management on a local, regional and continental scale.

Environmental isotope and nuclear techniques provide unmatched insights into the processes governing the water cycle and its variability. This monograph presents state of the art applications and new developments of isotopes in hydrology, environmental disciplines and climate change studies. Coverage ranges from the assessment of groundwater resources in terms of recharge and flow regime to studies of the past and present global environmental and climate changes.

Contains 174 extended abstracts of papers presented during 11 technical sessions of the 11th symposium in the series that was convened during 19-23 May 2003 in Vienna. Nearly 275 participants from 69 countries participated in the symposium to discuss the past, present and future of isotope applications in hydrology and climate research.

Stable isotope ratio variation in natural systems reflects the dynamics of Earth systems processes and imparts isotope labels to Earth materials. Carbon isotope ratios of atmospheric CO2 record exchange of carbon between the biosphere and the atmosphere; the incredible journeys of migrating monarchs is documented by hydrogen isotopes in their wings; and water carries an isotopic record of its source and history as it traverses the atmosphere and land surface. Through these and many other examples, improved understanding of spatio-temporal isotopic variation in Earth systems is leading to innovative new approaches to scientific problem-solving. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the theory, methods, and applications that are enabling new disciplinary and cross-disciplinary advances through the study of "isoscapes": isotopic landscapes. "This impressive new volume shows scientists deciphering and using the natural isotope landscapes that subtly adorn our spaceship Earth.", Brian Fry, Coastal Ecology Institute, Louisiana State University, USA "An excellent timely must read and must-have reference book for anybody interested or engaged in applying stable isotope signatures to questions in e.g. Anthropology, Biogeochemistry, Ecology, or Forensic Science regarding chronological and spatial movement, changes, or distribution relating to animals, humans, plants, or water.", Wolfram Meier-Augenstein, Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification, University of Dundee, UK "Natural resources are being affected by global change, but exactly where, how, and at what pace? Isoscapes provide new and remarkably precise answers.", John Hayes, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA "This exciting volume is shaping a new landscape in environmental sciences that is utilizing the remarkable advances in isotope research to enhance and extend the capabilities of the field.", Dan Yakir, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel