Articles | Volume 28, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3675-2024
© 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-28-3675-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Aug 2024
Research article |
| 16 Aug 2024
| 16 Aug 2024
Monthly new water fractions and their relationships with climate and catchment properties across Alpine rivers
Marius G. Floriancic
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
Michael P. Stockinger
Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
James W. Kirchner
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Christine Stumpp
Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Related authors
Julia L. A. Knapp, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Marius G. Floriancic, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3673–3685, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3673-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3673-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores how streams react to rain and how water travels through the landscape to reach them, two processes rarely studied together. Using detailed data from two temperate areas, we show that streams respond to rain much faster than rainwater travels to them. Wetter conditions lead to stronger runoff by releasing older stored water, while heavy rainfall moves newer rainwater to streams faster. These findings offer new insights into how water moves through the environment.
Guilhem Türk, Christoph J. Gey, Bernd R. Schöne, Marius G. Floriancic, James W. Kirchner, Loic Leonard, Laurent Gourdol, Richard Keim, and Laurent Pfister
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1530, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1530, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
How landscape features affect water storage and release in catchments remains poorly understood. Here we used water stable isotopes in 12 streams to assess the fraction of precipitation reaching streamflow in less than 2 weeks. More recent precipitation was found when streamflow was high and the fraction was linked to the geology (i.e. high when impermeable, low when permeable). Such information is key for better anticipating streamflow responses to a changing climate.
Quentin Duchemin, Maria Grazia Zanoni, Marius G. Floriancic, Hansjörg Seybold, Guillaume Obozinski, James W. Kirchner, and Paolo Benettin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1591, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1591, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce GAMCR, a data-driven model that estimates how catchments respond to individual precipitation events. We validate GAMCR on synthetic data and demonstrate its ability to investigate the characteristic runoff responses from real-world hydrologic series. GAMCR provides new data-driven opportunities to understand and compare hydrological behavior across different catchments worldwide.
Marco M. Lehmann, Josie Geris, Ilja van Meerveld, Daniele Penna, Youri Rothfuss, Matteo Verdone, Pertti Ala-Aho, Matyas Arvai, Alise Babre, Philippe Balandier, Fabian Bernhard, Lukrecija Butorac, Simon Damien Carrière, Natalie C. Ceperley, Zuosinan Chen, Alicia Correa, Haoyu Diao, David Dubbert, Maren Dubbert, Fabio Ercoli, Marius G. Floriancic, Teresa E. Gimeno, Damien Gounelle, Frank Hagedorn, Christophe Hissler, Frédéric Huneau, Alberto Iraheta, Tamara Jakovljević, Nerantzis Kazakis, Zoltan Kern, Karl Knaebel, Johannes Kobler, Jiří Kocum, Charlotte Koeber, Gerbrand Koren, Angelika Kübert, Dawid Kupka, Samuel Le Gall, Aleksi Lehtonen, Thomas Leydier, Philippe Malagoli, Francesca Sofia Manca di Villahermosa, Chiara Marchina, Núria Martínez-Carreras, Nicolas Martin-StPaul, Hannu Marttila, Aline Meyer Oliveira, Gaël Monvoisin, Natalie Orlowski, Kadi Palmik-Das, Aurel Persoiu, Andrei Popa, Egor Prikaziuk, Cécile Quantin, Katja T. Rinne-Garmston, Clara Rohde, Martin Sanda, Matthias Saurer, Daniel Schulz, Michael Paul Stockinger, Christine Stumpp, Jean-Stéphane Venisse, Lukas Vlcek, Stylianos Voudouris, Björn Weeser, Mark E. Wilkinson, Giulia Zuecco, and Katrin Meusburger
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-409, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-409, 2024
Revised manuscript under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This study describes a unique large-scale isotope dataset to study water dynamics in European forests. Researchers collected data from 40 beech and spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023, using a standardized method to ensure consistency. The results show that water sources for trees change between seasons and vary by tree species. This large dataset offers valuable information for understanding plant water use, improving ecohydrological models, and mapping water cycles across Europe.
Marius G. Floriancic, Scott T. Allen, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4295–4308, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use a 3-year time series of tracer data of streamflow and soils to show how water moves through the subsurface to become streamflow. Less than 50% of soil water consists of rainfall from the last 3 weeks. Most annual streamflow is older than 3 months, and waters in deep subsurface layers are even older; thus deep layers are not the only source of streamflow. After wet periods more rainfall was found in the subsurface and the stream, suggesting that water moves quicker through wet landscapes.
