Baseflow in karst regions is significantly higher than the global average and exhibits spatial variability
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: . The distinct hydrogeological configurations of karst terrains engender fundamentally divergent baseflow regimes compared with non-karst systems. However, there is still some uncertainty in the understanding of baseflow in global karst regions due to the variability of methods and differences in natural conditions in different regions. In this study, runoff data from 1375 karst basins around the world were summarized, and graphical and digital filtering methods were used to estimate baseflow in global karst regions and to analyze their spatial differences and trends. The results show that the baseflow index of global karst areas is about 78±6.9 %, which is significantly higher than the global average baseflow index (60 %). The baseflow index of karst regions in different climatic zones also differed significantly, in which the average baseflow index of arid karst regions (82 %) was significantly higher than the average baseflow index of subtropical karst regions (77 %). Even within the same climate zone, the base flow index of different regions may also have significant differences, and the difference of some regions is even >10 %. For example, the difference in BFIs between northwestern North America and eastern North America near Hudson Bay, which are both temperate-climate karst zones, is more than 10 %. Vegetation factors reflected in primary productivity have the highest influence on baseflow in karst regions (15 %), while climatic factors (relative humidity, air temperature, etc.) have a lower influence on BFIs in karst regions (less than 5 %). From the time series trend, the global karst baseflow index shows an increasing trend, about 1.5 % from 1960 to 2015. These results help us to further understand karst hydrological processes and the response mechanism of karst hydrology under climate change.
Institutions: Guizhou Normal University, Beijing Normal University
Language: English
Subfield: Earth-Surface Processes
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,725
OpenAlex ID: W7141033623