Sauerstoffisotopenverhältnisse

Sauerstoffisotope are variants of the element oxygen that differ in the number of neutrons in their atomic nucleus. Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, meaning all oxygen atoms have 8 protons. However, the number of neutrons can vary, leading to different isotopes. The most common isotope is oxygen-16 (¹⁶O), which has 8 neutrons. This isotope makes up over 99.7% of all oxygen found naturally on Earth. Another significant isotope is oxygen-17 (¹⁷O), which has 9 neutrons and constitutes about 0.04% of natural oxygen. The third stable isotope is oxygen-18 (¹⁸O), with 10 neutrons, making up approximately 0.2% of natural oxygen.

In addition to these stable isotopes, oxygen also has several radioactive isotopes, such as oxygen-15 (¹⁵O), oxygen-19 (¹⁹O), and oxygen-20 (²⁰O). These radioactive isotopes have very short half-lives and are typically produced artificially in laboratories or through nuclear reactions.

The relative abundance of oxygen isotopes in nature is a crucial factor in various scientific fields. For instance, the ratio of oxygen-18 to oxygen-16 (¹⁸O/¹⁶O) is used in paleoclimatology to reconstruct past temperatures and environmental conditions. This ratio in ice cores, sediments, and fossilized shells can indicate the temperature at the time of their formation. Similarly, variations in oxygen isotope ratios in water molecules can help trace the origin and movement of water in hydrological systems and even in biological processes. The study of oxygen isotopes, known as oxygen isotope geochemistry or paleoclimatology, provides valuable insights into Earth's history and ongoing processes.