Marvin Höge, Martina Kauzlaric, Rosi Siber, Ursula Schönenberger, Pascal Horton, Jan Schwanbeck, Marius Günter Floriancic, Daniel Viviroli, Sibylle Wilhelm, Anna E. Sikorska-Senoner, Nans Addor, Manuela Brunner, Sandra Pool, Massimiliano Zappa, and Fabrizio Fenicia
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5755–5784, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5755-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5755-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
CAMELS-CH is an open large-sample hydro-meteorological data set that covers 331 catchments in hydrologic Switzerland from 1 January 1981 to 31 December 2020. It comprises (a) daily data of river discharge and water level as well as meteorologic variables like precipitation and temperature; (b) yearly glacier and land cover data; (c) static attributes of, e.g, topography or human impact; and (d) catchment delineations. CAMELS-CH enables water and climate research and modeling at catchment level.
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.
Hatice Türk, Christine Stumpp, Markus Hrachowitz, Karsten Schulz, Peter Strauss, Günter Blöschl, and Michael Stockinger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3935–3956, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3935-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3935-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using advances in transit time estimation and tracer data, we tested if fast-flow transit times are controlled solely by soil moisture or if they are also controlled by precipitation intensity. We used soil-moisture-dependent and precipitation-intensity-conditional transfer functions. We showed that a significant portion of event water bypasses the soil matrix through fast flow paths (overland flow, tile drains, preferential-flow paths) in dry soil conditions for both low- and high-intensity precipitation.
Aixala Gaillard, Robert van Geldern, Johannes Arthur Christopher Barth, and Christine Stumpp
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3853–3863, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3853-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3853-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We produced a new interpolated map of stable isotopes in groundwater in southern Germany and compared it to local precipitation. Interestingly, discrepancies were found between two components of the hydrological cycle, highlighting different recharge patterns and evaporation processes in the northern and southern part of the study area. This research provides insights into understanding different groundwater recharge patterns on a large scale and eventually for groundwater management.
Julia L. A. Knapp, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Marius G. Floriancic, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3673–3685, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3673-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3673-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores how streams react to rain and how water travels through the landscape to reach them, two processes rarely studied together. Using detailed data from two temperate areas, we show that streams respond to rain much faster than rainwater travels to them. Wetter conditions lead to stronger runoff by releasing older stored water, while heavy rainfall moves newer rainwater to streams faster. These findings offer new insights into how water moves through the environment.
Zhuoyi Tu, Taihua Wang, Juntai Han, Hansjörg Seybold, Shaozhen Liu, Cansu Culha, Yuting Yang, and James W. Kirchner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3018, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides the first event-scale observational evidence that runoff sensitivity to precipitation decreases significantly in degrading permafrost regions of the Tibetan Plateau. Data-driven analysis reveals that permafrost thaw enhances infiltration and subsurface storage, reducing peak runoff and runoff coefficients, especially during heavy rainfall. These results are important for drought and flood risk management under climate change.
Hatice Türk, Christine Stumpp, Markus Hrachowitz, Peter Strauss, Günter Blöschl, and Michael Stockinger
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2597, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2597, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that stream flow isotope data (δ2H) were inadequate for distinguishing preferential groundwater flow. Large passive groundwater storage dampened δ2H variations, obscuring signals of fast groundwater flow and complicating the estimation of older water fractions in the streams. Further, weekly-resolution δ2H sampling yielded deceptively high model performance, highlighting the need for complementary and groundwater-level data to improve catchment-scale transit-time estimates.
Guilhem Türk, Christoph J. Gey, Bernd R. Schöne, Marius G. Floriancic, James W. Kirchner, Loic Leonard, Laurent Gourdol, Richard Keim, and Laurent Pfister
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1530, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1530, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
How landscape features affect water storage and release in catchments remains poorly understood. Here we used water stable isotopes in 12 streams to assess the fraction of precipitation reaching streamflow in less than 2 weeks. More recent precipitation was found when streamflow was high and the fraction was linked to the geology (i.e. high when impermeable, low when permeable). Such information is key for better anticipating streamflow responses to a changing climate.
Quentin Duchemin, Maria Grazia Zanoni, Marius G. Floriancic, Hansjörg Seybold, Guillaume Obozinski, James W. Kirchner, and Paolo Benettin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1591, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1591, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce GAMCR, a data-driven model that estimates how catchments respond to individual precipitation events. We validate GAMCR on synthetic data and demonstrate its ability to investigate the characteristic runoff responses from real-world hydrologic series. GAMCR provides new data-driven opportunities to understand and compare hydrological behavior across different catchments worldwide.
