Estimating the contribution of preferential flow to subsurface runoff from a hillslope using deuterium and chloride

The concentrations of deuterium and chloride in rainfall, soil water and throughflow are reported for flow components through a mid-level gently sloping hillside podzolic soil with a well developed network of macropores. The deuterium and chloride signatures of the throughflow are shown to resemble that of rainfall rather than soil water for all rainfall events. Flow through macropores is considered to be the major mechanism for infiltration and throughflow. During the initial stages of rainfall, infiltrating water bypasses much of the soil matrix and a transient water table is established. Storage associated with this water table dampens much of the noise from the deuterium and chloride signature of the rainfall while maintaining the mean rainfall signature. The possible implications on the use of stable isotopes and conservative tracers such as chloride for streamflow partitioning are discussed