New capabilities for studies using isotopes in the water cycle

The characterization and quantification of hydrological fluxes within components of the water cycle and across interfaces (e.g., atmosphere/land surface, aquifer/river, soil/plant) are critical for assessing and managing water resources and for understanding the impacts of climate change and variability on the hydrological cycle. Stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, and radioactive isotopes such as tritium and carbon‐14, provide unique insights into hydrological and climatic processes at local, regional, and global scales, including the role of groundwater in rivers and lakes, groundwater recharge rates, and sources and recycling rates of atmospheric moisture [ Aggarwal et al. , 2005; Gat , 1996; Kendall and McDonnell , 1998]. Isotopes also provide critical insights into understanding feedbacks and interactions between physical and biological processes (e.g., ecohydrology).