Isotopic tracing of the source water for Cedar Bog in west-central Ohio, USA

Cedar Bog, a boreal fen in west-central Ohio, is home for many endangered plants and animals. The whereabouts of the water source that sustains Cedar Bog has been the subject of several investigations in the past two decades. Some of these studies indicated that a recharge area lies to the east and northeast of the Bog. Using environmental isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, the present study positively identifies a major recharge area located northeast of the Bog and enclosed by two small tributaries of the Mad River. Oxygen isotopic composition and tritium contents of ground water suggest that the Bog water is only a few years old.