Water Wheel September/October 2024

Abstract

NEWS New isotope hydrology technique reveals secrets of river flow In rivers with high dynamic retention, water moves through the catchment slowly, indicating a slower response to hydroclimate events. The study further attributed these indicators to key factors such as land cover (e.g. crop and forest cover) and climate (such as air temperature and precipitation). In the case of the African rivers, all three had low dynamic water retention capability, implying that they will be more susceptible to hydrological extremes like droughts and floods, Dr Watson explains. Rivers flow long after rain has fallen and can flow far from the origin of the rain and snow that supplies rivers with water. This is because rain and melted snow can follow a complex path through a catchment, over the surface, or via storage in the soil or even deeper in aquifers. Water is also evaporated or transpired by plant roots. The fractions of all these varies from river to river and these fractions can be used to predict how a river will respond to changing conditions.

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