Barrientos et al. (2025) Dynamic Water Storage Response During Meteorological Droughts in South‐Central Chile

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-01
• Authors: Guillermo Barrientos, Rafael Rubilar, Efraín Duarte, Paul Sandoval‐Quilondrán, Mauricio Aguayo
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70335

Research Groups

Not explicitly mentioned in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study investigates the spatiotemporal patterns of dynamic water storage during 13 extreme drought events across 43 watersheds in south-central Chile (1980–2020), revealing its rapid response to precipitation and decline during dry periods, with lower storage maxima linked to drier conditions and specific catchment characteristics.

Objective

• What are the spatiotemporal patterns of dynamic water storage during 13 extreme drought events?
• How do these patterns correlate with specific hydroclimatic and physiographic characteristics?

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 43 watersheds in south-central Chile
• Temporal Scale: 1980–2020 (40 years), focusing on 13 extreme drought events

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Water-balance approach
• Data sources: Derived from water-balance calculations; specific input data sources (e.g., precipitation, evapotranspiration, streamflow) not detailed in abstract. Hydroclimatic indices used include Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI).

Main Results

• Dynamic water storage responds rapidly to precipitation, with maximum values ranging from 17 mm to 632 mm.
• Storage declines to negative values during dry periods, with an average initial reduction of 51 mm during droughts.
• On average, storage peaks were observed 126 days after the onset of precipitation.
• Lower storage maxima are associated with drier climatic conditions (negative SPI and PDSI values), increased numbers of consecutive dry days in both summer and winter, and catchment characteristics such as higher elevation, steeper slopes, and higher flow velocities.
• Seasonal shifts in storage, with accumulation at the beginning of the wet season and a rapid decline to negative values at the end of the dry season, reflect periods of water connectivity and disconnection.
• The disconnection period is interpreted as one where surface water levels decrease due to the absence of precipitation and increased evapotranspiration rates.

Contributions

• Provides critical insights into the spatiotemporal patterns of dynamic water storage during extreme drought events across multiple watersheds.
• Establishes correlations between dynamic water storage patterns and specific hydroclimatic and physiographic characteristics.
• Offers valuable insights for hydrological modelling and drought mitigation strategies.
• Highlights the vulnerability of watersheds to extreme climatic events through the concept of water connectivity and disconnection.

Funding

Not mentioned in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Barrientos2025Dynamic,
  author = {Barrientos, Guillermo and Rubilar, Rafael and Duarte, Efraín and Sandoval‐Quilondrán, Paul and Aguayo, Mauricio},
  title = {Dynamic Water Storage Response During Meteorological Droughts in South‐Central Chile},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70335},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70335}
}