XUE et al. (2026) Drivers of Runoff Sensitivity in the Rivers of Great Britain

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

Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-01
• Authors: PEI XUE, Dominick Vincent Spracklen, Joseph Holden
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70696

Research Groups

• University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences
• University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Short Summary

This study investigates the runoff sensitivity of 547 watersheds in Great Britain using a generalized additive model approach, revealing strong spatial and temporal variability in response to changes in driving factors.

Objective

• Investigate the magnitude of seasonal or annual river discharge change in response to changes in climate, terrain, soils, and land use in Great Britain

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Watersheds across Great Britain (GB)
• Temporal Scale: 2000-2015 period

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Generalized additive models (GAMs) for quantifying driver influence
• Data sources: Daily discharge data from 547 watersheds, climate, terrain, soils, and land use datasets

Main Results

• Strong spatial variability in runoff sensitivity across GB, with higher sensitivity in central-east Scotland, southwest Scotland, and southern England
• Relative runoff sensitivity is elevated in northwest Scotland and southwest England
• Key drivers of annual runoff sensitivity include evergreen woodland cover, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, and mean daily potential evapotranspiration (PET)
• Seasonal sensitivity is shaped by varying combinations of PET, temperature, precipitation, evergreen woodland cover, and terrain slope

Contributions

• Provides a basis for identifying the most important influencers of riverflow change in different regional settings in GB
• Supports evidence-based catchment management and water resources planning under changing environmental conditions

Funding

• NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) funded this research through grants [NERC Grant Number 1, NERC Grant Number 2]

Citation

@article{XUE2026Drivers,
  author = {XUE, PEI and Spracklen, Dominick Vincent and Holden, Joseph},
  title = {Drivers of Runoff Sensitivity in the Rivers of Great Britain},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70696},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70696}
}