Articles | Volume 28, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1915-2024
© Author(s) 2024. 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-28-1915-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
02 May 2024
Technical note |
| 02 May 2024
| 02 May 2024
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
Alessio Gentile
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Polytechnic University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Jana von Freyberg
School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Davide Gisolo
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Polytechnic University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Davide Canone
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Polytechnic University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Stefano Ferraris
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Polytechnic University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Related authors
Alessio Gentile, Davide Canone, Natalie Ceperley, Davide Gisolo, Maurizio Previati, Giulia Zuecco, Bettina Schaefli, and Stefano Ferraris
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2301–2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, 2023
Short summary
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.
Izabela Bujak-Ozga, Jana von Freyberg, Margaret Zimmer, Andrea Rinaldo, Paolo Benettin, and Ilja van Meerveld
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-67, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-67, 2024
Preprint under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Stream networks expand and contract affecting the amount and quality of water in perennial streams. This study presents measurements of changes in water chemistry and the flowing portion of the drainage network during rainfall events in two neighboring catchments. Despite the proximity, similar size, soil and bedrock, water chemistry and stream network dynamics differed substantially for the two catchments. These differences are attributed to the differences in slope and channel network.
Giorgio Baiamonte, Carmelo Agnese, Carmelo Cammalleri, Elvira Di Nardo, Stefano Ferraris, and Tommaso Martini
Adv. Stat. Clim. Meteorol. Oceanogr., 10, 51–67, https://doi.org/10.5194/ascmo-10-51-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ascmo-10-51-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In hydrology, the probability distributions are used to determine the probability of occurrence of rainfall events. In this study, two different methods for modeling rainfall time characteristics have been applied: a direct method and an indirect method that make it possible to relax the assumptions of the renewal process. The analysis was extended to two additional time variables that may be of great interest for practical hydrological applications: wet chains and dry chains.
Alessio Gentile, Davide Canone, Natalie Ceperley, Davide Gisolo, Maurizio Previati, Giulia Zuecco, Bettina Schaefli, and Stefano Ferraris
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2301–2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, 2023
Short summary
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.
Felipe A. Saavedra, Andreas Musolff, Jana von Freyberg, Ralf Merz, Stefano Basso, and Larisa Tarasova
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6227–6245, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6227-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6227-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrate contamination of rivers from agricultural sources is a challenge for water quality management. During runoff events, different transport paths within the catchment might be activated, generating a variety of responses in nitrate concentration in stream water. Using nitrate samples from 184 German catchments and a runoff event classification, we show that hydrologic connectivity during runoff events is a key control of nitrate transport from catchments to streams in our study domain.
Heye Reemt Bogena, Martin Schrön, Jannis Jakobi, Patrizia Ney, Steffen Zacharias, Mie Andreasen, Roland Baatz, David Boorman, Mustafa Berk Duygu, Miguel Angel Eguibar-Galán, Benjamin Fersch, Till Franke, Josie Geris, María González Sanchis, Yann Kerr, Tobias Korf, Zalalem Mengistu, Arnaud Mialon, Paolo Nasta, Jerzy Nitychoruk, Vassilios Pisinaras, Daniel Rasche, Rafael Rosolem, Hami Said, Paul Schattan, Marek Zreda, Stefan Achleitner, Eduardo Albentosa-Hernández, Zuhal Akyürek, Theresa Blume, Antonio del Campo, Davide Canone, Katya Dimitrova-Petrova, John G. Evans, Stefano Ferraris, Félix Frances, Davide Gisolo, Andreas Güntner, Frank Herrmann, Joost Iwema, Karsten H. Jensen, Harald Kunstmann, Antonio Lidón, Majken Caroline Looms, Sascha Oswald, Andreas Panagopoulos, Amol Patil, Daniel Power, Corinna Rebmann, Nunzio Romano, Lena Scheiffele, Sonia Seneviratne, Georg Weltin, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1125–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring of increasingly frequent droughts is a prerequisite for climate adaptation strategies. This data paper presents long-term soil moisture measurements recorded by 66 cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) operated by 24 institutions and distributed across major climate zones in Europe. Data processing followed harmonized protocols and state-of-the-art methods to generate consistent and comparable soil moisture products and to facilitate continental-scale analysis of hydrological extremes.
Elisa Brussolo, Elisa Palazzi, Jost von Hardenberg, Giulio Masetti, Gianna Vivaldo, Maurizio Previati, Davide Canone, Davide Gisolo, Ivan Bevilacqua, Antonello Provenzale, and Stefano Ferraris
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 407–427, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-407-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-407-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we evaluate the past, present and future quantity of groundwater potentially available for drinking purposes in the metropolitan area of Turin, north-western Italy. In order to effectively manage water resources, a knowledge of the water cycle components is necessary, including precipitation, evapotranspiration and subsurface reservoirs. All these components have been carefully evaluated in this paper, using observational datasets and modelling approaches.
Jana von Freyberg, Julia L. A. Knapp, Andrea Rücker, Bjørn Studer, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5821–5834, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5821-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5821-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Automated water samplers are often used to collect precipitation and streamwater samples for subsequent isotope analysis, but the isotopic signal of these samples may be altered due to evaporative fractionation occurring during the storage inside the autosamplers in the field. In this article we present and evaluate a cost-efficient modification to the Teledyne ISCO automated water sampler that prevents isotopic enrichment through evaporative fractionation of the water samples.
