Isotopes of noble gases as tracers in environmental studies

Isotopes of noble gases, both radioactive and stable, have long been recognized as being potentially important tracers for investigating environmental behaviour. Their applications range from studies of transport and mixing processes in the atmosphere and the ocean, determination of the age, origin and mode of flow of groundwater bodies, and investigations of rock-water interactions and paleoclimatic research, to their spectacular, although not yet fully proved, role as early indicators of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This range of applications gives a clear indication of the important role and great potential of isotope methods based on noble gases in environmental and earth sciences. These Proceedings include most of the papers presented at a Consultants Meeting entitled Isotopes of Noble Gases as Tracers in Environmental Studies and held in Vienna from 29 May to 2 June 1989. The meeting was attended by 19 scientists from 9 countries, in addition to participants from the host organization, the IAEA. The scope of the meeting was twofold: to review the current status of techniques using isotopes of noble gases in the general field of environmental studies, with emphasis placed on investigations of the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, and to provide guidelines for further developments and research needed in the field