The role of glacier retreat for Swiss hydropower production

Schaefli, Bettina; Manso, Pedro; Fischer, Mauro; Huss, Matthias; Farinotti, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2018.07.104

Cited by 71 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In mountain regions, interannual variability of streamflow is particularly important because it characterizes the reliability of water supply for diverse water uses, for example, hydropower (Schaefli, Manso, Fischer, Huss, & Farinotti, 2019). The interannual streamflow variability of glacierized catchments will therefore be the focus of this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The compensating effect of glaciers: Characterizing the relation between interannual streamflow variability and glacier cover

Tiel

Kohn

Loon

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Meltwater from glaciers is not only a stable source of water but also affects downstream streamflow dynamics. One of these dynamics is the interannual variability of streamflow. Glaciers can moderate streamflow variability because the runoff in the glacierized part, driven by temperature, correlates negatively with the runoff in the non-glacierized part of a catchment, driven by precipitation, thereby counterbalancing each other. This is also called the glacier compensation effect (GCE), and the effect is assumed to depend on relative glacier cover. Previous studies found a convex relationship between streamflow variability and glacier cover of different glacierized catchments, with lowest streamflow variability at a certain optimum glacier cover. In this study, we aim to revisit these previously found curves to find out if a universal relationship between interannual streamflow variability and glacier cover exists, which could potentially be used in a space-for-time substitution analysis.Moreover, we test the hypothesis that the dominant climate drivers (here precipitation and temperature) switch around the suggested optimum of the curve. First, a set of virtual nested catchments, with the same absolute glacier area but varying nonglacierized area, were modelled to isolate the effect of glacier cover on streamflow variability. The modelled relationship was then compared with a multicatchment data set of gauged glacierized catchments in the European Alps. In the third step, changes of the GCE curve over time were analysed. Model results showed a convex relationship and the optimum in the simulated curve aligned with a switch in the dominant climate driver. However, the multicatchment data and the time change analyses did not suggest the existence of a universal convex relationship. Overall, we conclude that GCE is complex due to entangled controls and changes over time in glacierized catchments. Therefore, care should be taken to use a GCE curve for estimating and/or predicting interannual streamflow variability in glacierized catchments. K E Y W O R D Sglacier compensation effect, glacierized catchments, interannual variability, modelling experiment, space-for-time substitution, streamflow

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If a universal relationship could be found, it would help to better understand spatial differences in flow reliability. This would have a number of advantages for water resources planning such as decisions on where to install small hydropower plants or intakes for water supply (Gaudard et al, 2014;Schaefli et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The compensating effect of glaciers: Characterizing the relation between interannual streamflow variability and glacier cover

Tiel

Kohn

Loon

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is little doubt in this regard, because the different scenarios' forecasts converge to a large extent [82]. Local specificities are, however, important [83]. Our conclusion is that the probability that hydropower is affected by the climate change is high in the two periods considered and doubts are low.…”

Section: Prospective Analysismentioning

confidence: 69%

A Conceptual Framework to Classify and Manage Risk, Uncertainty and Ambiguity: An Application to Energy Policy

Gaudard

Romerio

2020

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global issues are such that we should assess and manage a variety of risks and uncertainties. Due to increasing world complexity, the development of an adequate and innovative conceptual framework, anchored in the literature, is required. This article contributes to this effort with an approach particularly relevant to decision-makers dealing with threats of different natures, limited heterogeneous information, and experts' assessments tainted by doubts. Our approach is based on two pillars: 1) An "acuity scale", based on the probability of the occurrence of an event, its impact and the experts' degree of doubt; 2) A taxonomy focused on the concepts of risk, uncertainty, gamble and butterfly ambiguity. Accordingly, we present in a second step the major management implications of such approach. Global policy trends (e.g., sustainability transition) put energy sector decision-makers at the forefront of risk and uncertainty management. Consequently, we carry out a case study focused on Swiss energy policy since the 1980s, including its inception, the turnaround provoked by the Fukushima accident, and the government's 2050 energy strategy. Our investigation shows that the proposed conceptual framework allows for the development of an original analysis of the main drivers that influence governmental policies and stakeholder strategies.

show abstract

“…The reduction of the glaciated area would make large amounts of sediments, formerly accumulated beneath the glacier, available for erosion, thereby increasing the sediment yield [35]. However, temporally, glacier recession may lead to an increase of the annual water yield and consequently, to an increase of the sediment transport capacity [35,41]. Another effect of the temperature increase, not investigated in this study, consists of the reduction of snowfall days in favor of rainfall days [42].…”

Section: Perspectives Based On Climate Warmingmentioning

confidence: 89%

Multidecadal Sediment Balance Modelling of a Cascade of Alpine Reservoirs and Perspectives Based on Climate Warming

Ludeña

Manso

Schleiss

2018

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents a comprehensive methodology to model and determine the annual sediment balance of a complex system of interconnected reservoirs, based on the detailed interpretation of a multi-decadal data series of reservoir management and modelling of sediment fluxes. This methodology is applied to the reservoirs of Oberaar, Grimsel, Räterichsboden, and Trift, which are located in the Swiss Alps. Additionally, the effects of climate warming on the annual sediment yield are investigated. Modelling results show that at present, the hydropower cascade formed by Oberaar, Grimsel, and Räterichsboden retains about 92% of the annual sediment yield, of which only the finest fraction leaves the system and enters the river network. Very fine sediments (d < 10 µm) account for 28% of the total sedimentation rate and in the case of Oberaar, it can reach up to 46% of the total sedimentation rate. Under a climate warming scenario, both sediment yield and runoff are expected to increase in terms of the annual average throughout the XXIst century, which will likely lead to greater annual inputs of sediments to the reservoirs. This, in turn, will lead to a higher sedimentation rate and suspended sediment concentration in the reservoirs, unless active management of the sediment fluxes is implemented.

show abstract

The role of glacier retreat for Swiss hydropower production

Cited by 71 publications

References 39 publications

The compensating effect of glaciers: Characterizing the relation between interannual streamflow variability and glacier cover

The compensating effect of glaciers: Characterizing the relation between interannual streamflow variability and glacier cover

A Conceptual Framework to Classify and Manage Risk, Uncertainty and Ambiguity: An Application to Energy Policy

Multidecadal Sediment Balance Modelling of a Cascade of Alpine Reservoirs and Perspectives Based on Climate Warming

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About