Streamflow sensitivity regimes of alpine catchments
Seasonal relationships with elevation, temperature, and glacier cover
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15545709 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Markus Weiler (0000-0001-6245-6917, University of Freiburg, corresponding author), Sebastian Gnann (0000-0002-9797-5204, University of Freiburg, corresponding author), Kerstin Stahl (0000-0002-2159-9441, University of Freiburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 074068-074068 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ade26c |
| OpenAlex | W4411137146 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
Alpine streams supply water to mountains and downstream regions, but their sensitivity to climatic variability is complex. Here, we derive streamflow sensitivity regimes from long-term observations in the Swiss Alps and analyse their potential controls. For each week of the year, we estimated absolute and relative sensitivities of streamflow in response to changes in temperature, precipitation, and storage. At high elevations with extensive glacier cover, weekly temperature and precipitation sensitivities peak in spring and summer when melt rates are high. At low elevations with no glacier cover, weekly temperature sensitivities are negative in summer, while precipitation sensitivities are highest under moist winter conditions. The elevation at which temperature sensitivities switch from positive to negative changes over the course of the year, showing that the sensitivities are temperature-dependent and thus non-stationary. Weekly streamflow sensitivities help resolve the seasonally-varying drivers of the streamflow regime and may be used to evaluate hydrological models
Climatology · Cover (algebra · Drainage basin · Elevation (ballistics · Geography · Geomorphology · Glacier · Hydrology (agriculture · Physical geography · Snow · Snow cover · Streamflow · Cryospheric studies and observations · Environmental Science · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies · Geology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |