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
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Scott T. Allen and James W. Kirchner
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Nikos Theodoratos and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 505–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, 2020
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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
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Elham Rouholahnejad Freund, Ying Fan, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1927–1938, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1927-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1927-2020, 2020
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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
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James W. Kirchner and Scott T. Allen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 17–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-17-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-17-2020, 2020
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Perhaps the oldest question in hydrology is
Where does water go when it rains?. Here we present a new way to measure how the terrestrial water cycle partitions precipitation into its two ultimate fates:
green waterthat is evaporated or transpired back to the atmosphere and
blue waterthat is discharged to stream channels. Our analysis may help in gauging the vulnerability of both water resources and terrestrial ecosystems to changes in rainfall patterns.
H. J. Ilja van Meerveld, James W. Kirchner, Marc J. P. Vis, Rick S. Assendelft, and Jan Seibert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4825–4834, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4825-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4825-2019, 2019
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Julia L. A. Knapp, Colin Neal, Alessandro Schlumpf, Margaret Neal, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4367–4388, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4367-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4367-2019, 2019
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We describe, present, and make publicly available two extensive data sets of stable water isotopes in streamwater and precipitation at Plynlimon, Wales, consisting of measurements at 7-hourly intervals for 17 months and at weekly intervals for 4.25 years. We use these data to calculate new water fractions and transit time distributions for different discharge rates and seasons, thus quantifying the contribution of recent precipitation to streamflow under different conditions.
Michael Paul Stockinger, Heye Reemt Bogena, Andreas Lücke, Christine Stumpp, and Harry Vereecken
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4333–4347, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4333-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4333-2019, 2019
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Precipitation moves through the soil to become stream water. The fraction of precipitation that becomes stream water after 3 months (Fyw) can be calculated with the stable isotopes of water. Previously, this was done for all the isotope data available, e.g., for several years. We used 1 year of data to calculate Fyw and moved this calculation time window over the time series. Results highlight that Fyw varies in time. Comparison studies of different regions should take this into account.
Scott T. Allen, Scott Jasechko, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Jeffrey M. Welker, Gregory R. Goldsmith, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3423–3436, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3423-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3423-2019, 2019
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We developed global maps that concisely quantify the seasonality of stable isotope ratios in precipitation, using data from 653 meteorological stations across all seven continents. We make these gridded global maps publicly available to support diverse stable isotope applications.
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
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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.
Scott T. Allen, James W. Kirchner, Sabine Braun, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, and Gregory R. Goldsmith
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1199–1210, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1199-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1199-2019, 2019
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We used stable isotopes of xylem water to study differences in the seasonal origin of water in more than 900 individual trees from three dominant species in 182 Swiss forested sites. We discovered that midsummer transpiration was mostly supplied by winter precipitation across diverse humid climates. Our findings provide new insights into tree vulnerability to droughts, transport of water (and thus solutes) in soils, and the climatic information conveyed by plant-tissue isotopes.
James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 303–349, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-303-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-303-2019, 2019
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How long does it take for raindrops to become streamflow? Here I propose a new approach to this old problem. I show how we can use time series of isotope data to measure the average fraction of same-day rainfall appearing in streamflow, even if this fraction varies greatly from rainstorm to rainstorm. I show that we can quantify how this fraction changes from small rainstorms to big ones, and from high flows to low flows, and how it changes with the lag time between rainfall and streamflow.
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
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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
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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.
Nikos Theodoratos, Hansjörg Seybold, and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 779–808, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-779-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-779-2018, 2018
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We perform dimensional analysis on a frequently used landscape evolution model (LEM). Defining characteristic scales in a novel way, we significantly simplify the LEM and develop an efficient numerical modeling approach. Our characteristic scales are physically meaningful; they quantify competitions between landscape-forming processes and are related to salient properties of landscape topography. Dimensional analyses of other LEMs may benefit from our approach in defining characteristic scales.
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
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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.
Natalie Orlowski, Lutz Breuer, Nicolas Angeli, Pascal Boeckx, Christophe Brumbt, Craig S. Cook, Maren Dubbert, Jens Dyckmans, Barbora Gallagher, Benjamin Gralher, Barbara Herbstritt, Pedro Hervé-Fernández, Christophe Hissler, Paul Koeniger, Arnaud Legout, Chandelle Joan Macdonald, Carlos Oyarzún, Regine Redelstein, Christof Seidler, Rolf Siegwolf, Christine Stumpp, Simon Thomsen, Markus Weiler, Christiane Werner, and Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3619–3637, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3619-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3619-2018, 2018
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To extract water from soils for isotopic analysis, cryogenic water extraction is the most widely used removal technique. This work presents results from a worldwide laboratory intercomparison test of cryogenic extraction systems. Our results showed large differences in retrieved isotopic signatures among participating laboratories linked to interactions between soil type and properties, system setup, extraction efficiency, extraction system leaks, and each lab’s internal accuracy.
