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<p>The young water fraction (<span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="1cb5ee18b0e8376968be745628e33e91"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00001.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>), defined as the fraction of catchment outflow with transit times of less than 2–3 months, is increasingly used in hydrological studies that exploit the potential of isotope tracers. The use of this new metric in catchment intercomparison studies is helpful to understand and conceptualize the relevant processes controlling catchment functioning. Previous studies have shown surprising evidence that mountainous catchments worldwide yield low <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="4b00718f88b0fa026aa88a1be8a16e97"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00002.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00002.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>. These low values have been partially explained by isolated hydrological processes, including deep vertical infiltration and long groundwater flow paths. However, a thorough framework illustrating the relevant mechanisms leading to a low <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="10735e9239a2c57e72fa8780d1e8591e"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00003.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00003.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> in mountainous catchments is missing.</p> <p>The main aim of this paper is to give an overview of what drives <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="ccf6885793097f29fdd5c184e16d68cb"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00004.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00004.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> variations according to elevation, thus clarifying why it generally decreases at high elevation. For this purpose, we assembled a data set of 27 study catchments, located in both Switzerland and Italy, for which we calculate<span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M5" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="13cf34352dafb7b9751b72082e02fbcb"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00005.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00005.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>. We assume that this decrease can be explained by the groundwater storage potential, quantified by the areal extent of Quaternary deposits over a catchment (<span class="inline-formula"><i>F</i>_qd</span>), and the low-flow duration (LFD) throughout the period of isotope sampling (PoS). In snow-dominated systems, LFD is strictly related to the snowpack persistence, quantified through the mean fractional snow cover area (<span class="inline-formula"><i>F</i>_SCA</span>). The drivers are related to the catchment storage contribution to the stream that we quantify by applying a cutting-edge baseflow separation method to the discharge time series of the study sites and by estimating the mean baseflow fraction (<span class="inline-formula"><i>F</i>_bf</span>) over the PoS.</p> <p>Our results suggest that Quaternary deposits could play a role in modulating <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M9" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="747964cf80e1fb777d69e4abb4f0290a"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00006.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00006.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> elevation gradients via their capacity to store groundwater, but subsequent confirmation with further, more detailed geological information is necessary. LFD indicates the proportion of PoS in which the stream is sustained and dominated by stored water coming from the catchment storage. Accordingly, our results reveal that the increase of LFD at high elevations, to a large extent driven by the persistence of winter snowpacks and the simultaneous lack of a liquid water input to the catchments, results in lower <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M10" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="2e867413da70a05783d947ae1f30890a"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00007.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00007.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>. In our data set, <span class="inline-formula"><i>F</i>_bf</span> reveals a strong complementarity with <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M12" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="289abd7ac73d8a0da64a57dd7db7f956"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00008.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00008.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>, suggesting that the latter could be estimated as <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M13" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup><mo>≃</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">1</mn><mo>-</mo><msub><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">bf</mi></msub></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="60pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="673260735856f7307fac1cd8a4dace16"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00009.svg" width="60pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00009.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> for catchments without stable water isotope measurements.</p> <p><span id="page2302"/>As a conclusion, we develop a perceptual model that integrates all the results of our analysis into a framework for how hydrological processes control <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M14" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><msubsup><mi>F</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">yw</mi><mo>*</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="949590d6a6ed05e92d622251e074283c"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00010.svg" width="18pt" height="15pt" src="hess-27-2301-2023-ie00010.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> according to elevation. This lays the foundations for an improvement of the theory-driven models.</p>