Articles | Volume 29, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1703-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1703-2025
Research article
 | 
26 Mar 2025
Research article |  | 26 Mar 2025

Catchments do not strictly follow Budyko curves over multiple decades, but deviations are minor and predictable

Muhammad Ibrahim, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Ruud van der Ent, and Markus Hrachowitz

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
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Cited articles

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Andréassian, V., Mander, Ü., and Pae, T.: The Budyko hypothesis before Budyko: The hydrological legacy of Evald Oldekop, J. Hydrol., 535, 386–391, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.02.002, 2016. 
Arora, V. K.: The use of the aridity index to assess climate change effect on annual runoff, J. Hydrol., 265, 164–177, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(02)00101-4, 2002. 
Berghuijs, W. R. and Woods, R. A.: Correspondence: Space-time asymmetry undermines water yield assessment, Nat. Commun., 7, 11603, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11603, 2016. 
Berghuijs, W. R., Woods, R. A., and Hrachowitz, M.: A precipitation shift from snow towards rain leads to a decrease in streamflow, Nat. Clim. Change, 4, 583–586, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2246, 2014. 
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Short summary
The quantification of precipitation into evaporation and runoff is vital for water resources management. The Budyko framework, based on aridity and evaporative indices of a catchment, can be an ideal tool for that. However, recent research highlights deviations of catchments from the expected evaporative index, casting doubt on its reliability. This study quantifies deviations of 2387 catchments, finding them minor and predictable. Integrating these into predictions upholds the framework's efficacy.
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