Temporal variations in the noble gas temperature (NGT),
the excess air component (ΔNe) and the deuterium excess (d)
in groundwater from the Fontainebleau Sands Aquifer
(France) reveal changes in European climate during the past
half millennium. The reconstructions of the NGTs back to
1500 suggest cooler recharge conditions throughout the 16th-
19th centuries than present. Moreover, the NGTs recorded
periods of weak warming in the 17th-18th and cooling in the
19th that are in conformity with other temperature records for
France and Europe. High ΔNe values seem to record periods
of high intermittency of recharge events. Slightly lower
amounts of ΔNe are observed in groundwater recharged in the
19th despite a slitghly higher precipitation rate. In the 17th-
18th centuries, with slightly lower precipitation rates, more
intermittent rainfall events probably induced larger variability
of the water table and consequently larger amounts of air were
trapped during recharge. The ΔNe in groundwater from this
aquifer seems to be more linked to the oscillations of the water
table produced by the temporal variability of the rain events
than to the total amount of precipitation.
d varies in parallel with NGTs, and indicate a maximum in
the period between 1700-1750. Inter-annual variations in the
seasonality of precipitation and its intensity, combined with
changes of the soil coverage in the recharge area, seems to be
responsible for the variation observed in the d in groundwater.
Our reconstructed parameters (NGT, ΔNe and d) show
noticeable relationships with available climate records. Such
comprehensive studies of the link between climate and
recharge conditions enhance our understanding of the effects
of climate change and climate variability on groundwater
resources sustanability.