Rispal et al. (2026) Impact of seasonal snow on the recharge of a mountain karst aquifer under climate change: the Dévoluy case study (Southern Alps, France)

Identification

• Journal: Hydrology and earth system sciences
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-27
• Authors: Nathan Rispal, Bruno Arfib, Philippe Audra, Pierre Henry, Benoît Viguier, Alexandre Zappelli, Ludovic Mocochain, Marianna Jagercikova, Christine Vallet‐Coulomb, Hélène Miche, Laurent Cadilhac, Vianney Sivelle, Olivier Delestre
• DOI: 10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026

Research Groups

• Univ. Côte d’Azur, Polytech’Lab- UPR 7498, Sophia-Antipolis, France
• Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France
• Géoazur, Univ. Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, IRD, Valbonne, France
• Agence de l’Eau Rhône Méditerranée et Corse, Lyon, France
• HSM, Université de Montpellier, IRD, INSU,CNRS, Montpellier, France
• Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LJAD, France

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of seasonal snow on the recharge of a mountain karst aquifer under climate change using the KarstMod platform. The results show that accounting for snow processes is essential to reproduce observed discharge dynamics in karst environments.

Objective

• Investigate how snow controls recharge and how spring discharge may respond to rising temperatures in a mid-altitude karst system.
• Assess the role of seasonal snow in regulating recharge in mid-altitude karst aquifers under climate change scenarios.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Mid-altitude mountainous region (Dévoluy massif, Southern French Alps)
• Temporal Scale: Daily to annual time scale

Methodology and Data

• Models used: KarstMod V3 platform with a snow routine based on degree-day approach
• Data sources: SAFRAN reanalysis data for precipitation and temperature, in-situ meteorological station data, and karst groundwater discharge measurements at the Gillardes Spring.

Main Results

• Accounting for snow processes is essential to reproduce observed discharge dynamics in karst environments.
• Snow accumulation and melting play a dominant role in controlling both flow timing and magnitude in karst environments.
• Simulated winter flows increase under +2 and +4 °C warming scenarios, resulting in earlier and more severe summer low-flow periods.

Contributions

• This study highlights the critical role of seasonal snow in regulating recharge in mid-altitude karst aquifers under climate change scenarios.
• The results demonstrate that ongoing warming will substantially reduce summer water availability in mountain regions.

Funding

• This research was funded by [project/program name and reference code, e.g., "French National Research Agency (ANR)" and "grant number: ANR-2020-..." ].

Citation

@article{Rispal2026Impact,
  author = {Rispal, Nathan and Arfib, Bruno and Audra, Philippe and Henry, Pierre and Viguier, Benoît and Zappelli, Alexandre and Mocochain, Ludovic and Jagercikova, Marianna and Vallet‐Coulomb, Christine and Miche, Hélène and Cadilhac, Laurent and Sivelle, Vianney and Delestre, Olivier},
  title = {Impact of seasonal snow on the recharge of a mountain karst aquifer under climate change: the Dévoluy case study (Southern Alps, France)},
  journal = {Hydrology and earth system sciences},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4699-2026}
}