Importance of maximum snow accumulation for summer low flows in humid catchments

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F16%3A10312596" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/16:10312596 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/20/859/2016/" target="_blank" >http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/20/859/2016/</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-859-2016" target="_blank" >10.5194/hess-20-859-2016</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Importance of maximum snow accumulation for summer low flows in humid catchments

Original language description

Here we investigate the relative importance of snow accumulation on one critical aspect of runoff, namely the summer low flow. This is especially relevant as the expected increase of air temperature might result in decreased snow storage. A decrease of snow will affect soil and groundwater storages during spring and might cause low streamflow values in the subsequent warm season. The objective in this study was (1) to quantify how long snowmelt affects runoff after melt-out and (2) to estimate the sensitivity of catchments with different elevation ranges to changes in snowpack. To find suitable predictors of summer low flow we used long time series from 14 Alpine and pre-Alpine catchments in Switzerland. In general, the results indicated that maximum winter snow water equivalent (SWE) influenced summer low flow, but could expectedly only partly explain the observed inter-annual variations. On average, a decrease of maximum SWE by 10 % caused a decrease of minimum discharge in July by 6-9 % in catchments higher than 2000 m a.s.l. This effect was smaller in middle- and lower-elevation catchments with a decrease of minimum discharge by 2-5 % per 10 % decrease of maximum SWE. For higher- and middle-elevation catchments and years with below-average SWE maximum, the minimum discharge in July decreased to 70-90 % of its normal level. Additionally, a reduction in SWE resulted in earlier low-flow occurrence in some cases. When only dry preceding conditions in this period were considered, the importance of maximum SWE as a predictor of low flows increased. We assessed the sensitivity of individual catchments to the change of maximum SWE using the non-parametric Theil-Sen approach as well as an elasticity index. Both sensitivity indicators increased with increasing mean catchment elevation, indicating a higher sensitivity of summer low flow to snow accumulation in Alpine catchments compared to lower-elevation pre-Alpine catchments.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

DA - Hydrology and limnology

OECD FORD branch

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Project

<a href="/en/project/GA13-32133S" target="_blank" >GA13-32133S: Headwaters retention potential with respect to hydrological extremes</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences

ISSN

1027-5606

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

20

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

DE - GERMANY

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

859-874

UT code for WoS article

000377697600018

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-84959237736