Landscape structures regulate the contrasting response of recession along rainfall amounts

Abstract

Streamflow recession, shaped by hydrological processes, runoff dynamics, and catchment storage, is heavily influenced by landscape structure and rainstorm characteristics. However, our understanding of how recession relates to landscape structure and rainstorm characteristics remains inconsistent, with limited research examining their combined impact. This study examines this interplay in shaping recession responses upon 291 sets of recession parameters obtained through the decorrelation process. The data originate from 19 subtropical mountainous rivers and cover events with a wide spectrum of rainfall amounts. Key findings indicate that the recession coefficient (a) increases while the exponent (b) decreases with the L/G ratio (the median of ratios between flow-path length and gradient), suggesting that longer and gentler hillslopes facilitate flow accumulation and aquifer connectivity, ultimately reducing nonlinearity. Additionally, in large catchments, the exponent (b) increases with increasing rainfall due to greater landscape heterogeneity. Conversely, in small catchments, it declines with rainfall, indicating that these catchments have less landscape heterogeneity and thus reduced runoff heterogeneity. Our findings underscore the necessity for further validation of how L/G and drainage area regulate recession responses to varying rainfall levels across diverse regions.