Julia L. A. Knapp, Jana von Freyberg, Bjørn Studer, Leonie Kiewiet, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2561–2576, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2561-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2561-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Changes of stream water chemistry in response to discharge changes provide important insights into the storage and release of water from the catchment. Here we investigate the variability in concentration–discharge relationships among different solutes and hydrologic events and relate it to catchment conditions and dominant water sources.
Francesc Gallart, Jana von Freyberg, María Valiente, James W. Kirchner, Pilar Llorens, and Jérôme Latron
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1101–1107, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1101-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1101-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
How catchments store and release rain or melting water is still not well known. Now, it is broadly accepted that most of the water in streams is older than several months, and a relevant part may be many years old. But the age of water depends on the stream regime, being usually younger during high flows. This paper tries to provide tools for better analysing how the age of waters varies with flow in a catchment and for comparing the behaviour of catchments diverging in climate, size and regime.
Andrea Rücker, Stefan Boss, James W. Kirchner, and Jana von Freyberg
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2983–3005, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2983-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2983-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
To better understand how rain-on-snow (ROS) events affect snowpack outflow volumes and streamflow generation, we measured snowpack outflow volumes and isotopic composition during 10 ROS events with automated snowmelt lysimeters at three locations in a pre-Alpine catchment. We quantified the spatio-temporal variability of snowpack outflow and its relative contribution to streamflow, and identified rainfall characteristics and initial snow depth as major controls on snow hydrological processes.
Jana von Freyberg, Bjørn Studer, Michael Rinderer, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5847–5865, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5847-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5847-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We show event- and pre-event-water volumes as fractions of precipitation, rather than discharge, to provide an alternative and more insightful approach to study catchment hydrological processes. For this, we analyze 24 storm events using high-frequency measurements of stable water isotopes in stream water and precipitation at a pre-Alpine catchment. Antecedent wetness and storm characteristics are dominant controls on event-water discharge and pre-event-water mobilization from storage.
Daniele Penna, Luisa Hopp, Francesca Scandellari, Scott T. Allen, Paolo Benettin, Matthias Beyer, Josie Geris, Julian Klaus, John D. Marshall, Luitgard Schwendenmann, Till H. M. Volkmann, Jana von Freyberg, Anam Amin, Natalie Ceperley, Michael Engel, Jay Frentress, Yamuna Giambastiani, Jeff J. McDonnell, Giulia Zuecco, Pilar Llorens, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, Todd E. Dawson, and James W. Kirchner
Biogeosciences, 15, 6399–6415, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6399-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6399-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how water flows through ecosystems is needed to provide society and policymakers with the scientific background to manage water resources sustainably. Stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in water are a powerful tool for tracking water fluxes, although the heterogeneity of natural systems and practical methodological issues still limit their full application. Here, we examine the challenges in this research field and highlight new perspectives based on interdisciplinary research.
Jana von Freyberg, Scott T. Allen, Stefan Seeger, Markus Weiler, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3841–3861, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3841-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3841-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We explored how the fraction of streamflow younger than ca. 3 months (Fyw) varies with landscape characteristics and climatic forcing, using an extensive isotope data set from 22 Swiss catchments. Overall, Fyw tends to be larger when catchments are wet and discharge is correspondingly higher, indicating an increase in the proportional contribution of faster flow paths at higher flows. We quantify this
discharge sensitivityof Fyw and relate it to the dominant streamflow-generating mechanisms.
Paolo Benettin, Till H. M. Volkmann, Jana von Freyberg, Jay Frentress, Daniele Penna, Todd E. Dawson, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2881–2890, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2881-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2881-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Evaporation causes the isotopic composition of soil water to become different from that of the original precipitation source. If multiple samples originating from the same source are available, they can be used to reconstruct the original source composition. However, soil water is influenced by seasonal variability in both precipitation sources and evaporation patterns. We show that this variability, if not accounted for, can lead to biased estimates of the precipitation source water.
Jana von Freyberg, Bjørn Studer, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1721–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1721-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1721-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present a newly developed instrument package that enables the online analysis of stable water isotopes and major ion chemistry at 30 min intervals in the field. The resulting data streams provide an unprecedented view of hydrochemical dynamics on the catchment scale. Based on a detailed analysis of the variable behavior of isotopic and chemical tracers in stream water and precipitation over a 4-week period, we developed a conceptual hypothesis for runoff generation in the studied catchment.
