ingagentsinfirefightinghasbeenre-peatedlydemonstratedthroughtheyearsandisbeyondquestion.However,theexactnatureofthechemicaleffectonthedegradationofthesolid(cellu-loseorsucrose)oronthereactionsintheflamecanremainthesourceofprofitablespeculationforsometimetocome.A.BROIDOPacificSouthwestForestandRangeExperimentStation,U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,ForestService,Berkeley,CaliforniaReferencesandNotes1C.Thomae,Chemn.Z.43,747(1919).2.ReferencestotheearliestrecordedworkonfireproofingmaybefoundinJ.E.Rams-bottom,TheFireproofingofFabrics(H.M.S.O.,London,1947),andRolfSchlegel,UntersuchungenueberdieGrundlagendesFeuerschutzesvonHolz(VerlagChemie,Berlin,1934).3.J.L.Gay-Lussac,Ann.chim.phvs.18,211(1821).4.See,forexample,C.A.ThomasandC.A.Hochwalt,Ind.Eng.Chem.20,575(1928);H.D.Tyner,ibid.33,60(1941).5.G.M.Hunt,T.R.Truax,C.A.Harrison,Proc.Am.Wood-Preservers'Assoc.28,71(1932).6.R.W.Little,Ed.,FlameproofingTextileFabrics(Reinhold,NewYork,1948).7.A.B.Guise,Natl.FireProtect.Assoc.Quart.53,330(1960).8.R.L.Tuve,ibid.54,158(1960).9.J.TaylorandF.Pollok,Fuel28,77(1949).10.J.E.Dolan,Chem.andInd.(London)1952,368(1952).11.See,forexample,K.Tamaru,Bull.Chem.Soc.Japan24,164(1951);R.C.Laible,Am.DyestuffReptr.47,173(1958).24January1961IsotopicVariationsinMeteoricWatersAbstract.Therelationshipbetweendeu-teriumandoxygen-18concentrationsinnaturalmeteoricwatersfrommanypartsoftheworldhasbeendeterminedwithamassspectrometer.Theisotopicenrich-ments,relativetooceanwater,displayalinearcorrelationovertheentirerangeforwaterswhichhavenotundergoneex-cessiveevaporation.EpsteinandMayeda(1)andFried-man(2)reportedprecisedatafor0'IS/0OandD/Hratiosinninenon-marinemeteoricwatersandfoundaroughlinearcorrelationbetweentheisotopicenrichments.Inthecourseofresearchonisotopicvariationsinvol-canicwaters,Ihaveanalyzedmassspectrometricallysome400samplesofwaterfromrivers,lakes,andprecipita-tioninordertoestablishtheexactnatureoftheisotopicrelationshipinmeteoricwaters.Gassampleswerepre-paredbythestandardC02-H20equili-brationtechnique(1)andbyreductionofH20toH2withuraniummetalandingagentsinfirefightinghasbeenre-peatedlydemonstratedthroughtheyearsandisbeyondquestion.However,theexactnatureofthechemicaleffectonthedegradationofthesolid(cellu-loseorsucrose)oronthereactionsintheflamecanremainthesourceofprofitablespeculationforsometimetocome.A.BROIDOPacificSouthwestForestandRangeExperimentStation,U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,ForestService,Berkeley,CaliforniaReferencesandNotes1C.Thomae,Chemn.Z.43,747(1919).2.ReferencestotheearliestrecordedworkonfireproofingmaybefoundinJ.E.Rams-bottom,TheFireproofingofFabrics(H.M.S.O.,London,1947),andRolfSchlegel,UntersuchungenueberdieGrundlagendesFeuerschutzesvonHolz(VerlagChemie,Berlin,1934).3.J.L.Gay-Lussac,Ann.chim.phvs.18,211(1821).4.See,forexample,C.A.ThomasandC.A.Hochwalt,Ind.Eng.Chem.20,575(1928);H.D.Tyner,ibid.33,60(1941).5.G.M.Hunt,T.R.Truax,C.A.Harrison,Proc.Am.Wood-Preservers'Assoc.28,71(1932).6.R.W.Little,Ed.,FlameproofingTextileFabrics(Reinhold,NewYork,1948).7.A.B.Guise,Natl.FireProtect.Assoc.Quart.53,330(1960).8.R.L.Tuve,ibid.54,158(1960).9.J.TaylorandF.Pollok,Fuel28,77(1949).10.J.E.Dolan,Chem.andInd.(London)1952,368(1952).11.See,forexample,K.Tamaru,Bull.Chem.Soc.Japan24,164(1951);R.C.Laible,Am.DyestuffReptr.47,173(1958).24January1961IsotopicVariationsinMeteoricWatersAbstract.Therelationshipbetweendeu-teriumandoxygen-18concentrationsinnaturalmeteoricwatersfrommanypartsoftheworldhasbeendeterminedwithamassspectrometer.Theisotopicenrich-ments,relativetooceanwater,displayalinearcorrelationovertheentirerangeforwaterswhichhavenotundergoneex-cessiveevaporation.EpsteinandMayeda(1)andFried-man(2)reportedprecisedatafor0'IS/0OandD/Hratiosinninenon-marinemeteoricwatersandfoundaroughlinearcorrelationbetweentheisotopicenrichments.Inthecourseofresearchonisotopicvariationsinvol-canicwaters,Ihaveanalyzedmassspectrometricallysome400samplesofwaterfromrivers,lakes,andprecipita-tioninordertoestablishtheexactnatureoftheisotopicrelationshipinmeteoricwaters.Gassampleswerepre-paredbythestandardC02-H20equili-brationtechnique(1)andbyreductionofH20toH2withuraniummetalandanalyzedontheMcKinney-Niertypespectrometersusedbytheauthorsmen-tionedaboveaswellasinmypresentlaboratory.1702analyzedontheMcKinney-Niertypespectrometersusedbytheauthorsmen-tionedaboveaswellasinmypresentlaboratory.17020vv-1000-lOo60-2000vv-1000-lOo60-200_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIl0gfv/CLOSED-D=8a0'8I+1I-,IIIIlIiiIIiIIIIIIIIIIIII-_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIl0gfv/CLOSED-D=8a0'8I+1I-,IIIIlIiiIIiIIIIIIIIIIIII--300-300-50-40-50-40-30-20-30-20-100-10a-20-100-10a-20ado(%o)Fig.1.Deuteriumandoxygen-18variationsinrivers,lakes,rain,andsnow,expressedaspermillageenrichmentsrelativetostandardmeanoceanwater(SMOW).PointswhichfitthedashedlineatupperendofthecurveareriversandlakesfromEastAfrica.ado(%o)Fig.1.Deuteriumandoxygen-18variationsinrivers,lakes,rain,andsnow,expressedaspermillageenrichmentsrelativetostandardmeanoceanwater(SMOW).PointswhichfitthedashedlineatupperendofthecurveareriversandlakesfromEastAfrica.