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Geomorphological and geological controls on storage-discharge functions of Alpine landscapes: evidence from streamflow analysis in the Swiss Alps and perspectives for the Critical Zone Community
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  • Clément Roques,
  • Sibylle Lacroix,
  • Kerry Leith,
  • Laurent Longuevergne,
  • Sarah Leray,
  • Elisabeth R Jachens,
  • David E. Rupp,
  • Jean-Raynald DeDreuzy,
  • Nicolas Cornette,
  • Larissa Barbara de Palezieux,
  • Nicolas Oestreicher,
  • Alexandre Boisson,
  • Gordon E Grant,
  • John Steven Selker
Clément Roques
ETH Zurich

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Sibylle Lacroix
ETH Zürich
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Kerry Leith
ETH Zurich
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Laurent Longuevergne
CNRS - Université Rennes 1
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Sarah Leray
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
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Elisabeth R Jachens
Oregon State University
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David E. Rupp
Oregon State University
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Jean-Raynald DeDreuzy
Geosciences Rennes, University Rennes 1
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Nicolas Cornette
Géosciences Rennes
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Larissa Barbara de Palezieux
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
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Nicolas Oestreicher
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
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Alexandre Boisson
Unknown
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Gordon E Grant
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
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John Steven Selker
Oregon State University
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Abstract

Predicting the impact of changing climate and anthropogenic influences on stream discharge dynamics and baseflow conditions requires insight into the main factors that regulate storage and transfer of water from hillslope aquifers to surface streams. Classically, it is assumed that above a certain scale, hydrological laws involved at small-scale can be simplified, allowing the representation of the landscape and its subsurface in models as a homogeneous hillslope with effective slope, length and hydraulic properties. From a comprehensive analysis of hydrological, geological and geomorphological databases available in the Swiss Alps we provide evidence that such simplification might lead to inaccurate estimates of streamflow dynamics at baseflow. We reveal that recession behavior strongly deviates from that predicted by idealized homogeneous theories. A correlation analysis allows us to identify which key features of the landscape might control this deviation, with particular attention to slope, drainage density, depth to bedrock, and lithology as the main drivers. We summarize the current knowledge of physical mechanisms that could lead to complex hydrological behavior in Alpine contexts, and we finally discuss implications in defining modeling strategies for the Critical Zone community.