Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.5194/hess-26-2649-2022
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) On the links between sub-seasonal clustering of extreme precipitation and high discharge in Switzerland and Europe
Author Tuel, A.; Schaefli, B.; Zscheischler, J. ORCID logo ; Martius, O.
Source Titel Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
Year 2022
Department CHS
Volume 26
Issue 10
Page From 2649
Page To 2669
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.151d3ec6
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7DF6PQS
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6563559
Abstract River discharge is impacted by the sub-seasonal (weekly to monthly) temporal structure of precipitation. One example is the successive occurrence of extreme precipitation events over sub-seasonal timescales, referred to as temporal clustering. Its potential effects on discharge have received little attention. Here, we address this topic by analysing discharge observations following extreme precipitation events either clustered in time or occurring in isolation. We rely on two sets of precipitation and discharge data, one centred on Switzerland and the other over Europe. We identify “clustered” extreme precipitation events based on the previous occurrence of another extreme precipitation within a given time window. We find that clustered events are generally followed by a more prolonged discharge response with a larger amplitude. The probability of exceeding the 95th discharge percentile in 5 d following an extreme precipitation event is in particular up to twice as high for situations where another extreme precipitation event occurred in the preceding week compared to isolated extreme precipitation events. The influence of temporal clustering on discharge decreases as the clustering window increases; beyond 6–8 weeks the difference in discharge response with non-clustered events is negligible. Catchment area, streamflow regime and precipitation magnitude also modulate the response. The impact of clustering is generally smaller in snow-dominated and large catchments. Additionally, particularly persistent periods of high discharge tend to occur in conjunction with temporal clusters of precipitation extremes.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26215
Tuel, A., Schaefli, B., Zscheischler, J., Martius, O. (2022):
On the links between sub-seasonal clustering of extreme precipitation and high discharge in Switzerland and Europe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 26 (10), 2649 - 2669 10.5194/hess-26-2649-2022