خالد اوسطی

Stable isotope techniques can be useful for different purposes e.g. Animal migration and food web studies, Plant nutrient and water stress conditions, Hydrological aspects e.g. groundwater recharge and water resources management etc. This paper is trying to provide a basis for future stable isotope work in Zagros Mountain region by comparisons our isotope hydrology work on Karkheh basin with other isotope works in this region. Therefore, we review the spatiotemporal patterns of stable isotope in water cycle components of Karkheh basin as well as other isotope research results in this region. Our assessments show highly divers isotope patterns of water resources in Zagros Mountains. Plotting LMWL’s of different part of Zagros areas indicates high variability and local climate dominance, cold - warm gradient, elevation gradient, vapor source (Mediterranean, Caspian and Persian gulf source). The isotope patterns of limited samples of river water declare a winter / snow influence and strong evaporation signals results in clear seasonal pattern and regular effect of distance from outlet of studied areas. Karst springs data show distinct behavior that indicating time, component, or storage information. Future stable isotope studies potentially can make an opportunity for characterization of patterns that help to decipher background of various ecological problems in the Zagros Mountains.