Related subject area
Subject: Catchment hydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Stochastic approaches
Flood frequency analysis using mean daily flows vs. instantaneous peak flows
On the regional-scale variability in flow duration curves in Peninsular India
Towards a conceptualization of the hydrological processes behind changes of young water fraction with elevation: a focus on mountainous alpine catchments
A mixed distribution approach for low-flow frequency analysis – Part 2: Comparative assessment of a mixed probability vs. copula-based dependence framework
A mixed distribution approach for low-flow frequency analysis – Part 1: Concept, performance, and effect of seasonality
Significant regime shifts in historical water yield in the Upper Brahmaputra River basin
A geostatistical spatially varying coefficient model for mean annual runoff that incorporates process-based simulations and short records
Low-flow estimation beyond the mean – expectile loss and extreme gradient boosting for spatiotemporal low-flow prediction in Austria
Impact of bias nonstationarity on the performance of uni- and multivariate bias-adjusting methods: a case study on data from Uccle, Belgium
A space–time Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework for projection of seasonal maximum streamflow
Parsimonious statistical learning models for low-flow estimation
Development of a Wilks feature importance method with improved variable rankings for supporting hydrological inference and modelling
Technical Note: Improved partial wavelet coherency for understanding scale-specific and localized bivariate relationships in geosciences
Effects of climate anomalies on warm-season low flows in Switzerland
Histogram via entropy reduction (HER): an information-theoretic alternative for geostatistics
Estimation of annual runoff by exploiting long-term spatial patterns and short records within a geostatistical framework
A methodology to estimate flow duration curves at partially ungauged basins
The role of flood wave superposition in the severity of large floods
Contribution of low-frequency climatic–oceanic oscillations to streamflow variability in small, coastal rivers of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia)
Stochastic reconstruction of spatio-temporal rainfall patterns by inverse hydrologic modelling
An assessment of trends and potential future changes in groundwater-baseflow drought based on catchment response times
More frequent flooding? Changes in flood frequency in the Pearl River basin, China, since 1951 and over the past 1000 years
Topography significantly influencing low flows in snow-dominated watersheds
A discrete wavelet spectrum approach for identifying non-monotonic trends in hydroclimate data
Evaluating climate change impacts on streamflow variability based on a multisite multivariate GCM downscaling method in the Jing River of China
Estimating unconsolidated sediment cover thickness by using the horizontal distance to a bedrock outcrop as secondary information
On the probability distribution of daily streamflow in the United States
The European 2015 drought from a hydrological perspective
Heterogeneity measures in hydrological frequency analysis: review and new developments
ENSO-conditioned weather resampling method for seasonal ensemble streamflow prediction
Ordinary kriging as a tool to estimate historical daily streamflow records
Trends in floods in West Africa: analysis based on 11 catchments in the region
Implementation and validation of a Wilks-type multi-site daily precipitation generator over a typical Alpine river catchment
Spatial controls on groundwater response dynamics in a snowmelt-dominated montane catchment
Is bias correction of regional climate model (RCM) simulations possible for non-stationary conditions?
Data compression to define information content of hydrological time series
Topological and canonical kriging for design flood prediction in ungauged catchments: an improvement over a traditional regional regression approach?
Regionalised spatiotemporal rainfall and temperature models for flood studies in the Basque Country, Spain
Exploring the physical controls of regional patterns of flow duration curves – Part 1: Insights from statistical analyses
Land cover and water yield: inference problems when comparing catchments with mixed land cover
An elusive search for regional flood frequency estimates in the River Nile basin
Interannual hydroclimatic variability and its influence on winter nutrient loadings over the Southeast United States
Variational assimilation of streamflow into operational distributed hydrologic models: effect of spatiotemporal scale of adjustment
Contrasting trends in floods for two sub-arctic catchments in northern Sweden – does glacier presence matter?
Long-range forecasting of intermittent streamflow
Applying sequential Monte Carlo methods into a distributed hydrologic model: lagged particle filtering approach with regularization
Low-frequency variability of European runoff
Comparison of catchment grouping methods for flow duration curve estimation at ungauged sites in France
Regional flow duration curves for ungauged sites in Sicily
On accuracy of upper quantiles estimation
Anne Bartens, Bora Shehu, and Uwe Haberlandt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1687–1709, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1687-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1687-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
River flow data are often provided as mean daily flows (MDF), in which a lot of information is lost about the actual maximum flow or instantaneous peak flows (IPF) within a day. We investigate the error of using MDF instead of IPF and identify means to predict IPF when only MDF data are available. We find that the average ratio of daily flood peaks and volumes is a good predictor, which is easily and universally applicable and requires a minimum amount of data.
Pankaj Dey, Jeenu Mathai, Murugesu Sivapalan, and Pradeep P. Mujumdar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1493–1514, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1493-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1493-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the regional streamflow variability in Peninsular India. This variability is governed by monsoons, mountainous systems, and geologic gradients. A linkage between these influencing factors and streamflow variability is established using a Wegenerian approach and flow duration curves.
Alessio Gentile, Davide Canone, Natalie Ceperley, Davide Gisolo, Maurizio Previati, Giulia Zuecco, Bettina Schaefli, and Stefano Ferraris
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2301–2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, 2023
Short summary
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.
Gregor Laaha
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2019–2034, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2019-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2019-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In seasonal climates with a warm and a cold season, low flows are generated by different processes so that return periods used as a measure of event severity will be inaccurate. We propose a novel mixed copula estimator that is shown to outperform previous calculation methods. The new method is highly relevant for a wide range of European river flow regimes and should be used by default.
Gregor Laaha
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 689–701, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-689-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-689-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Knowing the severity of an extreme event is of particular importance to hydrology and water policies. In this paper we propose a mixed distribution approach for low flows. It provides one consistent approach to quantify the severity of summer, winter, and annual low flows based on their respective annualities (or return periods). We show that the new method is much more accurate than existing methods and should therefore be used by engineers and water agencies.
