Soil and tree stem xylem water isotope data from two pan-European sampling campaigns

Abstract. The stable isotope ratios of hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) are useful for studying ecohydrological dynamics in forests. However, most isotope-based eco-hydrological studies are limited to single sites, resulting in a lack of large-scale isotope data for understanding tree water uptake. Here, we provide a first systematic isotope dataset for soil and stem xylem water collected during two pan-European sampling campaigns at 40 beech (Fagus sylvatica), spruce (Picea abies), or mixed beech-spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023 (https://doi.org/10.16904/envidat.542, Lehmann et al., 2024). The dataset is complemented by additional site-, soil-, and tree-specific metadata. The samples and metadata were collected by different researchers across Europe following a standardized protocol. Soil samples were taken at up to 5 depths (ranging from 0 to 90 cm) and stem xylem samples from the trunks of three beech and/or spruce trees per site. All samples were sent to a single laboratory, where all analytical work was conducted. Water was extracted using cryogenic vacuum distillation and analyzed with an isotope laser spectrometer. Additionally, a subset of the samples was analyzed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Data quality checks revealed a high mean total extraction efficiency, mean water amount (>1 mL), accuracy, and precision. The isotopic signature of soil and stem xylem water varied as a function of the geographic origin and changed from spring to summer across all sites. While δ2H and δ18O were strongly correlated, the soil water data plotted closer to the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) than the stem xylem water. Specifically, the δ2H values of the xylem water were more enriched than those of the soil water, leading to a systematic deviation from the GMWL. Isotopic enrichment of the stem xylem water at mixed forest sites was larger for spruce trees than for beech trees. This dataset is particularly useful for large-scale studies on plant water use, ecohydrological model testing, and isotope mapping across Europe.

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Publication Details

Journal
Earth system science data
Published
2025-11-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6129-2025
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.11

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article

Soil and tree stem xylem water isotope data from two pan-European sampling campaigns

Egor Prikaziuk, Francesca Sofia Manca di Villahermosa, Haoyu Diao, Zoltán Kern et al.
1 citations
Earth system science data
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
1.11
article

Soil and tree stem xylem water isotope data from two pan-European sampling campaigns

Egor Prikaziuk, Francesca Sofia Manca di Villahermosa, Haoyu Diao, Zoltán Kern, Aline Meyer Oliveira, Maren Dubbert, Katrin Di Bella Meusburger, Björn Weeser, Damien Gounelle, Hannu Marttila, Teresa E. Gimeno, Nicolas Martin‐StPaul, Alberto Iraheta, Fabio Ercoli, Cécile Quantin, Ilja van Meerveld, Daniele Penna, Tamara Jakovljević, Andrei Sergiu Popa, Marius G. Floriancic, Frédéric Huneau, Chiara Marchina, Pertti Ala‐aho, Simon Carrière, David Dubbert, Zuosinan Chen, Núria Martínez‐Carreras, Clara Rohde, Johannes Kobler, Christophe Hissler, Natalie Orlowski, Daniel Schulz, Philippe Malagoli, Aurel Perşoiu, Mark E. Wilkinson, Dawid Kupka, Fabian Bernhard, Marco M. Lehmann, Lukáš Vlček, Josie Geris, Aleksi Lehtonen, Angelika Kübert, Youri Rothfuss, Martin Šanda, Matteo Verdone, Jean‐Stéphane Venisse, Philippe Balandier, Thomas Leydier, Gaël Monvoisin, Michael Stockinger, Lukrecija Butorac, Natalie Ceperley, Giulia Zuecco, Kadi Palmik‐Das, Katja T. Rinne‐Garmston, Mátyás Árvai, Laura Kinzinger, Alise Babre, Samuel Le Gall, Christine Stumpp, Frank Hagedorn, Gerbrand Koren, Jiří Kocum, Karl Knaebel, Nerantzis Kazakis, Alicia Correa, Matthias Saurer, Charlotte Koeber, Stylianos Voudouris, Alligin Ghazoul
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Abstract. The stable isotope ratios of hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) are useful for studying ecohydrological dynamics in forests. However, most isotope-based eco-hydrological studies are limited to single sites, resulting in a lack of large-scale isotope data for understanding tree water uptake. Here, we provide a first systematic isotope dataset for soil and stem xylem water collected during two pan-European sampling campaigns at 40 beech (Fagus sylvatica), spruce (Picea abies), or mixed beech-spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023 (https://doi.org/10.16904/envidat.542, Lehmann et al., 2024). The dataset is complemented by additional site-, soil-, and tree-specific metadata. The samples and metadata were collected by different researchers across Europe following a standardized protocol. Soil samples were taken at up to 5 depths (ranging from 0 to 90 cm) and stem xylem samples from the trunks of three beech and/or spruce trees per site. All samples were sent to a single laboratory, where all analytical work was conducted. Water was extracted using cryogenic vacuum distillation and analyzed with an isotope laser spectrometer. Additionally, a subset of the samples was analyzed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Data quality checks revealed a high mean total extraction efficiency, mean water amount (>1 mL), accuracy, and precision. The isotopic signature of soil and stem xylem water varied as a function of the geographic origin and changed from spring to summer across all sites. While δ2H and δ18O were strongly correlated, the soil water data plotted closer to the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) than the stem xylem water. Specifically, the δ2H values of the xylem water were more enriched than those of the soil water, leading to a systematic deviation from the GMWL. Isotopic enrichment of the stem xylem water at mixed forest sites was larger for spruce trees than for beech trees. This dataset is particularly useful for large-scale studies on plant water use, ecohydrological model testing, and isotope mapping across Europe.

Earth system science dataVol. 17(11)
University of Bern (CH), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (CH), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Padua (IT), Université de Corse Pascal Paoli (FR), James Hutton Institute (GB), University of Freiburg (DE), Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE), University of Patras (GR), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE), University of Aberdeen (GB), Université de Montpellier (FR), Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (DE), University of Zurich (CH), Charles University (CZ), IFP Énergies nouvelles (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (CH), Natural Resources Institute Finland (FI), University of Agriculture in Krakow (PL), Laboratoire HydroSciences Montpellier (FR), ETH Zurich (CH), Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrology (CZ), Environment Agency Austria (AT), National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Drăcea" (RO), University of Clermont Auvergne (FR), Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research (HU), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LU), Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (DE), Écologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes (FR), Institute for Sustainable Development (SI), HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (HU), Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES), Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation (HR), Clermont Université (FR), Geosciences Paris-Saclay (FR), Emil Racovita Institute of Speleology (RO), HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (HU), Croatian Forest Research Institute (HR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ), University of Florence (IT), Romanian Academy (RO), University of Latvia (LV), BOKU University (AT), Technische Universität Braunschweig (DE), University of Twente (NL), University of Oulu (FI)
National Science Foundation, Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Přírodovědecká Fakulta, Univerzita Karlova, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Akademie Věd České Republiky, Oulun Yliopisto, Unitatea Executiva pentru Finantarea Invatamantului Superior, a Cercetarii, Dezvoltarii si Inovarii, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
1.11
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