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Correlation of 18O in precipitation with temperature and altitude

Abstract

The 18O/16O ratio in precipitation is correlated to climatic parameters, especially temperature. However, the meteorological processes determining the stable isotope composition of precipitation are complex and only partly understood, so that a quantitative interpretation of ancient isotope ratios in precipitation, as recorded in polar ice1 or in carbonate sediments from lakes2, has not yet been possible. For several years we have measured 18O/16O ratios on monthly precipitation samples from Switzerland and here summarize these data.

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Siegenthaler, U., Oeschger, H. Correlation of 18O in precipitation with temperature and altitude. Nature 285, 314–317 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/285314a0

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