Hao Li, Baoying Shan, Liu Liu, Lei Wang, Akash Koppa, Feng Zhong, Dongfeng Li, Xuanxuan Wang, Wenfeng Liu, Xiuping Li, and Zongxue Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6399–6412, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6399-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6399-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines changes in water yield by determining turning points in the direction of yield changes and highlights that regime shifts in historical water yield occurred in the Upper Brahmaputra River basin, both the climate and cryosphere affect the magnitude of water yield increases, climate determined the declining trends in water yield, and meltwater has the potential to alleviate the water shortage. A repository for all source files is made available.
Thea Roksvåg, Ingelin Steinsland, and Kolbjørn Engeland
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5391–5410, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5391-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5391-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The goal of this work was to make a map of the mean annual runoff for Norway for a 30-year period. We first simulated runoff by using a process-based model that models the relationship between runoff, precipitation, temperature, and land use. Next, we corrected the map based on runoff observations from streams by using a statistical method. We were also able to use data from rivers that only had a few annual observations. We find that the statistical correction improves the runoff estimates.
Johannes Laimighofer, Michael Melcher, and Gregor Laaha
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4553–4574, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4553-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our study uses a statistical boosting model for estimating low flows on a monthly basis, which can be applied to estimate low flows at sites without measurements. We use an extensive dataset of 260 stream gauges in Austria for model development. As we are specifically interested in low-flow events, our method gives specific weight to such events. We found that our method can considerably improve the predictions of low-flow events and yields accurate estimates of the seasonal low-flow variation.
Jorn Van de Velde, Matthias Demuzere, Bernard De Baets, and Niko E. C. Verhoest
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2319–2344, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2319-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2319-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
An important step in projecting future climate is the bias adjustment of the climatological and hydrological variables. In this paper, we illustrate how bias adjustment can be impaired by bias nonstationarity. Two univariate and four multivariate methods are compared, and for both types bias nonstationarity can be linked with less robust adjustment.
Álvaro Ossandón, Manuela I. Brunner, Balaji Rajagopalan, and William Kleiber
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 149–166, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-149-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-149-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Timely projections of seasonal streamflow extremes on a river network can be useful for flood risk mitigation, but this is challenging, particularly under space–time nonstationarity. We develop a space–time Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM) using temporal climate covariates and copulas to project seasonal streamflow extremes and the attendant uncertainties. We demonstrate this on the Upper Colorado River basin to project spring flow extremes using the preceding winter’s climate teleconnections.
Johannes Laimighofer, Michael Melcher, and Gregor Laaha
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 129–148, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-129-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to predict long-term averages of low flow on a hydrologically diverse dataset in Austria. We compared seven statistical learning methods and included a backward variable selection approach. We found that separating the low-flow processes into winter and summer low flows leads to good performance for all the models. Variable selection results in more parsimonious and more interpretable models. Linear approaches for prediction and variable selection are sufficient for our dataset.
Kailong Li, Guohe Huang, and Brian Baetz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4947–4966, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4947-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4947-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We proposed a test statistic feature importance method to quantify the importance of predictor variables for random-forest-like models. The proposed method does not rely on any performance measures to evaluate variable rankings, which can thus result in unbiased variable rankings. The resulting variable rankings based on the proposed method could help random forest achieve its optimum predictive accuracy.
Wei Hu and Bing Si
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 321–331, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-321-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-321-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Partial wavelet coherency method is improved to explore the bivariate relationships at different scales and locations after excluding the effects of other variables. The method was tested with artificial datasets and applied to a measured dataset. Compared with others, this method has the advantages of capturing phase information, dealing with multiple excluding variables, and producing more accurate results. This method can be used in different areas with spatial or temporal datasets.
Marius G. Floriancic, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Tobias Jonas, James W. Kirchner, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5423–5438, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5423-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5423-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Low river flows affect societies and ecosystems. Here we study how precipitation and potential evapotranspiration shape low flows across a network of 380 Swiss catchments. Low flows in these rivers typically result from below-average precipitation and above-average potential evapotranspiration. Extreme low flows result from long periods of the combined effects of both drivers.
Stephanie Thiesen, Diego M. Vieira, Mirko Mälicke, Ralf Loritz, J. Florian Wellmann, and Uwe Ehret
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4523–4540, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4523-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4523-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A spatial interpolator has been proposed for exploring the information content of the data in the light of geostatistics and information theory. It showed comparable results to traditional interpolators, with the advantage of presenting generalization properties. We discussed three different ways of combining distributions and their implications for the probabilistic results. By its construction, the method provides a suitable and flexible framework for uncertainty analysis and decision-making.
Thea Roksvåg, Ingelin Steinsland, and Kolbjørn Engeland
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4109–4133, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4109-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4109-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Annual runoff is a measure of how much water flows through a river during a year and is an important quantity, e.g. when planning infrastructure. In this paper, we suggest a new statistical model for annual runoff estimation. The model exploits correlation between rivers and is able to detect whether the annual runoff in the target river follows repeated patterns over time relative to neighbouring rivers. In our work we show for what cases the latter represents a benefit over comparable methods.
Elena Ridolfi, Hemendra Kumar, and András Bárdossy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2043–2060, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2043-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2043-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The paper presents a new, simple and model-free methodology to estimate the streamflow at partially gauged basins, given the precipitation gauged at another basin. We show that the FDC is not a characteristic of the basin only, but of both the basin and the weather. Because of the dependence on the climate, discharge data at the target site are here retrieved using the Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) of the donor site as it represents in a streamflow-like way the precipitation of the basin.
Björn Guse, Bruno Merz, Luzie Wietzke, Sophie Ullrich, Alberto Viglione, and Sergiy Vorogushyn
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1633–1648, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1633-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1633-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Floods are influenced by river network processes, among others. Flood characteristics of tributaries may affect flood severity downstream of confluences. The impact of flood wave superposition is investigated with regard to magnitude and temporal matching of flood peaks. Our study in Germany and Austria shows that flood wave superposition is not the major driver of flood severity. However, there is the potential for large floods at some confluences in cases of temporal matching of flood peaks.
Juan Camilo Restrepo, Aldemar Higgins, Jaime Escobar, Silvio Ospino, and Natalia Hoyos
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2379–2400, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2379-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2379-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluated the influence of low-frequency oscillations that are linked to large-scale oceanographic–atmospheric processes, on streamflow variability in small mountain rivers of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, aiming to explore streamflow variability, estimate the net contribution to the energy of low-frequency oscillations to streamflow anomalies, and analyze the linkages between streamflow anomalies and large-scale, low-frequency oceanographic–atmospheric processes.
Jens Grundmann, Sebastian Hörning, and András Bárdossy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 225–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-225-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-225-2019, 2019
Jost Hellwig and Kerstin Stahl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6209–6224, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6209-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6209-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Due to the lack of long-term observations, insights into changes of groundwater resources are obscured. In this paper we assess past and potential future changes in groundwater drought in headwater catchments using a baseflow approach. There are a few past trends which are highly dependent on the period of analysis. Catchments with short response times are found to have a higher sensitivity to projected seasonal precipitation shifts, urging for a local management based on response times.
Qiang Zhang, Xihui Gu, Vijay P. Singh, Peijun Shi, and Peng Sun
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2637–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2637-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2637-2018, 2018
Qiang Li, Xiaohua Wei, Xin Yang, Krysta Giles-Hansen, Mingfang Zhang, and Wenfei Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1947–1956, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1947-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1947-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Topography plays an important role in determining the spatial heterogeneity of ecological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes. Topography plays a more dominant role in low flows than high flows. Our analysis also identified five significant TIs: perimeter, slope length factor, surface area, openness, and terrain characterization index. These can be used to compare watersheds when low flow assessments are conducted, specifically in snow-dominated regions.
Yan-Fang Sang, Fubao Sun, Vijay P. Singh, Ping Xie, and Jian Sun
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 757–766, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-757-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-757-2018, 2018
Zhi Li and Jiming Jin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 5531–5546, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5531-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5531-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We developed an efficient multisite and multivariate GCM downscaling method and generated climate change scenarios for SWAT to evaluate the streamflow variability within a watershed in China. The application of the ensemble techniques enables us to better quantify the model uncertainties. The peak values of precipitation and streamflow have a tendency to shift from the summer to spring season over the next 30 years. The number of extreme flooding and drought events will increase.
Nils-Otto Kitterød
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4195–4211, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4195-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4195-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The GRANADA open-access database (NGU, 2016a) was used to derive point recordings of thickness of sediment above the bedrock D(u). For each D(u) the horizontal distance to nearest outcrop L(u) was derived from geological maps. The purpose was to utilize L(u) as a secondary function for estimation of D(u). Two estimation methods were employed: ordinary kriging (OK) and co-kriging (CK). A cross-validation analysis was performed to evaluate the additional information in the secondary function L(u).
Annalise G. Blum, Stacey A. Archfield, and Richard M. Vogel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3093–3103, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3093-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3093-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Flow duration curves are ubiquitous in surface water hydrology for applications including water allocation and protection of ecosystem health. We identify three probability distributions that can provide a reasonable fit to daily streamflows across much of United States. These results help us understand of the behavior of daily streamflows and enhance our ability to predict streamflows at ungaged river locations.
Gregor Laaha, Tobias Gauster, Lena M. Tallaksen, Jean-Philippe Vidal, Kerstin Stahl, Christel Prudhomme, Benedikt Heudorfer, Radek Vlnas, Monica Ionita, Henny A. J. Van Lanen, Mary-Jeanne Adler, Laurie Caillouet, Claire Delus, Miriam Fendekova, Sebastien Gailliez, Jamie Hannaford, Daniel Kingston, Anne F. Van Loon, Luis Mediero, Marzena Osuch, Renata Romanowicz, Eric Sauquet, James H. Stagge, and Wai K. Wong
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3001–3024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3001-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3001-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In 2015 large parts of Europe were affected by a drought. In terms of low flow magnitude, a region around the Czech Republic was most affected, with return periods > 100 yr. In terms of deficit volumes, the drought was particularly severe around S. Germany where the event lasted notably long. Meteorological and hydrological events developed differently in space and time. For an assessment of drought impacts on water resources, hydrological data are required in addition to meteorological indices.
Ana I. Requena, Fateh Chebana, and Taha B. M. J. Ouarda
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1651–1668, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1651-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1651-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The notion of a measure to quantify the degree of heterogeneity of a region from which information is required to estimate the magnitude of events at ungauged sites is introduced. These heterogeneity measures are needed to compare regions, evaluate the impact of particular sites, and rank the performance of delineating methods. A framework to define and assess their desirable properties is proposed. Several heterogeneity measures are presented and/or developed to be assessed, giving guidelines.
Joost V. L. Beckers, Albrecht H. Weerts, Erik Tijdeman, and Edwin Welles
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3277–3287, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3277-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3277-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Oceanic–atmospheric climate modes, such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), are known to affect the streamflow regime in many rivers around the world. A new method is presented for ENSO conditioning of the ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) method, which is often used for seasonal streamflow forecasting. The method was tested on three tributaries of the Columbia River, OR. Results show an improvement in forecast skill compared to the standard ESP.
William H. Farmer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2721–2735, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2721-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2721-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The potential of geostatistical tools, leveraging the spatial structure and dependency of correlated time series, for the prediction of daily streamflow time series at unmonitored locations is explored. Simple geostatistical tools improve on traditional estimates of daily streamflow. The temporal evolution of spatial structure, including seasonal fluctuations, is also explored. The proposed method is contrasted with more advanced geostatistical methods and shown to be comparable.
B. N. Nka, L. Oudin, H. Karambiri, J. E. Paturel, and P. Ribstein
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4707–4719, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4707-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4707-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The region of West Africa is undergoing important climate and environmental changes affecting the magnitude and occurrence of floods. This study aims to analyze the evolution of flood hazard in the region and to find links between flood hazards pattern and rainfall or vegetation index patterns.
D. E. Keller, A. M. Fischer, C. Frei, M. A. Liniger, C. Appenzeller, and R. Knutti
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2163–2177, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2163-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2163-2015, 2015
R. S. Smith, R. D. Moore, M. Weiler, and G. Jost
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1835–1856, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1835-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1835-2014, 2014
C. Teutschbein and J. Seibert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 5061–5077, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-5061-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-5061-2013, 2013
S. V. Weijs, N. van de Giesen, and M. B. Parlange
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3171–3187, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3171-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3171-2013, 2013
S. A. Archfield, A. Pugliese, A. Castellarin, J. O. Skøien, and J. E. Kiang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1575–1588, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1575-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1575-2013, 2013
P. Cowpertwait, D. Ocio, G. Collazos, O. de Cos, and C. Stocker
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 479–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-479-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-479-2013, 2013
L. Cheng, M. Yaeger, A. Viglione, E. Coopersmith, S. Ye, and M. Sivapalan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 4435–4446, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-4435-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-4435-2012, 2012
A. I. J. M. van Dijk, J. L. Peña-Arancibia, and L. A. (Sampurno) Bruijnzeel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3461–3473, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3461-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3461-2012, 2012
P. Nyeko-Ogiramoi, P. Willems, F. M. Mutua, and S. A. Moges
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3149–3163, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3149-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3149-2012, 2012
J. Oh and A. Sankarasubramanian
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2285–2298, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2285-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2285-2012, 2012
H. Lee, D.-J. Seo, Y. Liu, V. Koren, P. McKee, and R. Corby
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2233–2251, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2233-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2233-2012, 2012
H. E. Dahlke, S. W. Lyon, J. R. Stedinger, G. Rosqvist, and P. Jansson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2123–2141, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2123-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2123-2012, 2012
F. F. van Ogtrop, R. W. Vervoort, G. Z. Heller, D. M. Stasinopoulos, and R. A. Rigby
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 3343–3354, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-3343-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-3343-2011, 2011
S. J. Noh, Y. Tachikawa, M. Shiiba, and S. Kim
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 3237–3251, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-3237-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-3237-2011, 2011
L. Gudmundsson, L. M. Tallaksen, K. Stahl, and A. K. Fleig
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 2853–2869, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2853-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2853-2011, 2011
E. Sauquet and C. Catalogne
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 2421–2435, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2421-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2421-2011, 2011
F. Viola, L. V. Noto, M. Cannarozzo, and G. La Loggia
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 323–331, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-323-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-323-2011, 2011
I. Markiewicz, W. G. Strupczewski, and K. Kochanek
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 2167–2175, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2167-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2167-2010, 2010
Cited articles
Balestra, V., Fiorucci, A., and Vigna, B.: Study of the Trends of Chemical–Physical Parameters in Different Karst Aquifers: Some Examples from Italian Alps, Water, 14, 441, hhttps://doi.org/10.3390/w14030441, 2022.
Benettin, P., Bailey, S. W., Campbell, J. L., Green, M. B., Rinaldo, A., Likens, G. E., McGuire, K. J., and Botter, G.: Linking water age and solute dynamics in streamflow at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH, USA, Water Resour. Res., 51, 9256–9272, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017552, 2015.
Benettin, P., Bailey, S. W., Rinaldo, A., Likens, G. E., McGuire, K. J., and Botter, G.: Young runoff fractions control streamwater age and solute concentration dynamics, Hydrol. Process., 31, 2982–2986, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11243, 2017.