Huibin Gao, Laurent Pfister, and James W. Kirchner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-613, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-613, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Some streams respond to rainfall with flow that peaks twice: a sharp first peak followed by a broad second peak. We analyzed data from a catchment in Luxembourg to better understand the processes behind this phenomenon. Our results show that the first peak is mostly driven directly by rainfall, and the second peak is mostly driven by rain that infiltrates to groundwater. We also show that the relative importance of these two processes depends on how wet the landscape is before the rain falls.
Zahra Eslami, Hansjörg Seybold, and James W. Kirchner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-35, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-35, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We used a new method to measure how streamflow responds to precipitation across a network of watersheds in Iran. Our analysis shows that streamflow is more sensitive to precipitation when groundwater levels are shallower, climates are more humid, topography is steeper, and drainage basins are smaller. These results are a step toward more sustainable water resource management and more effective flood risk mitigation.
Marco M. Lehmann, Josie Geris, Ilja van Meerveld, Daniele Penna, Youri Rothfuss, Matteo Verdone, Pertti Ala-Aho, Matyas Arvai, Alise Babre, Philippe Balandier, Fabian Bernhard, Lukrecija Butorac, Simon Damien Carrière, Natalie C. Ceperley, Zuosinan Chen, Alicia Correa, Haoyu Diao, David Dubbert, Maren Dubbert, Fabio Ercoli, Marius G. Floriancic, Teresa E. Gimeno, Damien Gounelle, Frank Hagedorn, Christophe Hissler, Frédéric Huneau, Alberto Iraheta, Tamara Jakovljević, Nerantzis Kazakis, Zoltan Kern, Karl Knaebel, Johannes Kobler, Jiří Kocum, Charlotte Koeber, Gerbrand Koren, Angelika Kübert, Dawid Kupka, Samuel Le Gall, Aleksi Lehtonen, Thomas Leydier, Philippe Malagoli, Francesca Sofia Manca di Villahermosa, Chiara Marchina, Núria Martínez-Carreras, Nicolas Martin-StPaul, Hannu Marttila, Aline Meyer Oliveira, Gaël Monvoisin, Natalie Orlowski, Kadi Palmik-Das, Aurel Persoiu, Andrei Popa, Egor Prikaziuk, Cécile Quantin, Katja T. Rinne-Garmston, Clara Rohde, Martin Sanda, Matthias Saurer, Daniel Schulz, Michael Paul Stockinger, Christine Stumpp, Jean-Stéphane Venisse, Lukas Vlcek, Stylianos Voudouris, Björn Weeser, Mark E. Wilkinson, Giulia Zuecco, and Katrin Meusburger
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-409, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-409, 2024
Revised manuscript under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This study describes a unique large-scale isotope dataset to study water dynamics in European forests. Researchers collected data from 40 beech and spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023, using a standardized method to ensure consistency. The results show that water sources for trees change between seasons and vary by tree species. This large dataset offers valuable information for understanding plant water use, improving ecohydrological models, and mapping water cycles across Europe.
James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4427–4454, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4427-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4427-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here, I present a new way to quantify how streamflow responds to rainfall across a range of timescales. This approach can estimate how different rainfall intensities affect streamflow. It can also quantify how runoff response to rainfall varies, depending on how wet the landscape already is before the rain falls. This may help us to understand processes and landscape properties that regulate streamflow and to assess the susceptibility of different landscapes to flooding.
Marius G. Floriancic, Scott T. Allen, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4295–4308, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4295-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use a 3-year time series of tracer data of streamflow and soils to show how water moves through the subsurface to become streamflow. Less than 50% of soil water consists of rainfall from the last 3 weeks. Most annual streamflow is older than 3 months, and waters in deep subsurface layers are even older; thus deep layers are not the only source of streamflow. After wet periods more rainfall was found in the subsurface and the stream, suggesting that water moves quicker through wet landscapes.
Shaozhen Liu, Ilja van Meerveld, Yali Zhao, Yunqiang Wang, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 205–216, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-205-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-205-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We study the seasonal and spatial patterns of soil moisture in 0–500 cm soil using 89 monitoring sites in a loess catchment with monsoonal climate. Soil moisture is highest during the months of least precipitation and vice versa. Soil moisture patterns at the hillslope scale are dominated by the aspect-controlled evapotranspiration variations (a local control), not by the hillslope convergence-controlled downslope flow (a nonlocal control), under both dry and wet conditions.
