Impact of seasonal snow on the recharge of a mountain karst aquifer under climate change: the Dévoluy case study (Southern Alps, France)

Rispal, Nathan; Arfib, Bruno; Audra, Philippe; Henry, Pierre; Viguier, Benoît; Zappelli, Alexandre; Mocochain, Ludovic; Jagercikova, Marianna; Vallet-Coulomb, Christine; Miche, Hélène; Cadilhac, Laurent; Sivelle, Vianney; Delestre, Olivier

doi:10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026

Articles | Volume 30, issue 14

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 30, issue 14

Research article

|

27 Jul 2026

Research article |

| 27 Jul 2026

Impact of seasonal snow on the recharge of a mountain karst aquifer under climate change: the Dévoluy case study (Southern Alps, France)

Nathan Rispal, Bruno Arfib, Philippe Audra, Pierre Henry, Benoît Viguier, Alexandre Zappelli, Ludovic Mocochain, Marianna Jagercikova, Christine Vallet-Coulomb, Hélène Miche, Laurent Cadilhac, Vianney Sivelle, and Olivier Delestre

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026-supplement

Data sets

High-Resolution Karst Spring Discharge Datasets of the Euro-Mediterranean Mountain Regions (Version V1.0) S. S. Çallı et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19448791

Short summary

In mountain karst regions, seasonal snow is a key component of groundwater recharge, making them highly vulnerable to climate change. Using a rainfall-snow-discharge model in the southern French Alps, we show that warming shifts high-flow periods and causes a strong summer flow decline. Rapid karst flow paths lead to quick spring responses, limiting storage above the base level and increasing sensitivity to future hydrological change.