Masten et al. (2026) Climate change impacts on alpine springs in Austria: shifts in discharge seasonality and water availability

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-03
• Authors: Martin Masten, Magdalena Seelig, Simon Seelig, Matevž Vremec, Thomas Wagner, Maria Obwegs, Matthias Hausleber, Jutta Eybl, Gerfried Winkler
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136337

Research Groups

• Department of Earth Sciences, NAWI Graz Geocenter, University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse 26, 8010 Graz, Austria
• Department of AI and Digital Technologies, Alma Mater Europaea University, Slovenska ulica 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
• Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria

Short Summary

This study assesses climate change impacts on 70 alpine springs across the Austrian Alps, covering a wide range of climatic and hydrogeological settings. The results indicate decreasing spring discharge in western Austria under all scenarios and periods.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of climate change on alpine springs distributed across the Austrian Alps.
• Assess changes in annual discharge, seasonal behavior, and the timing of low-flow conditions (Q7min) for each spring group.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The study focuses on 70 alpine springs across the Austrian Alps, covering a wide range of climatic and hydrogeological settings.
• Temporal Scale: The analysis is conducted over three time periods: a reference period (1980–2009), a near-future period (2030–2059), and a far-future period (2070–2099).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: A rainfall-runoff model coupled with a snow module, combining the GR4J and CemaNeige models.
• Data sources: Gridded meteorological input data from GeoSphere Austria, daily precipitation and air temperature from the SPARTACUS dataset, and potential evapotranspiration from the Austrian Reference Evapotranspiration dataset.

Main Results

• Projected changes in annual discharge remain within a relatively narrow range of approximately −5% to + 5%.
• Distinct differences in response patterns emerge between the spring groups.
• Seasonal shifts are pronounced, with increased winter and reduced summer and autumn discharge for snow-dominated springs.
• Low flows shift from late winter and early spring toward summer and autumn.

Contributions

• This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of climate change impacts on alpine springs across the Austrian Alps.
• The results highlight the importance of considering regional patterns in projected changes and the need to account for differences in response among various spring groups.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Masten2026Climate,
  author = {Masten, Martin and Seelig, Magdalena and Seelig, Simon and Vremec, Matevž and Wagner, Thomas and Obwegs, Maria and Hausleber, Matthias and Eybl, Jutta and Winkler, Gerfried},
  title = {Climate change impacts on alpine springs in Austria: shifts in discharge seasonality and water availability},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136337},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136337}
}