Marvin Höge, Martina Kauzlaric, Rosi Siber, Ursula Schönenberger, Pascal Horton, Jan Schwanbeck, Marius Günter Floriancic, Daniel Viviroli, Sibylle Wilhelm, Anna E. Sikorska-Senoner, Nans Addor, Manuela Brunner, Sandra Pool, Massimiliano Zappa, and Fabrizio Fenicia
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5755–5784, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5755-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5755-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
CAMELS-CH is an open large-sample hydro-meteorological data set that covers 331 catchments in hydrologic Switzerland from 1 January 1981 to 31 December 2020. It comprises (a) daily data of river discharge and water level as well as meteorologic variables like precipitation and temperature; (b) yearly glacier and land cover data; (c) static attributes of, e.g, topography or human impact; and (d) catchment delineations. CAMELS-CH enables water and climate research and modeling at catchment level.
Siyuan Wang, Markus Hrachowitz, Gerrit Schoups, and Christine Stumpp
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3083–3114, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3083-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3083-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that previously reported underestimations of water ages are most likely not due to the use of seasonally variable tracers. Rather, these underestimations can be largely attributed to the choices of model approaches which rely on assumptions not frequently met in catchment hydrology. We therefore strongly advocate avoiding the use of this model type in combination with seasonally variable tracers and instead adopting StorAge Selection (SAS)-based or comparable model formulations.
Marleen Schübl, Giuseppe Brunetti, Gabriele Fuchs, and Christine Stumpp
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1431–1455, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1431-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1431-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Estimating groundwater recharge through the unsaturated zone is a difficult task that is fundamentally associated with uncertainties. One of the few methods available is inverse modeling based on soil water measurements. Here, we used a nested sampling algorithm within a Bayesian probabilistic framework to assess model uncertainties at 14 sites in Austria. Further, we analyzed simulated recharge rates to identify factors influencing groundwater recharge rates and their temporal variability.
Tobias Nicollier, Gilles Antoniazza, Lorenz Ammann, Dieter Rickenmann, and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 929–951, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-929-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-929-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring sediment transport is relevant for flood safety and river restoration. However, the spatial and temporal variability of sediment transport processes makes their prediction challenging. We investigate the feasibility of a general calibration relationship between sediment transport rates and the impact signals recorded by metal plates installed in the channel bed. We present a new calibration method based on flume experiments and apply it to an extensive dataset of field measurements.
Sebastian A. Krogh, Lucia Scaff, James W. Kirchner, Beatrice Gordon, Gary Sterle, and Adrian Harpold
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3393–3417, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3393-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new way to detect snowmelt using daily cycles in streamflow driven by solar radiation. Results show that warmer sites have earlier and more intermittent snowmelt than colder sites, and the timing of early snowmelt events is strongly correlated with the timing of streamflow volume. A space-for-time substitution shows greater sensitivity of streamflow timing to climate change in colder rather than in warmer places, which is then contrasted with land surface simulations.
Nikos Theodoratos and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1545–1561, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1545-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1545-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We examine stream-power incision and linear diffusion landscape evolution models with and without incision thresholds. We present a steady-state relationship between curvature and the steepness index, which plots as a straight line. We view this line as a counterpart to the slope–area relationship for the case of landscapes with hillslope diffusion. We show that simple shifts and rotations of this line graphically express the topographic response of landscapes to changes in model parameters.
Markus Hrachowitz, Michael Stockinger, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Ruud van der Ent, Heye Bogena, Andreas Lücke, and Christine Stumpp
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4887–4915, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4887-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4887-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Deforestation affects how catchments store and release water. Here we found that deforestation in the study catchment led to a 20 % increase in mean runoff, while reducing the vegetation-accessible water storage from about 258 to 101 mm. As a consequence, fractions of young water in the stream increased by up to 25 % during wet periods. This implies that water and solutes are more rapidly routed to the stream, which can, after contamination, lead to increased contaminant peak concentrations.
Josef Fürst, Hans Peter Nachtnebel, Josef Gasch, Reinhard Nolz, Michael Paul Stockinger, Christine Stumpp, and Karsten Schulz
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4019–4034, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4019-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4019-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Rosalia is a 222 ha forested research watershed in eastern Austria to study water, energy and solute transport processes. The paper describes the site, monitoring network, instrumentation and the datasets: high-resolution (10 min interval) time series starting in 2015 of four discharge gauging stations, seven rain gauges, and observations of air and water temperature, relative humidity, and conductivity, as well as soil water content and temperature, at different depths at four profiles.
