Impact of climate and NDVI changes on catchment storage–discharge dynamics in southern Taiwan

Abstract

This study used streamflow recession analysis to assess the changes in the groundwater–streamflow relationships using streamflow data. The groundwater response to climate and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) changes was considered as a variable in the recession analysis. The integrated impact could thus be compared to assess the consistency of these effects on the catchment discharge processes. The results showed that the recession characteristics is linked to regional topography and streamflow condition. Variation of storage–discharge sensitivities in most catchments was not linked to the variation of groundwater due to the lower capacity of groundwater contribution. The quantified impacts aided in assessing the relationship between climate, land cover, groundwater storage and discharge. This study provides a simple explanation of effects of environmental coevolution on storage–discharge processes.