How abrupt change in surface temperature impacts water cycle over France ?

Abstract : Along with the rapid warming tendency of the last decades over France, a shift in air temperature has been detected in 1987/88, delimiting two main climate periods from 1959 to 2019. Evidence of pre- and post-shift runoff seasonal differences suggest an impact of this abrupt warming on water cycle evolution. As yearly precipitation slightly evolve during the studied period, evapotranspiration appears to be one of the main drivers of the hydrological cycle evolution. Spring is marked by a strong increase in evaporative demand, followed in summer by a rise in water stress and a drying of soil water content. Besides temporal disparities, this local water cycle evolution depicts different spatial responses over France. Modifications of climate hazard linked to water cycle is expected to impact agro-climatic risks and crop yields.