Characterization of the hydrological response of Mediterranean catchments at the annual water balance and the event scales

International audience; This work is a synthesis of hydrological studies across Mediterranean climates. It aims to characterize the hydrological response of Mediterranean catchments at the annual water balance scale and the event scale. This study is an analysis based of 50 studies reported in the literature for 200 catchments across the Mediterranean climate. At the annual water balance scale, physical and climatic catchment descriptors (area, elevation, slope, forest cover, karst, annual precipitation, annual evapotranspiration, aridity index) and catchment response indices (annual runoff, specific discharge, runoff coefficient) were extracted. While at the event scale, in addition to the former catchment descriptors, information relative to the catchment wetness conditions were also taken into account, alongside with the meteorological event characteristics (date, duration, rainfall depth, rainfall intensity) and the corresponding catchment response indices (runoff depth, maximum peak discharge, event runoff coefficient). Relationships between catchment descriptors and/or meteorological events characteristics on the one hand, and catchment hydrological response on the other hand were plotted and discussed at the annual and the event scale respectively.