Hydrogeological response to climate change in alpine hillslopes

Markovich, K. H.; Maxwell, R. M.; Fogg, Graham E.

doi:10.1002/hyp.10851

Cited by 45 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(118 reference statements)

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“…The warming and combination scenarios showed large declines in SWE, with snowpack accumulation starting in November, one month later than the baseline, and snowpack depletion occurring in mid May, about one month earlier than the baseline. Timing shifts in discharge at GTHC are perhaps muted by the different geology underlying the GTHC transect (Table c)—a finding consistent with a recent study contrasting response of warming for differing hydrogeology (high conductivity compared to low conductivity) in mountain systems (Markovich et al, )—and the smaller percentage of snowpack and greater fraction of precipitation that falls as rain relative to other transects.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Contrasting the hydrologic response due to land cover and climate change in a mountain headwaters system

et al. 2016

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Land cover change due to drought and insect‐induced tree mortality or altered vegetation succession is one of the many consequences of anthropogenic climate change. While the hydrologic response to land cover change and increases in temperature have been explored independently, few studies have compared these two impacts in a systematic manner. These changes are particularly important in snow‐dominated, headwaters systems that provide streamflow for continental river systems. Here we study the hydrologic impacts of both vegetation change and climate warming along three transects in a mountain headwaters watershed using an integrated hydrologic model. Results show that while impacts due to warming generally outweigh those resulting from vegetation change, the inherent variability within the transects provides varying degrees of response. The combination of both vegetation change and warming results in greater changes to streamflow amount and timing than either impact individually, indicating a nonlinear response from these systems to multiple perturbations. The complexity of response underscores the need to integrate observational data and the challenge of deciphering hydrologic impacts from proxy studies.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Contrasting the hydrologic response due to land cover and climate change in a mountain headwaters system

et al. 2016

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“…Considering that snowpack will mostly accumulate and therefore will have a higher relevance in terms of hydrological processes (river discharge) at elevations above 4,000 masl (Sproles, Kerr, Orrego, & López, ), it turns out evident that the effects of climate change on local hydrology, and therefore water quality, should be different in the considered sub‐basins because of the described factors. Given the limited existing information, the role of subsurface storage potentially offsetting the effect of changes in snow accumulation over river discharges was not addressed in the current work. Although this hydrological component could be of some importance in alpine systems (Markovich, Maxwell, & Fogg, ; Tague, ), our previous studies for the Elqui basin (e.g., Oyarzún et al, ; Strauch et al, ) allowed us to consider it of minor relevance in terms of its contribution to surface flow.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Surface water quality in a sulfide mineral‐rich arid zone in North‐Central Chile: Learning from a complex past, addressing an uncertain future

Flores

Núñez

Oyarzún

et al. 2016

Hydrological Processes

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This study presents an analysis of up to 30 years of hydrological variables and selected water quality parameters (pH, SO4, Fe, Cu, and As) in the upper area of the Elqui River basin in North‐Central Chile. A correlation analysis determined statistically significant positive relationship for SO4‐Cu, Fe‐As, and Fe‐Cu. In terms of historical behaviour, no statistically significant trends were detected for precipitation or temperature. In contrast, for flow, there is an overall decreasing pattern for the entire area of study, although only in one case this trend was statistically significant. Along with the aforementioned analysis, a characterization of the flow‐water quality relationships is considered for the time period analyzed. Although erratic behaviours were confirmed, a negative (i.e., inverse) flow‐concentration relationship was identified for SO4, a positive (i.e., direct) relationship for Fe, and undefined relationships for As and Cu were obtained. From these analyses and based on previous studies on projections regarding climate change for the Andean region, and in particular for the upper Elqui zone, an estimation of the possible effects of the change in water regimes on water quality in the area of study is developed. It is likely that a decrease in surface flow, as a consequence of climate change could translate into improvements in water quality in terms of Fe and eventually As and Cu, but into an impairment in the case of SO4. In any case, this is a complex situation that demands special attention in the face of industrial activities that could be developed in tributaries like the Claro River, which currently play an important role in depurating or diluting contaminants in the waters of the Elqui River. Finally, it should be noted that this study addresses an issue that goes beyond the local interest and could be used as a reference to compare other transitional environments containing sulphide ores or areas of hydrothermal alterations, which are considered to be highly vulnerable to climate change and variability.

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“…Drainage rates are known to mediate the climatic sensitivity of summer streamflow in the western United States (Safeeq et al, , ; Tague & Grant, ), but to our knowledge the relationship between drainage rates and summer streamflow elasticity has not been quantified (other definitions of sensitivity were used). In most cases, these factors have been examined in the context of case studies, often hydrologic model based, or for a small number of catchments (e.g., Godsey et al, ; Harman et al, ; Jefferson et al, ; Markovich et al, ; Tague & Grant, ), with some exceptions (e.g., Safeeq et al, ). To our knowledge no study has examined how each of the three aforementioned factors mediate summer low‐flow elasticity at the western U.S. regional scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Elasticity of Low Flows in the Maritime Western U.S. Mountains

Cooper

Schaperow

Cooley

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

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Summer streamflow is an important water resource during the dry summers in the western United States, but the sensitivity of summer minimum streamflow (low flow) to antecedent winter precipitation as compared with summer evaporative demand has not been quantified for the region. We estimate climatic elasticity of low flow (percent change in low flow divided by percent change in climatic forcing variable) with respect to annual maximum snow water equivalent (ESWE), winter precipitation (EPPT), and summer potential evapotranspiration (EPET) for 110 unmanaged headwater catchments in the maritime western U.S. mountains. We find that |EPET| is larger than |EPPT| and |ESWE| in every catchment studied and is 4–5 times larger than both, on average. Spatial variations in E are dominated by three patterns. First, |EPPT|, |ESWE|, and |EPET| are largest and most variable among semiarid catchments and decrease nonlinearly with increasing values of the humidity index (the ratio of annual precipitation to annual evaporative demand). Second, |EPPT| and |EPET| are lower in snow‐dominated catchments than in rain‐dominated catchments, suggesting that snow cover reduces the proportional response of low flows to climatic variability. Third, |EPPT|, |ESWE|, and |EPET| are lower in slow‐draining catchments than in fast‐draining catchments, for which baseflow recession storage coefficients are used to represent the rate at which catchment water storage is translated into streamflow. Our results provide the first comparison of summer low‐flow elasticity to PPT versus PET and its spatial variation in the maritime western U.S. mountains.

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Hydrogeological response to climate change in alpine hillslopes

Cited by 45 publications

References 66 publications

Contrasting the hydrologic response due to land cover and climate change in a mountain headwaters system

Contrasting the hydrologic response due to land cover and climate change in a mountain headwaters system

Surface water quality in a sulfide mineral‐rich arid zone in North‐Central Chile: Learning from a complex past, addressing an uncertain future

Climate Elasticity of Low Flows in the Maritime Western U.S. Mountains

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