Estimation of baseflow residence times in watersheds from the runoff hydrograph recession: method and application in the Neversink watershed, Catskill Mountains, New York

A method for estimation of mean baseflow residence time in watersheds from hydrograph runoff recession characteristics was developed. Runoff recession characteristics were computed for the period 1993–96 in the 2 km2 Winnisook watershed, Catskill Mountains, southeastern New York, and were used to derive mean values of subsurface hydraulic conductivity and the storage coefficient. These values were then used to estimate the mean baseflow residence time from an expression of the soil contact time, based on watershed soil and topographic characteristics. For comparison, mean baseflow residence times were calculated for the same period of time through the traditional convolution integral approach, which relates rainfall d18O to d18O values in streamflow. Our computed mean baseflow residence time was 9 months by both methods. These results indicate that baseflow residence time can be calculated accurately using recession analysis, and the method is less expensive than using environmental and/or artificial tracers. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.