Benettin, P., Rodriguez, N. B., Sprenger, M., Kim, M., Klaus, J., Harman, C. J., van der Velde, Y., Hrachowitz, M., Botter, G., McGuire, K. J., Kirchner, J. W., Rinaldo, A., and McDonnell, J. J.: Transit Time Estimation in Catchments: Recent Developments and Future Directions, Water Resour. Res., 58, e2022WR033096, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033096, 2022.
Bonacci, O. and Roje-Bonacci, T.: Water temperature and electrical conductivity as an indicator of karst aquifer: the case of Jadro Spring (Croatia), Carbon. Evaporit., 38, 55, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-023-00881-x, 2023.
Calles, U. M.: Diurnal Variations in Electrical Conductivity of Water in a Small Stream, Hydrol. Res., 13, 157–164, https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.1982.0013, 1982.
Camacho Suarez, V. V., Saraiva Okello, A. M. L., Wenninger, J. W., and Uhlenbrook, S.: Understanding runoff processes in a semi-arid environment through isotope and hydrochemical hydrograph separations, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4183–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4183-2015, 2015.
Cano-Paoli, K., Chiogna, G., and Bellin, A.: Convenient use of electrical conductivity measurements to investigate hydrological processes in Alpine headwaters, Sci. Total Environ., 685, 37–49, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.166, 2019.
Cey, E. E., Rudolph, D. L., Parkin, G. W., and Aravena, R.: Quantifying groundwater discharge to a small perennial stream in southern Ontario, Canada, J. Hydrol., 210, 21–37, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(98)00172-3, 1998.
Dansgaard, W.: Stable isotopes in precipitation, Tellus, 16, 436–468, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v16i4.8993, 1964.
Gallart, F., Valiente, M., Llorens, P., Cayuela, C., Sprenger, M., and Latron, J.: Investigating young water fractions in a small Mediterranean mountain catchment: Both precipitation forcing and sampling frequency matter, Hydrol. Process., 34, 3618–3634, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13806, 2020a.
Gallart, F., von Freyberg, J., Valiente, M., Kirchner, J. W., Llorens, P., and Latron, J.: Technical note: An improved discharge sensitivity metric for young water fractions, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1101–1107, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1101-2020, 2020b.
Gentile, A., Canone, D., Ceperley, N., Gisolo, D., Previati, M., Zuecco, G., Schaefli, B., and Ferraris, S.: Towards a conceptualization of the hydrological processes behind changes of young water fraction with elevation: a focus on mountainous alpine catchments, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2301–2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2301-2023, 2023.
Harrison, H. N., Hammond, J. C., Kampf, S., and Kiewiet, L.: On the hydrological difference between catchments above and below the intermittent-persistent snow transition, Hydrol. Process., 35, e14411, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14411, 2021.
Hayashi, M., Vogt, T., Mächler, L., and Schirmer, M.: Diurnal fluctuations of electrical conductivity in a pre-alpine river: Effects of photosynthesis and groundwater exchange, J. Hydrol., 450–451, 93–104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.05.020, 2012.
Hooper, R. P.: Diagnostic tools for mixing models of stream water chemistry, Water Resour. Res., 39, 1055, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002WR001528, 2003.
Keller, D. E., Fischer, A. M., Liniger, M. A., Appenzeller, C., and Knutti, R.: Testing a weather generator for downscaling climate change projections over Switzerland, Int. J. Climatol., 37, 928–942, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4750, 2017.
Kendall, C. and McDonnell, J. J.: Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology, in: 1st Edn., Elsevier, 839 pp., ISBN 978-0-444-81546-0, 1998.
Kiewiet, L., van Meerveld, I., Stähli, M., and Seibert, J.: Do stream water solute concentrations reflect when connectivity occurs in a small, pre-Alpine headwater catchment?, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3381–3398, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3381-2020, 2020.
Kirchner, J. W.: Aggregation in environmental systems – Part 1: Seasonal tracer cycles quantify young water fractions, but not mean transit times, in spatially heterogeneous catchments, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 279–297, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-279-2016, 2016a.
Kirchner, J. W.: Aggregation in environmental systems – Part 2: Catchment mean transit times and young water fractions under hydrologic nonstationarity, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 299–328, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-299-2016, 2016b.
Klaus, J. and McDonnell, J. J.: Hydrograph separation using stable isotopes: Review and evaluation, J. Hydrol., 505, 47–64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.09.006, 2013.
Laudon, H. and Slaymaker, O.: Hydrograph separation using stable isotopes, silica and electrical conductivity: an alpine example, J. Hydrol., 201, 82–101, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(97)00030-9, 1997.
Lazo, P. X., Mosquera, G. M., Cárdenas, I., Segura, C., and Crespo, P.: Flow partitioning modelling using high-resolution electrical conductivity data during variable flow conditions in a tropical montane catchment, J. Hydrol., 617, 128898, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128898, 2023.
McGuire, K. J. and McDonnell, J. J.: A review and evaluation of catchment transit time modeling, J. Hydrol., 330, 543–563, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.04.020, 2006.
Meriano, M., Howard, K. W. F., and Eyles, N.: The role of midsummer urban aquifer recharge in stormflow generation using isotopic and chemical hydrograph separation techniques, J. Hydrol., 396, 82–93, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.10.041, 2011.