Scott T. Allen and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-683, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-683, 2021
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Extracting water from plant stems can introduce analytical errors in isotope analyses. We demonstrate that sensitivities to suspected errors can be evaluated and that conclusions drawn from extracted plant water isotope ratios are neither generally valid nor generally invalid. Ultimately, imperfect measurements of plant and soil water isotope ratios can continue to support useful inferences if study designs are appropriately matched to their likely biases and uncertainties.
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.
Joost Buitink, Lieke A. Melsen, James W. Kirchner, and Adriaan J. Teuling
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 6093–6110, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-6093-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-6093-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a new distributed hydrological model: the distributed simple dynamical systems (dS2) model. The model is built with a focus on computational efficiency and is therefore able to simulate basins at high spatial and temporal resolution at a low computational cost. Despite the simplicity of the model concept, it is able to correctly simulate discharge in both small and mesoscale basins.
James W. Kirchner and Julia L. A. Knapp
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5539–5558, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5539-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5539-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Ensemble hydrograph separation is a powerful new tool for measuring the age distribution of streamwater. However, the calculations are complex and may be difficult for researchers to implement on their own. Here we present scripts that perform these calculations in either MATLAB or R so that researchers do not need to write their own codes. We explain how these scripts work and how to use them. We demonstrate several potential applications using a synthetic catchment data set.
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.
James W. Kirchner, Sarah E. Godsey, Madeline Solomon, Randall Osterhuber, Joseph R. McConnell, and Daniele Penna
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5095–5123, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5095-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5095-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Streams and groundwaters often show daily cycles in response to snowmelt and evapotranspiration. These typically have a roughly 6 h time lag, which is often interpreted as a travel-time lag. Here we show that it is instead primarily a phase lag that arises because aquifers integrate their inputs over time. We further show how these cycles shift seasonally, mirroring the springtime retreat of snow cover to higher elevations and the seasonal advance and retreat of photosynthetic activity.
Elham Rouholahnejad Freund, Massimiliano Zappa, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5015–5025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5015-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5015-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the largest flux from the land to the atmosphere and thus contributes to Earth's energy and water balance. Due to its impact on atmospheric dynamics, ET is a key driver of droughts and heatwaves. In this paper, we demonstrate how averaging over land surface heterogeneity contributes to substantial overestimates of ET fluxes. We also demonstrate how one can correct for the effects of small-scale heterogeneity without explicitly representing it in land surface models.
Cited articles
Allen, S. T., Keim, R. F., Barnard, H. R., McDonnell, J. J., and Renée Brooks, J.: The role of stable isotopes in understanding rainfall interception processes: a review, WIREs Water, 4, e1187, https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1187, 2017.
Allen, S. T., Kirchner, J. W., and Goldsmith, G. R.: Predicting Spatial Patterns in Precipitation Isotope δ2H and δ18O Seasonality Using Sinusoidal Isoscapes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 4859–4868, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077458, 2018.
Berghuijs, W. R. and Kirchner, J. W.: The relationship between contrasting ages of groundwater and streamflow: Connecting Storage and Streamflow Ages, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 8925–8935, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074962, 2017.
Brantley, S. L., Eissenstat, D. M., Marshall, J. A., Godsey, S. E., Balogh-Brunstad, Z., Karwan, D. L., Papuga, S. A., Roering, J., Dawson, T. E., Evaristo, J., Chadwick, O., McDonnell, J. J., and Weathers, K. C.: Reviews and syntheses: on the roles trees play in building and plumbing the critical zone, Biogeosciences, 14, 5115–5142, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5115-2017, 2017.
Briffa, K. R., van der Schrier, G., and Jones, P. D.: Wet and dry summers in Europe since 1750: evidence of increasing drought, Int. J. Climatol., 29, 1894–1905, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1836, 2009.
Browne, T. J.: Derivation of a geological index for low flow studies, Catena, 8, 265–280, https://doi.org/10.1016/0341-8162(81)90010-2, 1981.
Ceperley, N., Zuecco, G., Beria, H., Carturan, L., Michelon, A., Penna, D., Larsen, J., and Schaefli, B.: Seasonal snow cover decreases young water fractions in high Alpine catchments, Hydrol. Process., 34, 4794–4813, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13937, 2020.
