
System for High Throughput Water Extraction from Soil Material for Stable Isotope Analysis of Water 207
movement in the soil at a higher spatial and temporal
resolution than has been previously used. Extraction times
may vary based on the soil type, e.g., clay vs. sand, and
as such calibration should be performed for differing soil
types. The system described here can also be used to ex-
tract water form plant material such as leaves and stems;
however, some concern has been noted about the inter-
ference of organics that can co-distill with the water
causing errors in the spectroscopic analysis of these wa-
ter samples [14,15]. More recently, a study has shown
that it is possible to calibrate the instrument for these
types of contaminants and remove the interference from
the measurement [16]. The possibility of using this ex-
traction technique for analysis of samples from both soil
and plant material makes this a simple cost effective sys-
tem for in depth analysis of water movement through an
ecosystem.
5. Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by the Ogallala Aq-
uifer Program, a consortium between USDA-Agricultural
Research Service, Kansas State University, Texas Agri-
Life Research, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas
Tech University, and West Texas A&M University.
We would like to thank Blake Bradley for his help in
developing the drawings of the apparatus. We would also
like to thank Ja mey Deusterhaus and Jill Booker for their
help and insight.
Mention of trade names or commercial products in this
publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific
information and does not imply recommendation or en-
dorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.
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