Groundwater dominates water fluxes in a headwater catchment during drought

In their article in Frontiers in Water, Robin Kaule and Benjamin S. Gilfedder point out the importance of groundwater for the water balance of headwaters, which make up a large part of the global stream length. Especially under low flow conditions, groundwater proportions increased to 70 %. As aquatic ecosystems in headwaters become increasingly dependent on groundwater inflow during drought periods, this knowledge should be used to develop, refine and apply management strategies for streams under a changing climate.