Cochand, M., Christe, P., Ornstein, P., and Hunkeler, D.: Groundwater Storage in High Alpine Catchments and its Contribution to Streamflow, Water Resour. Res., 55, 2613–2630, 2019.
Cornes, R. C., van der Schrier, G., van den Besselaar, E. J. M., and Jones, P. D.: An Ensemble Version of the E-OBS Temperature and Precipitation Data Sets, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 123, 9391–9409, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JD028200, 2018.
Craig, H. and Gordon, L. I.: Deuterium and Oxygen 18 Variations in the Ocean and the Marine Atmosphere, Spoleto Meeting on Nuclear Geology, Stable Isotopes in Oceanography Studies and Paleo Temperature, https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:126843232 (last access: 15 August 2024), 1965.
DeWalle, D. R., Edwards, P. J., Swistock, B. R., Drimmie, R. J., and Aravena, R.: Seasonal isotope hydrology of Appalachian forest catchments, in: Proceedings, 10th Central Hardwood Forest Conference, 5–8 March 1995, Morgantown, WV, Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-197, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. Radnor, PA, edited by: Gottschalk, K. W. and Fosbroke, S. L. C., p. 296, https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/12769 (last access: 15 August 2024), 1995.
Fleckenstein, J. H., Niswonger, R. G., and Fogg, G. E.: River-Aquifer Interactions, Geologic Heterogeneity, and Low-Flow Management, Ground Water, 44, 837–852, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2006.00190.x, 2006.
Floriancic, M. G., Meerveld, I., Smoorenburg, M., Margreth, M., Naef, F., Kirchner, J. W., and Molnar, P.: Spatio-temporal variability in contributions to low flows in the high Alpine Poschiavino catchment, Hydrol. Process., 32, 3938–3953, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13302, 2018.
Floriancic, M. G., Spies, D., van Meerveld, I. H. J., and Molnar, P.: A multi-scale study of the dominant catchment characteristics impacting low-flow metrics, Hydrol. Process., 36, e14462, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14462, 2022.
Floriancic, M. G., Allen, S. T., and Kirchner, J. W.: Young and new water fractions in soil and hillslope waters, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-437, 2024.
FOEN: Hydrological data and forecasts, FOEN [data set], https://www.hydrodaten.admin.ch/en/stations-and-data.html (last access: 5 December 2022), 2022a.
FOEN: NAQUA ISOT, FOEN [data set], https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/en/home/topics/water/info-specialists/state-of-waterbodies/state-of-groundwater/naqua-national-groundwater-monitoring/isot-module.html (last access: 5 December 2022), 2022b.
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.
Gleeson, T. and Manning, A. H.: Regional groundwater flow in mountainous terrain: Three-dimensional simulations of topographic and hydrogeologic controls: Regional groundwater flow, Water Resour. Res., 44, W10403, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR006848, 2008.
Gleeson, T., Marklund, L., Smith, L., and Manning, A. H.: Classifying the water table at regional to continental scales: Water Table At Continental Scales, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L05401, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL046427, 2011a.
Gleeson, T., Smith, L., Moosdorf, N., Hartmann, J., Dürr, H. H., Manning, A. H., van Beek, L. P. H., and Jellinek, A. M.: Mapping permeability over the surface of the Earth: Mapping Global Permeability, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L02401, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL045565, 2011b.
Gleeson, T., Befus, K. M., Jasechko, S., Luijendijk, E., and Cardenas, M. B.: The global volume and distribution of modern groundwater, Nat. Geosci., 9, 161–167, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2590, 2016.
Grant, G. E. and Dietrich, W. E.: The frontier beneath our feet, Water Resour. Res., 53, 2605–2609, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020835, 2017.
Hartmann, A., Jasechko, S., Gleeson, T., Wada, Y., Andreo, B., Barberá, J. A., Brielmann, H., Bouchaou, L., Charlier, J.-B., Darling, W. G., Filippini, M., Garvelmann, J., Goldscheider, N., Kralik, M., Kunstmann, H., Ladouche, B., Lange, J., Lucianetti, G., Martín, J. F., Mudarra, M., Sánchez, D., Stumpp, C., Zagana, E., and Wagener, T.: Risk of groundwater contamination widely underestimated because of fast flow into aquifers, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 118, e2024492118, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024492118, 2021.
Hartmann, J. and Moosdorf, N.: The new global lithological map database GLiM: A representation of rock properties at the Earth surface, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 13, Q12004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GC004370, 2012.
