Articles | Volume 30, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-267-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-30-267-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Jan 2026
Research article |
| 20 Jan 2026
| 20 Jan 2026
Tracing near-surface runoff in a pre-Alpine headwater catchment
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Victor Aloyse Gauthier
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Ilja van Meerveld
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Short summary
We applied rainfall and tracers on two 8 m wide runoff plots to better understand runoff generation processes in pre-Alpine catchments with low permeability gleysols. The results highlight the frequent occurrence of infiltration and exfiltration of water, the importance of preferential flow, and the quick runoff response (i.e., high celerity) and transport of solutes (i.e., high velocity). These results help to understand why streams in the study region respond very quickly to rainfall.
We applied rainfall and tracers on two 8 m wide runoff plots to better understand runoff...
