Stable oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) isotopes in precipitation from Inuvik in the western Canadian Arctic (2015-2018)

Precipitation was collected in the city of Inuvik (68.3°N, 133.5°W) in the western Canadian Arctic over 37 months between August 2015 and August 2018. The regular sampling of meteoric water for subsequent stable isotope analysis was conducted at the Aurora Research Institute (Western Arctic Research Centre, 191 Mackenzie Road, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0, Canada). The samples obtained resulted in 134 valid measurements of the isotopic composition of both snow and rain. The oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) stable isotope compositions of precipitation were measured in the Stable Isotope Facility of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam (Germany), using a Finnigan MAT Delta-S mass spectrometer. Values are given as per mil (‰) difference from the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) standard. Deuterium excess (d) was calculated as: d = δD – 8*δ18O.

The goal of this data collection is to present a new local meteoric water line (LMWL) from Inuvik in the western Canadian Arctic. This data set fills a gap in the western Arctic, where isotopic data of precipitation are scarce and stem mostly from before the year 2000. Regional studies of meteorology, hydrology, environmental geochemistry and paleoclimate may benefit from this dataset and the new Inuvik LMWL.