Precipitation is the input of the water cycle, and stable isotopes of precipitation (18^O and ²H) are powerful tools in tracing moisture sources and trajectories. In this paper, the characteristics of stable isotopes and deuterium excess in the precipitation are analyzed in the North Xinjiang based on observation data of four precipitation stations and HYSPLIT model. The local meteoric water line (LMWL) is established as δD=7.3δ¹⁸O+3.5, indicating the specific regional meteorological conditions. The Tianshan area and Altay area showed different isotopic characteristics due to different moisture sources. The monthly deuterium values in Tianshan area are low in summer and high in winter, which can be attributed to the seasonal drift of the westerlies. The monthly deuterium values in Altay area are constant due to the effect of arctic air mass. Although the monthly δ¹⁸O values in both areas are high in summer and low in winter, the amount-weighted averages are diverse, which makes it possible for identifying groundwater recharge areas. The intersection point of the evaporation line near Kelameili Mountain and LMWL has similar values of stable isotopes to the precipitation from Altay station, indicating that groundwater recharge from Kelameili Mountain. Groundwaters near East Tianshan Mountain have similar δ¹⁸O values, similar to the precipitation from Urumqi station, which suggesting groundwater in this area is recharged from East Tianshan Mountain.

precipitation  /  stable isotopes  /  deuterium excess  /  moisture sources  /  North Xinjiang  /  groundwater recharge