A WG2 production!
Soil and stem xylem water isotope data from two pan-European sampling campaigns
Why did we perform this study?
Stable isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen are crucial for studying water uptake dynamics in forests. However, most studies are confined to single sites, resulting in a lack of large-scale isotope data for understanding tree water uptake.
How did we do it?
The research team conducted two pan-European sampling campaigns in spring and summer 2023, collecting soil and stem xylem water samples from 40 forest sites. Water in these samples was extracted using cryogenic vacuum distillation and stable isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen were analyzed with laser spectrometer. For complementing the isotope dataset, additional site-, soil-, and tree-specific metadata were collected.
Why is our work important?
This work is important because it offers the first large-scale and systematic isotope dataset of soil and stem xylem water in Europe. This data can be used to investigate how tree water uptake patterns vary with species, site characteristics, and time in response to environmental changes such as droughts.
