On the Isotopic Composition in δD and δ18O of Water and Ice During Freezing

Abstract
Experiments on progressive unidirectional freezing are conducted to determine the evolution inδD andδ18O of successive water samples and ice layers taken during the course of freezing. Results indicate that this evolution takes place, in aδD–δ18O diagram, along a straight line with a characteristic slope. This slope, different from that due to the precipitation effect, gives a finger-print of the occurrence of a freezing or of a melting–refreezing process in the studied reservoir.