---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: free access
_id: '22565'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Solutes in rivers often come from multiple sources, notably precipitation
    (above) and generation from the subsurface (below). The question of which source
    is more influential in shaping the dynamics of solute concentration cannot be
    easily addressed due to the general lack of input data. An analysis of solute
    concentrations and their dependence on discharge across 585 catchments in nine
    countries leads us to hypothesize that both the timing and the vertical distribution
    of the solute generation are important drivers of solute export dynamics at the
    catchment scale. We test this hypothesis running synthetic experiments with a
    tracer-aided distributed hydrological model. The results reveal that the depth
    of solute generation is the most important control of the concentration-discharge
    (C-Q) relation for a number of solutes. Such relation shows that C-Q patterns
    of solute export vary from dilution (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, and Cl−) to weakly enriching
    (dissolved organic carbon). The timing of the input imposes a signature on temporal
    dynamics, most evident for nutrients, and adds uncertainty in the exponent of
    the C-Q relation.
article_number: e2019WR026695
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: M.
  full_name: Botter, M.
  last_name: Botter
- first_name: L.
  full_name: Li, L.
  last_name: Li
- first_name: J.
  full_name: Hartmann, J.
  last_name: Hartmann
- first_name: P.
  full_name: Burlando, P.
  last_name: Burlando
- first_name: Simone
  full_name: Fatichi, Simone
  id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  last_name: Fatichi
citation:
  ama: Botter M, Li L, Hartmann J, Burlando P, Fatichi S. Depth of solute generation
    is a dominant control on concentration‐discharge relations. <i>Water Resources
    Research</i>. 2020;56(8). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695">10.1029/2019wr026695</a>
  apa: Botter, M., Li, L., Hartmann, J., Burlando, P., &#38; Fatichi, S. (2020). Depth
    of solute generation is a dominant control on concentration‐discharge relations.
    <i>Water Resources Research</i>. American Geophysical Union. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695">https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695</a>
  chicago: Botter, M., L. Li, J. Hartmann, P. Burlando, and Simone Fatichi. “Depth
    of Solute Generation Is a Dominant Control on Concentration‐discharge Relations.”
    <i>Water Resources Research</i>. American Geophysical Union, 2020. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695">https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695</a>.
  ieee: M. Botter, L. Li, J. Hartmann, P. Burlando, and S. Fatichi, “Depth of solute
    generation is a dominant control on concentration‐discharge relations,” <i>Water
    Resources Research</i>, vol. 56, no. 8. American Geophysical Union, 2020.
  ista: Botter M, Li L, Hartmann J, Burlando P, Fatichi S. 2020. Depth of solute generation
    is a dominant control on concentration‐discharge relations. Water Resources Research.
    56(8), e2019WR026695.
  mla: Botter, M., et al. “Depth of Solute Generation Is a Dominant Control on Concentration‐discharge
    Relations.” <i>Water Resources Research</i>, vol. 56, no. 8, e2019WR026695, American
    Geophysical Union, 2020, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695">10.1029/2019wr026695</a>.
  short: M. Botter, L. Li, J. Hartmann, P. Burlando, S. Fatichi, Water Resources Research
    56 (2020).
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2020-08-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-06T08:27:13Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1029/2019wr026695
extern: '1'
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026695
intvolume: '        56'
issue: '8'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026695
month: '08'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
publication: Water Resources Research
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1944-7973
  issn:
  - 0043-1397
publication_status: published
publisher: American Geophysical Union
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Depth of solute generation is a dominant control on concentration‐discharge
  relations
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 56
year: '2020'
...