Articles | Volume 22, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-635-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-635-2018
Research article
 | 
25 Jan 2018
Research article |  | 25 Jan 2018

Mean transit times in headwater catchments: insights from the Otway Ranges, Australia

William Howcroft, Ian Cartwright, and Uwe Morgenstern

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Documenting mean transit times is critical for understanding and managing catchments. Mean transit times in six headwater catchments of the Otway Ranges, Australia, determined using tritium, range from 7 to 230 years. Tritium activities correlate well with streamflow but are difficult to predict from catchment attributes or major ion geochemistry. The long mean transit times suggest that the catchments are buffered from short-term rainfall variations.
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