Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments

Matthias Sprenger; Rosemary W.H. Carroll; James Dennedy-Frank; Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn; Michelle E. Newcomer; Wendy Brown; Alexander Newman; Curtis Beutler; Markus Bill; Susan S. Hubbard; Kenneth H. Williams

doi:10.1029/2022GL099324

Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments

Matthias Sprenger, Rosemary W.H. Carroll, James Dennedy-Frank, Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn, Michelle E. Newcomer, Wendy Brown, Alexander Newman, Curtis Beutler, Markus Bill, Susan S. Hubbard, Kenneth H. Williams

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24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Understanding the partitioning of snow and rain contributing to either catchment streamflow or evapotranspiration (ET) is of critical relevance for water management in response to climate change. To investigate this partitioning, we use endmember splitting and mixing analyses based on stable isotope (¹⁸O) data from nine headwater catchments in the East River, Colorado. Our results show that one third of the snow partitions to ET and 13% of the snowmelt sustains summer streamflow. Only 8% of the rainfall contributes to the summer streamflow, because most of the rain (67%) partitions to ET. The spatial variability of precipitation partitioning is mainly driven by aspect and tree cover across the sub-catchments. Catchments with higher tree cover have a higher share of snow becoming ET, resulting in less snow in summer streamflow. Summer streamflow did not contain more rain with higher rainfall sums, but more rain was taken up in ET.

Original language	English
Article number	e2022GL099324
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	49
Issue number	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099324
State	Published - Jul 16 2022

Funding

This work was supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Science under contract DE‐AC02‐05CH11231 as part of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Watershed Function Science Focus Area. We would like to express appreciation to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory for handling US Forest Service permitting.

Keywords

catchment hydrology
evapotranspiration
isotope hydrology
mountainous hydrology
precipitation partitioning
snow

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10.1029/2022GL099324

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Sprenger, M., Carroll, R. W. H., Dennedy-Frank, J., Siirila-Woodburn, E. R., Newcomer, M. E., Brown, W., Newman, A., Beutler, C., Bill, M., Hubbard, S. S., & Williams, K. H. (2022). Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments. Geophysical Research Letters, 49(13), Article e2022GL099324. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099324

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title = "Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments",

abstract = "Understanding the partitioning of snow and rain contributing to either catchment streamflow or evapotranspiration (ET) is of critical relevance for water management in response to climate change. To investigate this partitioning, we use endmember splitting and mixing analyses based on stable isotope (18O) data from nine headwater catchments in the East River, Colorado. Our results show that one third of the snow partitions to ET and 13% of the snowmelt sustains summer streamflow. Only 8% of the rainfall contributes to the summer streamflow, because most of the rain (67%) partitions to ET. The spatial variability of precipitation partitioning is mainly driven by aspect and tree cover across the sub-catchments. Catchments with higher tree cover have a higher share of snow becoming ET, resulting in less snow in summer streamflow. Summer streamflow did not contain more rain with higher rainfall sums, but more rain was taken up in ET.",

keywords = "catchment hydrology, evapotranspiration, isotope hydrology, mountainous hydrology, precipitation partitioning, snow",

author = "Matthias Sprenger and Carroll, {Rosemary W.H.} and James Dennedy-Frank and Siirila-Woodburn, {Erica R.} and Newcomer, {Michelle E.} and Wendy Brown and Alexander Newman and Curtis Beutler and Markus Bill and Hubbard, {Susan S.} and Williams, {Kenneth H.}",

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Sprenger, M, Carroll, RWH, Dennedy-Frank, J, Siirila-Woodburn, ER, Newcomer, ME, Brown, W, Newman, A, Beutler, C, Bill, M, Hubbard, SS & Williams, KH 2022, 'Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 49, no. 13, e2022GL099324. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099324

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T1 - Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments

AU - Sprenger, Matthias

AU - Carroll, Rosemary W.H.

AU - Dennedy-Frank, James

AU - Siirila-Woodburn, Erica R.

AU - Newcomer, Michelle E.

AU - Brown, Wendy

AU - Newman, Alexander

AU - Beutler, Curtis

AU - Bill, Markus

AU - Hubbard, Susan S.

AU - Williams, Kenneth H.

PY - 2022/7/16

Y1 - 2022/7/16

N2 - Understanding the partitioning of snow and rain contributing to either catchment streamflow or evapotranspiration (ET) is of critical relevance for water management in response to climate change. To investigate this partitioning, we use endmember splitting and mixing analyses based on stable isotope (18O) data from nine headwater catchments in the East River, Colorado. Our results show that one third of the snow partitions to ET and 13% of the snowmelt sustains summer streamflow. Only 8% of the rainfall contributes to the summer streamflow, because most of the rain (67%) partitions to ET. The spatial variability of precipitation partitioning is mainly driven by aspect and tree cover across the sub-catchments. Catchments with higher tree cover have a higher share of snow becoming ET, resulting in less snow in summer streamflow. Summer streamflow did not contain more rain with higher rainfall sums, but more rain was taken up in ET.

AB - Understanding the partitioning of snow and rain contributing to either catchment streamflow or evapotranspiration (ET) is of critical relevance for water management in response to climate change. To investigate this partitioning, we use endmember splitting and mixing analyses based on stable isotope (18O) data from nine headwater catchments in the East River, Colorado. Our results show that one third of the snow partitions to ET and 13% of the snowmelt sustains summer streamflow. Only 8% of the rainfall contributes to the summer streamflow, because most of the rain (67%) partitions to ET. The spatial variability of precipitation partitioning is mainly driven by aspect and tree cover across the sub-catchments. Catchments with higher tree cover have a higher share of snow becoming ET, resulting in less snow in summer streamflow. Summer streamflow did not contain more rain with higher rainfall sums, but more rain was taken up in ET.

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Variability of Snow and Rainfall Partitioning Into Evapotranspiration and Summer Runoff Across Nine Mountainous Catchments

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