Hayashi, M.: Alpine Hydrogeology: The Critical Role of Groundwater in Sourcing the Headwaters of the World, Groundwater, 58, 498–510, https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12965, 2019.
Hood, J. L. and Hayashi, M.: Characterization of snowmelt flux and groundwater storage in an alpine headwater basin, J. Hydrol., 521, 482–497, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.12.041, 2015.
Hrachowitz, M., Soulsby, C., Tetzlaff, D., Dawson, J. J. C., and Malcolm, I. A.: Regionalization of transit time estimates in montane catchments by integrating landscape controls, Water Resour. Res., 45, W05421, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR007496, 2009.
Hrachowitz, M., Stockinger, M., Coenders-Gerrits, M., van der Ent, R., Bogena, H., Lücke, A., and Stumpp, C.: Reduction of vegetation-accessible water storage capacity after deforestation affects catchment travel time distributions and increases young water fractions in a headwater catchment, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4887–4915, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4887-2021, 2021.
IAEA: Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP), IAEA [data set], https://www.iaea.org/services/networks/gnip (last access: 25 October 2022), 2022a.
IAEA: Global Network of Isotopes in Rivers (GNIR), IAEA [data set], http://www-naweb.iaea.org/napc/ih/IHS_resources_gnir.html (last access: 25 October 2022), 2022b.
Jasechko, S., Kirchner, J. W., Welker, J. M., and McDonnell, J. J.: Substantial proportion of global streamflow less than three months old, Nat. Geosci., 9, 126–130, 2016.
Jasechko, S., Perrone, D., Befus, K. M., Bayani Cardenas, M., Ferguson, G., Gleeson, T., Luijendijk, E., McDonnell, J. J., Taylor, R. G., Wada, Y., and Kirchner, J. W.: Global aquifers dominated by fossil groundwaters but wells vulnerable to modern contamination, Nat. Geosci., 10, 425–429, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2943, 2017.
Kirchner, J. W.: A double paradox in catchment hydrology and geochemistry, Hydrol. Process., 17, 871–874, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5108, 2003.
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.
Kirchner, J. W.: Quantifying new water fractions and transit time distributions using ensemble hydrograph separation: theory and benchmark tests, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 303–349, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-303-2019, 2019.
Kirchner, J. W. and Knapp, J. L. A.: Ensemble hydrograph separation scripts – EnviDat, EnviDat [code], https://doi.org/10.16904/envidat.182, 2020a.
Kirchner, J. W. and Knapp, J. L. A.: Technical note: Calculation scripts for ensemble hydrograph separation, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5539–5558, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5539-2020, 2020b.
Kirchner, J. W., Benettin, P., and Meerveld, I. van: Instructive Surprises in the Hydrological Functioning of Landscapes, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 51, 277–299, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-071822-100356, 2023.
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.
Knapp, J. L. A., Neal, C., Schlumpf, A., Neal, M., and Kirchner, J. W.: New water fractions and transit time distributions at Plynlimon, Wales, estimated from stable water isotopes in precipitation and streamflow, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4367–4388, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4367-2019, 2019.
Mastrotheodoros, T., Pappas, C., Molnar, P., Burlando, P., Manoli, G., Parajka, J., Rigon, R., Szeles, B., Bottazzi, M., Hadjidoukas, P., and Fatichi, S.: More green and less blue water in the Alps during warmer summers, Nat. Clim. Change, 10, 155–161, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0676-5, 2020.
McCormick, E. L., Dralle, D. N., Hahm, W. J., Tune, A. K., Schmidt, L. M., Chadwick, K. D., and Rempe, D. M.: Widespread woody plant use of water stored in bedrock, Nature, 597, 225–229, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03761-3, 2021.
McDonnell, J. J. and Beven, K.: Debates – The future of hydrological sciences: A (common) path forward? A call to action aimed at understanding velocities, celerities and residence time distributions of the headwater hydrograph, Water Resour. Res., 50, 5342–5350, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR015141, 2014.
McDonnell, J. J., McGuire, K., Aggarwal, P., Beven, K. J., Biondi, D., Destouni, G., Dunn, S., James, A., Kirchner, J., Kraft, P., Lyon, S., Maloszewski, P., Newman, B., Pfister, L., Rinaldo, A., Rodhe, A., Sayama, T., Seibert, J., Solomon, K., Soulsby, C., Stewart, M., Tetzlaff, D., Tobin, C., Troch, P., Weiler, M., Western, A., Wörman, A., and Wrede, S.: How old is streamwater? Open questions in catchment transit time conceptualization, modelling and analysis, Hydrol. Process., 24, 1745–1754, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7796, 2010.
