---
OA_type: closed access
_id: '22521'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "A fully distributed hydrological analysis at scales significant for water
    management for present-day, and\r\nprojected future climate conditions is presented
    for a catchment in the Alps. We selected the upper Rhone\r\nbasin (Switzerland)
    as a test case for understanding anthropogenic impacts including climate change
    on\r\nwater resources and flood risk in the Alpine area. The upper Rhone basin
    contains reservoirs, river diversions and irrigated areas offering the opportunity
    to study the interaction between climate change effects\r\nand hydraulic infrastructure.
    Anthropogenic disturbances of the flow regime were implemented in detail\r\nin
    the hydrological analysis. We downscaled climate model realizations using a methodology
    that\r\naccounts for the uncertainty in climate change projections related to
    the stochastic variability of precipitation and air temperature. We showed how
    climate change effects on streamflow propagate from high\r\nelevation headwater
    catchments to the river in the main valley by analyzing changes in several hydrological
    metrics and at various temporal scales across 297 control sections. Changes in
    the natural hydrological regime imposed by the existing hydraulic infrastructure
    are likely larger than climate change\r\nsignals expected by the middle of the
    21st century in most of the river network. Despite a strong uncertainty induced
    by stochastic climate variability, we identified an elevational dependence of
    climate\r\nchange impacts with a severe reduction in streamflow due to the missing
    contribution of water from\r\nice melt at high-elevation and a dampened effect
    downstream. Reduced ice cover and ice melt are likely\r\nto have significant implications
    for hydropower production. The impacts can emerge without any additional climate
    warming. A decrease of August–September discharge and an increase of hourly and
    daily\r\nmaximum flows appear as plausible projected change for the most part
    of the catchment. However, it is\r\nunlikely that major changes in total runoff
    for the entire upper Rhone basin will occur in the next four\r\ndecades."
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Simone
  full_name: Fatichi, Simone
  id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  last_name: Fatichi
- first_name: S.
  full_name: Rimkus, S.
  last_name: Rimkus
- first_name: P.
  full_name: Burlando, P.
  last_name: Burlando
- first_name: R.
  full_name: Bordoy, R.
  last_name: Bordoy
- first_name: P.
  full_name: Molnar, P.
  last_name: Molnar
citation:
  ama: Fatichi S, Rimkus S, Burlando P, Bordoy R, Molnar P. High-resolution distributed
    analysis of climate and anthropogenic changes on the hydrology of an Alpine catchment.
    <i>Journal of Hydrology</i>. 2015;525:362-382. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036">10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036</a>
  apa: Fatichi, S., Rimkus, S., Burlando, P., Bordoy, R., &#38; Molnar, P. (2015).
    High-resolution distributed analysis of climate and anthropogenic changes on the
    hydrology of an Alpine catchment. <i>Journal of Hydrology</i>. Elsevier. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036</a>
  chicago: Fatichi, Simone, S. Rimkus, P. Burlando, R. Bordoy, and P. Molnar. “High-Resolution
    Distributed Analysis of Climate and Anthropogenic Changes on the Hydrology of
    an Alpine Catchment.” <i>Journal of Hydrology</i>. Elsevier, 2015. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036</a>.
  ieee: S. Fatichi, S. Rimkus, P. Burlando, R. Bordoy, and P. Molnar, “High-resolution
    distributed analysis of climate and anthropogenic changes on the hydrology of
    an Alpine catchment,” <i>Journal of Hydrology</i>, vol. 525. Elsevier, pp. 362–382,
    2015.
  ista: Fatichi S, Rimkus S, Burlando P, Bordoy R, Molnar P. 2015. High-resolution
    distributed analysis of climate and anthropogenic changes on the hydrology of
    an Alpine catchment. Journal of Hydrology. 525, 362–382.
  mla: Fatichi, Simone, et al. “High-Resolution Distributed Analysis of Climate and
    Anthropogenic Changes on the Hydrology of an Alpine Catchment.” <i>Journal of
    Hydrology</i>, vol. 525, Elsevier, 2015, pp. 362–82, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036">10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036</a>.
  short: S. Fatichi, S. Rimkus, P. Burlando, R. Bordoy, P. Molnar, Journal of Hydrology
    525 (2015) 362–382.
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2015-06-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-06T08:04:28Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.03.036
extern: '1'
intvolume: '       525'
keyword:
- Climate change
- Water resources
- Stochastic approaches
- Ice melt
- Alps
- Hydrological modeling
language:
- iso: eng
month: '06'
oa_version: None
page: 362-382
publication: Journal of Hydrology
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1879-2707
  issn:
  - 0022-1694
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: High-resolution distributed analysis of climate and anthropogenic changes on
  the hydrology of an Alpine catchment
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 525
year: '2015'
...