A course group photo
The training course on the theory, analytics and interpretation of stable water isotopes in the coupled Earth System at University of Bergen from 12-14 June 2019 provided an in-depth introduction to understanding the principles and applications of stable water isotopes across different Earth system components. Ten participants from Bergen, Oslo and Barcelona (and some local guests) gathered for lectures, conceptual model exercises, laboratory experiments and data analysis during three intensive days with four different lecturers. The participants were introduced to the analytical procedures to measure the stable isotope composition of water samples at the national reference laboratory FARLAB at UiB. Finally, recommend sample collection procedures for different target systems were discussed, often in relation to their own planned fieldwork. As part of the course, the participants performed an evaporation experiment with stable isotope measurements, compared to predictions with a Rayleigh fractionation model, and gave a short presentation on the results. In an evaluation, all participats answered that they have learned a lot and gave an overall very good or good rating, providing a solid basis for repeating our training course next year. Many thanks to Pål Tore Mørkved, Ulysses Ninnemann and Hans Christian Steen-Larsen for their lectures, and Yongbiao Weng for assisting during the practical exercises.
Text: Harald Sodemann