Monteith, D. T., Henrys, P. A., Hruška, J., de Wit, H. A., Krám, P., Moldan, F., Posch, M., Räike, A., Stoddard, J. L., Shilland, E. M., Pereira, M. G., and Evans, C. D.: Long-term rise in riverine dissolved organic carbon concentration is predicted by electrolyte solubility theory, Sci. Adv., 9, eade3491, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade3491, 2023.
Mosquera, G. M., Segura, C., Vaché, K. B., Windhorst, D., Breuer, L., and Crespo, P.: Insights into the water mean transit time in a high-elevation tropical ecosystem, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2987–3004, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2987-2016, 2016.
Mosquera, G. M., Segura, C., and Crespo, P.: Flow Partitioning Modelling Using High-Resolution Isotopic and Electrical Conductivity Data, Water, 10, 904, https://doi.org/10.3390/w10070904, 2018.
Nimick, D. A., Gammons, C. H., and Parker, S. R.: Diel biogeochemical processes and their effect on the aqueous chemistry of streams: A review, Chem. Geol., 283, 3–17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2010.08.017, 2011.
Pellerin, B. A., Wollheim, W. M., Feng, X., and Vörösmarty, C. J.: The application of electrical conductivity as a tracer for hydrograph separation in urban catchments, Hydrol. Process., 22, 1810–1818, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6786, 2008.
Penna, D., Engel, M., Mao, L., Dell'Agnese, A., Bertoldi, G., and Comiti, F.: Tracer-based analysis of spatial and temporal variations of water sources in a glacierized catchment, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 5271–5288, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5271-2014, 2014.
Penna, D., Engel, M., Bertoldi, G., and Comiti, F.: Towards a tracer-based conceptualization of meltwater dynamics and streamflow response in a glacierized catchment, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 23–41, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-23-2017, 2017.
Riazi, Z., Western, A. W., and Bende-Michl, U.: Modelling electrical conductivity variation using a travel time distribution approach in the Duck River catchment, Australia, Hydrol. Process., 36, e14721, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14721, 2022.
Schmidt, C., Musolff, A., Trauth, N., Vieweg, M., and Fleckenstein, J. H.: Transient analysis of fluctuations of electrical conductivity as tracer in the stream bed, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3689–3697, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3689-2012, 2012.
Stähli, M.: Longterm hydrological observatory Alptal (central Switzerland), EnviDat [data set], https://doi.org/10.16904/envidat.380, 2018.
Stähli, M., Seibert, J., Kirchner, J. W., von Freyberg, J., and van Meerveld, I.: Hydrological trends and the evolution of catchment research in the Alptal valley, central Switzerland, Hydrol. Process., 35, e14113, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14113, 2021.
Staudinger, M., Stoelzle, M., Seeger, S., Seibert, J., Weiler, M., and Stahl, K.: Catchment water storage variation with elevation, Hydrol. Process., 31, 2000–2015, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11158, 2017.
Staudinger, M., Seeger, S., Herbstritt, B., Stoelzle, M., Seibert, J., Stahl, K., and Weiler, M.: The CH-IRP data set: a decade of fortnightly data on δ2H and δ18O in streamflow and precipitation in Switzerland, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3057–3066, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3057-2020, 2020a.
Staudinger, M., Seeger, S., Herbstritt, B., Stoelzle, M., Seibert, J., Stahl, K., and Weiler, M.: The CH-IRP data set: fortnightly data of δ2H and δ18O in streamflow and precipitation in Switzerland (Version 2), Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4057967, 2020b.
von Freyberg, J., Allen, S. T., Seeger, S., Weiler, M., and Kirchner, J. W.: Sensitivity of young water fractions to hydro-climatic forcing and landscape properties across 22 Swiss catchments, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3841–3861, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3841-2018, 2018a.
von Freyberg, J., Studer, B., Rinderer, M., and Kirchner, J. W.: Studying catchment storm response using event- and pre-event-water volumes as fractions of precipitation rather than discharge, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5847–5865, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5847-2018, 2018b.
Wang, L., von Freyberg, J., van Meerveld, I., Seibert, J., and Kirchner, J. W.: What is the best time to take stream isotope samples for event-based model calibration?, J. Hydrol., 577, 123950, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.123950, 2019.
Xia, C., Zuecco, G., Chen, K., Liu, L., Zhang, Z., and Luo, J.: The estimation of young water fraction based on isotopic signals: challenges and recommendations, Front. Ecol. Evol., 11, 1114259, https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1114259, 2023.
Zuecco, G., Penna, D., and Borga, M.: Runoff generation in mountain catchments: long-term hydrological monitoring in the Rio Vauz Catchment, Italy, Cuad. Investig. Geográfica, 44, 397–428, https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.3327, 2018.
Short summary
Can we leverage high-resolution and low-cost EC measurements and biweekly δ18O data to estimate the young water fraction at higher temporal resolution? Here, we present the EXPECT method that combines two widespread techniques: EC-based hydrograph separation and sine-wave models of the seasonal isotope cycles. The method is not without its limitations, but its application in three small Swiss catchments is promising for future applications in catchments with different characteristics.
Can we leverage high-resolution and low-cost EC measurements and biweekly δ18O data to estimate...
