The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Presents Dr. Nicole Fernandez, Cornell University

Using Environmental Tracers to Unravel Hydrological and Geochemical Controls from the Water-Mineral Interface to Large River Basins

Water-rock interactions serve a fundamental role in terrestrial water and biogeochemical cycles. Solute generation and mobilization arising from fluid contact with subsurface minerals constituents creates the quality of our surface and groundwaters, sustains ecosystems, shapes the evolution of landscapes, and regulates atmospheric CO2. 

Application of environmental tracers such as radiogenic and stable isotopes as well as trace elements offers a promising approach in characterizing these interactions and associated geochemical and hydrological processes giving rise to observed solute dynamics. 

In this talk, I build upon our current knowledge of stable isotope and trace element fractionation during water-rock interactions and how they manifest from the laboratory to catchment scale. I will also present some future directions in the application of radiogenic groundwater age tracers to infer storage, flow, and solute transport behavior at the regional scale