Flood patterns in a catchment with mixed bedrock geology and a hilly landscape: identification of flashy runoff contributions during storm events

Abstract

With flash flood events having been repeatedly observed in Central and Western Europe in recent years, there is a growing interest in how catchment physiographic properties and hydrological conditions are eventually controlling rapid and concentrated hydrological responses. Here we focus on a set of two nested catchments in Luxembourg (Europe) that have been exposed in 2016 and 2018 to flash flood events and study their seasonal runoff time transfer distributions. Both catchments are of similar size (∼ 30 km2) and have analogous hydrological distance distributions, but their geological bedrock and landscape features are notably different. The upper catchment (KOE) is dominated by a low land area (38 % of the catchment is located less than 30 m above the river network) consisting of variegated marly bedrock (middle Keuper Km3) and moderately steep Luxembourg sandstone outcrops (lower Liassic Li2). The lower catchment (HM) has its drainage network deeply cut into the Luxembourg sandstone, with half of it being covered by marly plateaus (Lower Liassic Li3, located between 80 and 100 m above the river network) featuring heavy clay soil. Based on data generated from a dedicated hydro-meteorological monitoring network, we calculated for 40 rainfall–runoff events observed between August 2019 and July 2021 the corresponding net rainfall transfer time distributions (TTDs) from the hillslopes to the catchment outlet. We then compared the TTD properties and related them to the catchment's hydrological state and rainfall properties. We observed a marked seasonality in TTDs for both catchments. The KOE catchment reacts fastest during the winter period (December–February), while its response time is most delayed and spread out during periods of catchment recharging (October–November) and drying (March–May). The HM catchment exhibits similar TTDs during the mid-October to mid-April period, but they diverge markedly during the remaining part of the year, with opposite variations. During the mid-April to mid-October period, the average response time increases progressively in the KOE catchment. This behavior is in stark contrast to the HM catchment, where response times are significantly shorter (peak discharge delay time decreases by −70 % ± 28 %) and more concentrated (runoff volume occurring in 1 h increases by +48 % ± 87 %) during the mid-April to mid-October, in comparison to the extended winter period. This opposite seasonality leads us to consider different control factors of the runoff transfer processes in relation with the topographic and geological layout of the catchment areas. In the KOE catchment, we found the TTD to be essentially driven by onset and cessation of hydrological connectivity on the flat marly terrain – the latter operating like a variable contributing area in terms of deep soil storage dynamics (except for one summer event). The HM section exhibits contrasted TTDs throughout the year, suggesting threshold-dependent hydrological processes. More specifically, particularly quick runoff transfers seem to dominate under dry conditions (mid-April to mid-October). Correlation analyses compared to the literature on runoff generation on the one hand and our descriptive knowledge of the catchments on the other hand suggest multiple causes for the triggering of these rapid flows. The fractured marly plateaus, but also the hydrophobic forest litter forming during dry conditions on steep slopes, stand as our main hypotheses in this respect. Moreover, the absence of a riparian zone, preventing any dampening of (observed) abrupt and massive flows during extreme precipitation events, also seems to be a key feature of the rapid runoff transfer. For improving our understanding and forecasting capabilities in Luxembourg (and more broadly in the nearby regions of Germany, Belgium, and France with similar physiographic and climate conditions), we recommend further studies focusing on catchments with fractured bedrock and limited riparian zones. Special attention may equally be given to the hypothesized responses of hydrophobic soil surfaces on steep hillslopes and marly soils to heavy precipitation events occurring after extended dry spells.