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Area of Science:

  • Geochemistry
  • Isotope Hydrology
  • Hydrogeology

Background:

  • Radiogenic helium (⁴He) is a potential groundwater age indicator, but its use is limited by site-specific factors integrating complex processes.
  • Krypton-81 (⁸¹Kr) is a precise chronometer for old groundwater, but paired ⁴He-⁸¹Kr data are scarce, hindering quantitative helium age applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compile and analyze a global dataset of paired radiogenic helium (⁴He) and krypton-81 (⁸¹Kr) groundwater ages.
  • To establish a robust, transferable empirical scaling relationship between dissolved ⁴He and groundwater residence time.
  • To validate helium as a first-order proxy for groundwater age across diverse aquifer systems.

Main Methods:

  • Compilation of an expanded global dataset of groundwater samples.
  • Measurement of dissolved radiogenic helium (⁴He) concentrations.
  • Independent determination of groundwater residence times using krypton-81 (⁸¹Kr) dating.

Main Results:

  • Dissolved ⁴He concentrations show a monotonic increase with groundwater age across nearly three orders of magnitude.
  • A simple empirical scaling relationship for waters older than ~50 kyr was identified and validated across diverse basins.
  • Over 80% of helium-derived ages agreed with ⁸¹Kr residence times within a factor of three.

Conclusions:

  • Radiogenic helium (⁴He), when calibrated with an absolute chronometer like ⁸¹Kr, serves as a transferable proxy for groundwater residence time.
  • This approach provides a practical method for global groundwater age screening.
  • It enables targeted application of high-precision dating methods in hydrogeological studies.