Articles | Volume 27, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Jun 2023
Research article |
| 22 Jun 2023
| 22 Jun 2023
Towards a conceptualization of the hydrological processes behind changes of young water fraction with elevation: a focus on mountainous alpine catchments
Alessio Gentile
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico and Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
Davide Canone
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico and Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
Natalie Ceperley
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamic (IDYST), Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Institute of Geography (GIUB) and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Davide Gisolo
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico and Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
Maurizio Previati
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico and Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
Giulia Zuecco
Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry (TESAF),
University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
Department of Chemical Sciences (DiSC), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
Bettina Schaefli
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamic (IDYST), Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Institute of Geography (GIUB) and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Stefano Ferraris
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico and Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
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Cited
24 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Young and new water fractions in soil and hillslope waters M. Floriancic et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024
- A new flow path: eDNA connecting hydrology and biology D. URycki et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1749
- Technical note: Two-component electrical-conductivity-based hydrograph separation employing an exponential mixing model (EXPECT) provides reliable high-temporal-resolution young water fraction estimates in three small Swiss catchments A. Gentile et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1915-2024
- Soil water components control plant water uptake along a subalpine elevation gradient on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau J. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109827
- Impacts of various soil moisture replenishment patterns on plant water use strategies in the Third Pole region X. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.108942
- Using stable isotopes to inform water resource management in forested and agricultural ecosystems F. Scandellari et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121381
- Forest loss and landscape pattern change cause watersheds to release more young water M. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2522502123
- Young water fractions in spring discharge S. Seelig et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135221
- Evapotranspiration of an abandoned grassland in the Italian Alps: Modeling the impact of shrub encroachment D. Gisolo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131223
- Machine learning modeling of base flow generation potential: A case study of the combined application of BWM and Fallback bargaining algorithm A. Nasiri Khiavi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131220
- Can the young water fraction reduce predictive uncertainty in water transit time estimations? A. Borriero et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132238
- Shifts in rain-snow partitioning drive faster water transit times in the US Pacific Northwest Z. Butler et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46539-1
- A recipe for why and how to set up and sustain an experimental catchment D. Penna https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.15163
- Trees use predominantly summer water in a pre-Alpine catchment G. Zuecco et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134430
- Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and topographic controls on baseflow contribution in high-altitude aquifers with complex geology S. Sarah et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131763
- Uncertainty of Temporal and Spatial δ2H Interpolation on Young Water Fraction Estimates Using the StorAge Selection Function in Subtropical Mountain Catchments J. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080958
- Monthly new water fractions and their relationships with climate and catchment properties across Alpine rivers M. Floriancic et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3675-2024
- Isotopic evaluation of the National Water Model reveals missing agricultural irrigation contributions to streamflow across the western United States A. Putman et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2895-2024
- Stochastic model for subsurface water flow in Swiss catchments M. Bovier et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2024.104883
- Baseflow index estimation using digital and minima methods in the Büyük Menderes Basin M. Güngör & A. Ozkaya https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-025-01304-6
- Potential Amplifiers of Hydrological Drought: A Deep Dive into the Seasonal Variations of New, Young, and Old Water Fractions in the Stream Discharge of a Pre-Alpine Catchment S. Hoeg https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-024-03954-1
- Can causal discovery lead to a more robust prediction model for runoff signatures? H. Abbasizadeh et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-4761-2025
- The main source of plant water in alpine meadows dominated by supra-permafrost water under decreasing rain conditions Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130086
- Young water proportion characteristics and influencing factors of large-scale basins: insights from long-term and high-frequency water sampling Y. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135615
24 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Young and new water fractions in soil and hillslope waters M. Floriancic et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024
- A new flow path: eDNA connecting hydrology and biology D. URycki et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1749
- Technical note: Two-component electrical-conductivity-based hydrograph separation employing an exponential mixing model (EXPECT) provides reliable high-temporal-resolution young water fraction estimates in three small Swiss catchments A. Gentile et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1915-2024
- Soil water components control plant water uptake along a subalpine elevation gradient on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau J. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109827
- Impacts of various soil moisture replenishment patterns on plant water use strategies in the Third Pole region X. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.108942
- Using stable isotopes to inform water resource management in forested and agricultural ecosystems F. Scandellari et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121381
- Forest loss and landscape pattern change cause watersheds to release more young water M. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2522502123
- Young water fractions in spring discharge S. Seelig et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135221
- Evapotranspiration of an abandoned grassland in the Italian Alps: Modeling the impact of shrub encroachment D. Gisolo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131223
- Machine learning modeling of base flow generation potential: A case study of the combined application of BWM and Fallback bargaining algorithm A. Nasiri Khiavi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131220
- Can the young water fraction reduce predictive uncertainty in water transit time estimations? A. Borriero et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132238
- Shifts in rain-snow partitioning drive faster water transit times in the US Pacific Northwest Z. Butler et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46539-1
- A recipe for why and how to set up and sustain an experimental catchment D. Penna https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.15163
- Trees use predominantly summer water in a pre-Alpine catchment G. Zuecco et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134430
- Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and topographic controls on baseflow contribution in high-altitude aquifers with complex geology S. Sarah et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131763
- Uncertainty of Temporal and Spatial δ2H Interpolation on Young Water Fraction Estimates Using the StorAge Selection Function in Subtropical Mountain Catchments J. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080958
- Monthly new water fractions and their relationships with climate and catchment properties across Alpine rivers M. Floriancic et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3675-2024
- Isotopic evaluation of the National Water Model reveals missing agricultural irrigation contributions to streamflow across the western United States A. Putman et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2895-2024
- Stochastic model for subsurface water flow in Swiss catchments M. Bovier et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2024.104883
- Baseflow index estimation using digital and minima methods in the Büyük Menderes Basin M. Güngör & A. Ozkaya https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-025-01304-6
- Potential Amplifiers of Hydrological Drought: A Deep Dive into the Seasonal Variations of New, Young, and Old Water Fractions in the Stream Discharge of a Pre-Alpine Catchment S. Hoeg https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-024-03954-1
- Can causal discovery lead to a more robust prediction model for runoff signatures? H. Abbasizadeh et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-4761-2025
- The main source of plant water in alpine meadows dominated by supra-permafrost water under decreasing rain conditions Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130086
- Young water proportion characteristics and influencing factors of large-scale basins: insights from long-term and high-frequency water sampling Y. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135615
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 09 Jun 2026
Short summary
What drives young water fraction, F*yw (i.e., the fraction of water in streamflow younger than 2–3 months), variations with elevation? Why is F*yw counterintuitively low in high-elevation catchments, in spite of steeper topography? In this paper, we present a perceptual model explaining how the longer low-flow duration at high elevations, driven by the persistence of winter snowpacks, increases the proportion of stored (old) water contributing to the stream, thus reducing F*yw.
What drives young water fraction, F*yw (i.e., the fraction of water in streamflow younger than...
