Multiple Temporal Scales Assessment in the Hydrological Response of Small Mediterranean-Climate Catchments

Abstract

Mediterranean-climate catchments are characterized by significant spatial and temporal hydrological variability caused by the interaction of natural as well human-induced abiotic and biotic factors. This study investigates the non-linearity of rainfall-runoff relationship at multiple temporal scales in representative small Mediterranean-climate catchments (i.e., <10 km2) to achieve a better understanding of their hydrological response. The rainfall-runoff relationship was evaluated in 43 catchments at annual and event—203 events in 12 of these 43 catchments—scales. A linear rainfall-runoff relationship was observed at an annual scale, with a higher scatter in pervious (R2: 0.47) than impervious catchments (R2: 0.82). Larger scattering was observed at the event scale, although pervious lithology and agricultural land use promoted significant rainfall-runoff linear relations in winter and spring. These relationships were particularly analysed during five hydrological years in the Es Fangar catchment (3.35 km2; Mallorca, Spain) as a temporal downscaling to assess the intra-annual variability, elucidating whether antecedent wetness conditions played a significant role in runoff generation. The assessment of rainfall-runoff relationships under contrasted lithology, land use and seasonality is a useful approach to improve the hydrological modelling of global change scenarios in small catchments where the linearity and non-linearity of the hydrological response—at multiple temporal scales—can inherently co-exist in Mediterranean-climate catchments.

A Multi-Model Multi-Scale Approach to Estimate the Impact of the 2007 Large-Scale Forest Fires in Peloponnese, Greece

“…Although no wide consensus has been established with regard to the questions posed in this work, we believe that there is a favorable perspective for this, which is justified by the recent intensification of related research efforts worldwide (e.g., [69][70][71][72], to mention but a few.) Additionally, one should not lose sight of the fact that many anthropogenic influences act simultaneously (e.g., forest fires, deforestation, large-scale hydraulic works) and affect the same hydrological variables by: (i) altering the rate of evaporation, (ii) modifying the velocity and amount of overland flow, (iii) altering the amount of infiltration into the ground, and (iv) affecting the amount of intercepted water [73].…”

Land-use changes and precipitation cycles to understand hydrodynamic responses in semiarid Mediterranean karstic watersheds

“…This is a topic recently discussed by several scholars who paid attention to the intensification of fruit plantations (tropical and citrus orchards) and high soil and water losses due to bare soils, intense tillage practices and the use of pesticides (Rodrigo-Comino et al, 2020). Similar land-use trends, especially related to agricultural abandonment, are identified in numerous Mediterranean and semi-arid regions globally (Jenicek, 2009;Pérez-González et al, 2017;Hu and Shrestha, 2020;Fortesa et al, 2020). The main causes can be related to aging and depopulation of rural areas (Carbonaro et al, 2018;Pineda, 2001) and less productivity of cultivated lands affected by less fertile and productive soils affected by soil erosion processes (Novara et al, 2016;Rodrigo-Comino, 2018;Romero-Díaz et al, 2017;Lasanta et al, 2021).…”

Critical Environmental Issues Confirm the Relevance of Abandoned Agricultural Land

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