Rainfall can travel from mountain slopes to rivers far faster than expected in mountain catchments

Tsukuba, Japan—In steep mountainous regions with large elevation differences, such as the Japanese Alps, rainfall can trigger substantial runoff and sediment transport. Improving disaster prevention and supporting sustainable land management in these regions require a better understanding of how rainfall generates river runoff under such conditions. However, hydrological monitoring in these environments is challenging because intense water flow and sediment movement can damage monitoring equipment and restrict access to observation sites. Consequently, direct field observations in high-relief, meso-scale catchments (1-10 km²) remain scarce worldwide.

In this study, the researchers continuously monitored river water levels at seven sites and precipitation in the University of Tsukuba's Ikawa Forest in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, for approximately 1.5 years. The study catchments ranged from approximately 1 to 10 km² and were located within a tributary basin of the Oi River, an area characterized by steep, rugged terrain. By analyzing rainfall and subsequent river responses across 65 rainfall events, the researchers found that rainfall-related effects could propagate across mountain slopes to rivers in as little as 160 min in some events, even across mountain slopes exceeding 500 m in length. These findings indicate that rapid hydrological responses can occur even in high-relief mountain catchments. The results could improve understanding and prediction of floods and sediment-related hazards in steep mountainous regions.

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This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grant/Award Numbers: JP19H02989, JP20H03019, JP23K26939.

_{Original Paper}

Title of original paper:
Hillslope lag times for flood runoff are extremely short in high-relief meso-scale catchments

Journal:
Journal of Hydrology

DOI:
10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136369

_{Correspondence}

Junior Assistant Professor HAJIKA, Takafumi
Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba

_{Related Link}

Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences