Streamflow sensitivity to water storage changes across Europe. Issue 5 (2nd March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Berghuijs, Wouter R.; Hartmann, Andreas; Woods, Ross A.
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 43:Issue 5(2016)
• Page Start: 1980
• Page End: 1987
• Publication Date: 2016-03-02
• Subjects: hydrology -- flow regime -- resilience -- groundwater -- catchment -- aquifer; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1002/2016GL067927
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: Terrestrial water storage is the primary source of river flow. We introduce storage sensitivity of streamflow ( ϵ S ), which for a given flow rate indicates the relative change in streamflow per change in catchment water storage. ϵ S can be directly derived from streamflow observations. Analysis of 725 catchments in Europe reveals that ϵ S is high in, e.g., parts of Spain, England, Germany, and Denmark, whereas flow regimes in parts of the Alps are more resilient (that is, less sensitive) to storage changes. A regional comparison of ϵ S with observations indicates that ϵ S is significantly correlated with variability of low ( R 2 = 0.41), median ( R 2 = 0.27), and high flow conditions ( R 2 = 0.35). Streamflow sensitivity provides new guidance for a changing hydrosphere where groundwater abstraction and climatic changes are altering water storage and flow regimes. Key Points: Storage sensitivity of streamflow expresses the change in streamflow per change in water storage Differences in streamflow sensitivity to storage changes are quantified for 725 European catchments Storage sensitivity of streamflow is positively correlated with flow variability in our study region