Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-338
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-338
15 Nov 2024
 | 15 Nov 2024
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal HESS.

Hydrological regime index for non-perennial rivers

Pablo Fernando Dornes and Rocío Noelia Comas

Abstract. The hydrological regime is an integrated basin response that constitutes an established paradigm for environmental flows (E-Flows) to mimic it since all its components influence aquatic life, and therefore fluvial ecosystems. It has been widely described that human activities and climate change modify the natural hydrological regime. These changes in non-permanent rivers generally tend towards greater intermittency, a condition that limits the applicability of hydrological alteration indices. The general aim of the paper was to develop an aggregated impact index, the Hydrological Regime Index (HRI) suitable for flow alteration assessment in non-permanent rivers. The HRI is composed of the flow magnitude attenuation, timing of maximum flow and interannual flow variation impact factors. The HRI is based on simple conceptualisations and uses monthly flow data, allowing its applicability in basins with limited information. The HRI was suitable to evaluate the impacts on the river regime of both the Desaguadero-Salado-Chadiluevú-Curacó River which is severely dammed with intermit runoff and the Colorado River with permanent runoff. In all the cases, the HRI was able to discriminate different impacts on the hydrological regime for natural, low and high impoundment conditions. Thus, the HRI constitutes a very useful tool for determining E-Flows and quantifying impacts due to water or land use changes.

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Pablo Fernando Dornes and Rocío Noelia Comas

Status: open (until 27 Dec 2024)

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Pablo Fernando Dornes and Rocío Noelia Comas
Pablo Fernando Dornes and Rocío Noelia Comas

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Short summary
The Desaguadero-Salado-Chadiluevú-Curacó (DSCC) River is a semiarid river which is severely dammed in its tributaries which collect the snowmelt runoff. This runoff feeds mostly gravitational irrigation systems of very low efficiency. As a result, the DSCC River does not have natural runoff. The proposed Hydrological Regime Index (HRI) is able to discriminate and quantify regime alterations under permanent and non-permanent flow conditions and with low and high impoundment conditions.