Long-term hydroclimatic variability and changes in Central Italian Alps

Prolonged and statistically significant decreases in mean riverflows could lead to chronic conditions of freshwater scarcity, seriously compromising the sustainability of the water demand for civil, agricultural and industrial uses. Regional analyses are however still needed to better characterize non-stationarities in different climates, since a clear trend on a global scale does not exist. Herein, long-term and high-quality series of riverflow discharges observed in five rivers in the Central Italian Alps, including two multi-century series, are investigated to statistically characterize individual trends of mean annual riverflows. Non-parametric pooled statistics are also introduced to the assess a regional trend. Climatic and non-climatic factors, namely rainfall trends and land cover transformations, have also been considered as potential change drivers.