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
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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.
Albrecht von Boetticher, Jens M. Turowski, Brian W. McArdell, Dieter Rickenmann, Marcel Hürlimann, Christian Scheidl, and James W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3963–3978, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3963-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3963-2017, 2017
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The open-source fluid dynamic solver presented in v. Boetticher et al. (2016) combines a Coulomb viscosplastic rheological model with a Herschel–Bulkley model based on material properties for 3-D debris flow simulations. Here, we validate the solver and illustrate the model sensitivity to water content, channel curvature, content of fine material and channel bed roughness. We simulate both laboratory-scale and large-scale debris-flow experiments, using only one of the two calibration parameters.
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
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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.
Elham Rouholahnejad Freund and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 217–233, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-217-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-217-2017, 2017
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Our analysis shows that averaging over sub-grid heterogeneity in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (ET), as typical earth system models do, overestimates the average of the spatially variable ET. We also show when aridity index increases with altitude, lateral redistribution would transfer water from more humid uplands to more arid lowlands, resulting in a net increase in ET. Therefore, the Earth system models that neglect lateral transfer underestimate ET in those regions.
Alexander R. Beer, James W. Kirchner, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 885–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-885-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-885-2016, 2016
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Spatial bedrock erosion data from stream channels are important for engineering issues and landscape evolution model assessment. However, acquiring such data is challenging and only few data sets exist. Detecting changes in repeated photographs of painted bedrock surfaces easily allows for semi-quantitative conclusions on the spatial distribution of sediment transport and its effects: abrasion on surfaces facing the streamflow and shielding of surfaces by abundant sediment.
Albrecht von Boetticher, Jens M. Turowski, Brian W. McArdell, Dieter Rickenmann, and James W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 2909–2923, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-2909-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-2909-2016, 2016
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Debris flows are characterized by unsteady flows of water with different content of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and large particles, resulting in a dense moving mixture mass. Here we present a three-dimensional fluid dynamic solver that simulates the flow as a mixture of a pressure-dependent rheology model of the gravel mixed with a Herschel–Bulkley rheology of the fine material suspension. We link rheological parameters to the material composition. The user must specify two free model parameters.
J. W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 279–297, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-279-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-279-2016, 2016
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Catchment mean transit times have been widely inferred from seasonal cycles of environmental tracers in precipitation and streamflow. Here I show that these cycles yield strongly biased estimates of mean transit times in spatially heterogeneous catchments (and, by implication, in real-world catchments). However, I also show that these cycles can be used to reliably estimate the fraction of "young" water in streamflow, meaning water that fell as precipitation less than roughly 2–3 months ago.
J. W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 299–328, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-299-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-299-2016, 2016
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Here I show that seasonal tracer cycles yield strongly biased estimates of mean transit times in nonstationary catchments (and, by implication, in real-world catchments). However, they can be used to reliably estimate the fraction of "young" water in streamflow, meaning water that fell as precipitation less than roughly 2–3 months ago. This young water fraction varies systematically between high and low flows and may help in characterizing controls on stream chemistry.
F. Kobierska, T. Jonas, J. W. Kirchner, and S. M. Bernasconi
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3681–3693, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3681-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3681-2015, 2015
A. von Boetticher, J. M. Turowski, B. W. McArdell, D. Rickenmann, M. Hürlimann, C. Scheidl, and J. W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-6379-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-6379-2015, 2015
Preprint withdrawn
F. U. M. Heimann, D. Rickenmann, J. M. Turowski, and J. W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 15–34, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-15-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-15-2015, 2015
F. U. M. Heimann, D. Rickenmann, M. Böckli, A. Badoux, J. M. Turowski, and J. W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 35–54, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-35-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-35-2015, 2015
C. Stumpp, A. Ekdal, I. E. Gönenc, and P. Maloszewski
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4825–4837, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4825-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4825-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Subject: Catchment hydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Stochastic approaches
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
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
Alessio Gentile, Jana von Freyberg, Davide Gisolo, Davide Canone, and Stefano Ferraris
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1915–1934, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1915-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1915-2024, 2024
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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.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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,...
