An Austrian-Swiss research team has analyzed how long it takes from the moment water rains until it flows into the Alpine rivers.
According to the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Boku), in the 32 areas studied, the proportion of water older than one month is about 93 percent. This “old water paradox” once again shows how important natural reservoirs are.
32 river basins in the Alpine region
The focus was on a total of 32 river basins in the Alpine region. From Austria, long-term isotope data were obtained from the Danube (Hainburg, Engelhartszell and Vienna-Nußdorf), the Drau (Neubrücke), the Leitha near Brodersdorf, the March near Angern, the Inn (Schärding and Kirchbichl), the Salzach near Salzburg, etc. The Mur near Hügel as well as the Ill near Gisingen and the Rhine near Lustenau are included.
The analysis in the journal “Hydrology and Earth System Sciences” distinguishes between “new water” (younger than a month) and “young water” (two to three months old) in Alpine rivers. The share of new water in the discharge is low at 3.5 to 9.6 percent, while new water occurs about twice as often.
However, most of the water in these rivers is older and comes from underground storages. This old water is displaced and released by new precipitation or meltwater. The study highlights the importance of soil and groundwater storage in mitigating floods threatened by soil sealing.
Source: Krone
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