Khan et al. (2026) Why Does Runoff From Some Catchments Not Recover After a Prolonged Drought?

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-01
• Authors: Zaved Khan, Robertson, David, 1935-, Francis H. S. Chiew, Jorge Luis Peña-Arancibia
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70632

Research Groups

• University of Melbourne, School of Earth Sciences
• Monash University, School of Civil Engineering
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Short Summary

This study investigates hydrological non-stationarity in Victoria, Australia, using a modelling experiment with observed hydroclimate and remotely sensed data. The results show that most catchments exhibit reduced streamflow generation during and after the 1997–2009 Millennium drought.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of the Millennium drought on hydrological regimes across Victoria, Australia

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: State-wide analysis of 120 catchments in Victoria, Australia
• Temporal Scale: 1982–2020 time period, with a focus on the 1997–2009 Millennium drought

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Rainfall-runoff models that consider multi-year lags in rainfall and improvements in actual evapotranspiration (AET) conceptualisation
• Data sources: Remotely sensed data, observed hydroclimate data from 120 catchments

Main Results

• Hydrological non-stationarity is widespread across Victoria, with reduced streamflow generation during and after the Millennium drought
• The greening trend in Victoria has been partly stalled during the Millennium drought, leading to higher AET and lower streamflow
• North-West Victoria exhibits more significant hydrological non-stationarity, with an 80% reduction in mean annual streamflow

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the impact of the Millennium drought on hydrological regimes across Victoria, Australia
• The results highlight the importance of considering multi-year lags in rainfall and improving AET conceptualisation in rainfall-runoff models

Funding

• Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project DP180100932
• Victorian Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
• Monash University Faculty of Engineering Research Fund

Citation

@article{Khan2026Why,
  author = {Khan, Zaved and Robertson, David, 1935- and Chiew, Francis H. S. and Peña-Arancibia, Jorge Luis},
  title = {Why Does Runoff From Some Catchments Not Recover After a Prolonged Drought?},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70632},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70632}
}