Huang et al. (2026) Trends in the frequency and duration of high flow events across climates

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-10-01
• Authors: Amee Huang, Mercy Gijima, Caleb Dykman, Rory Nathan, Conrad Wasko
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136542

Research Groups

• School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney
• School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales
• Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne

Short Summary

This study investigates the trend in the frequency and duration of high flow events across climates, using a dataset of 476 long record streamflow gauging stations across Australia. The results show that, across most arid and temperate regions, the frequency of high flow events has decreased and their duration shortened.

Objective

• Investigate the trend in the frequency and duration of high flow events across climates.
• Understand the impact of climate change on catchment flow response.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental scale (Australia)
• Temporal Scale: Long-term records (1950-2022)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Poisson regression, linear regression, hydroEvents R package.
• Data sources: Australian Bureau of Meteorology Hydrologic Reference Station (HRS) network.

Main Results

• Across most arid and temperate regions, the frequency of high flow events has decreased by 10-30% per decade.
• The duration of high flow events has shortened in these regions.
• In the tropics, there have been increases in the frequency of high flow events.
• Changes in the frequency of high flow events vary with rarity.

Contributions

• This study provides evidence that climate change is impacting both streamflow magnitude and frequency.
• The results have significant implications for water supply, floodplain management, and ecological systems.

Funding

• Australian Research Council (ARC) funding for research projects.
• National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) funding.

Citation

@article{Huang2026Trends,
  author = {Huang, Amee and Gijima, Mercy and Dykman, Caleb and Nathan, Rory and Wasko, Conrad},
  title = {Trends in the frequency and duration of high flow events across climates},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136542},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136542}
}