Neal, C. and Rosier, P. T. W.: Chemical studies of chloride and stable oxygen isotopes in two conifer afforested and moorland sites in the British uplands, J. Hydrol., 115, 269–283, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(90)90209-G, 1990.
Nelson, D. B., Basler, D., and Kahmen, A.: Precipitation isotope time series predictions from machine learning applied in Europe, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 118, e2024107118, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024107118, 2021.
Pinos, J., Llorens, P., and Latron, J.: High-resolution temporal dynamics of intra-storm isotopic composition of stemflow and throughfall in a Mediterranean Scots pine forest, Hydrol. Process., 36, e14641, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14641, 2022.
Schmieder, J., Hanzer, F., Marke, T., Garvelmann, J., Warscher, M., Kunstmann, H., and Strasser, U.: The importance of snowmelt spatiotemporal variability for isotope-based hydrograph separation in a high-elevation catchment, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 5015–5033, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-5015-2016, 2016.
Schmieder, J., Garvelmann, J., Marke, T., and Strasser, U.: Spatio-temporal tracer variability in the glacier melt end-member – How does it affect hydrograph separation results?, Hydrol. Process., 32, 1828–1843, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11628, 2018.
Schürch, M., Kozel, R., Schotterer, U., and Tripet, J.-P.: Observation of isotopes in the water cycle – the Swiss National Network (NISOT), Environ. Geol., 45, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0843-9, 2003.
Seeger, S. and Weiler, M.: Reevaluation of transit time distributions, mean transit times and their relation to catchment topography, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4751–4771, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4751-2014, 2014.
Segura, C., James, A. L., Lazzati, D., and Roulet, N. T.: Scaling relationships for event water contributions and transit times in small-forested catchments in Eastern Quebec, Water Resour. Res., 48, W07502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR011890, 2012.
Sklash, M. G. and Farvolden, R. N.: The role of groundwater in storm runoff, J. Hydrol., 43, 45–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(79)90164-1, 1979.
Soulsby, C., Malcolm, R., Helliwell, R., Ferrier, R. C., and Jenkins, A.: Isotope hydrology of the Allt a' Mharcaidh catchment, Cairngorms, Scotland: implications for hydrological pathways and residence times, Hydrol. Process., 14, 747–762, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(200003)14:4<747::AID-HYP970>3.0.CO;2-0, 2000.
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, 2020.
Stockinger, M. P., Bogena, H. R., Lücke, A., Stumpp, C., and Vereecken, H.: Time variability and uncertainty in the fraction of young water in a small headwater catchment, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4333–4347, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4333-2019, 2019.
Trabucco, A. and Zomer, R.: Global Aridity Index and Potential Evapotranspiration (ET0) Climate Database v2, figshare [data set], https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7504448.v3, 2019.
Umweltbundesamt: Hydrographisches Jahrbuch – WISA, Umweltbundesamt [data set], https://wasser.umweltbundesamt.at/hydjb/ (last access: 5 December 2022), 2022a.
Umweltbundesamt: WISA H2O Fachdatenbank, Umweltbundesamt [data set], https://wasser.umweltbundesamt.at/h2odb/ (last access: 5 December 2022), 2022b.
UNIBAS: Piso.AI, https://isotope.bot.unibas.ch/PisoAI/ (last access: 15 August 2024), 2024.
von Freyberg, J., Studer, B., and Kirchner, J. W.: A lab in the field: high-frequency analysis of water quality and stable isotopes in stream water and precipitation, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1721–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1721-2017, 2017.
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, 2018.
Weiler, M., McDonnell, J. J., Tromp-van Meerveld, I., and Uchida, T.: Subsurface Stormflow, in: Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, https://doi.org/10.1002/0470848944.hsa119, 2006.
Weingartner, R., Viviroli, D., and Schädler, B.: Water resources in mountain regions: a methodological approach to assess the water balance in a highland-lowland-system, Hydrol. Process., 21, 578–585, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6268, 2007.
Short summary
The Alps are a key water resource for central Europe, providing water for drinking, agriculture, and hydropower production. To assess water availability in streams, we need to understand how much streamflow is derived from old water stored in the subsurface versus more recent precipitation. We use tracer data from 32 Alpine streams and statistical tools to assess how much recent precipitation can be found in Alpine rivers and how this amount is related to catchment properties and climate.
The Alps are a key water resource for central Europe, providing water for drinking, agriculture,...
