Observed shift towards earlier spring discharge in the main Alpine rivers
Abstract
In this study, we analyse the observed long-term discharge time-series of the Rhine, the Danube, the Rhone and the Po rivers. These rivers are characterised by different seasonal cycles reflecting the diverse climates and morphologies of the Alpine basins. However, despite the intensive and varied water management adopted in the four basins, we found common features in the trend and low-frequency variability of the spring discharge timings. All the discharge time-series display a tendency towards earlier spring peaks of more than two weeks per century. These results can be explained in terms of snowmelt, total precipitation (i.e. the sum of snowfall and rainfall) and rainfall variability. The relative importance of these factors might be different in each basin. However, we show that the change of seasonality of total precipitation plays a major role in the earlier spring runoff over most of the Alps.
- Publication:
-
Science of the Total Environment
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2015ScTEn.503..222Z
- Keywords:
-
- RHI-BASL;
- Rhine River in Basel;
- DAN-BRAT;
- Danube River in Bratislava;
- RHO-BEAU;
- Rhone River in Beaucaire;
- PO-PLSC;
- Po River in Pontelagoscuro;
- GRDC;
- Global Runoff Data Center;
- HISTALP;
- historical instrumental climatological surface time series of the Greater Alpine Region;
- CRU;
- Climate Research Unit data;
- GRanD;
- Global Reservoir and Dam database;
- DJF;
- winter (December;
- January and February);
- MAM;
- spring (March;
- April and June);
- MAM-DJF;
- spring minus winter;
- Mountain hydrology;
- Spring;
- Snowmelt;
- River discharge;
- Precipitation seasonality;
- Water management