Unravelling the Impacts of Climate Variability on Surface Runoff in the Mouhoun River Catchment (West Africa)
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsReviewer report
General comments.
The authors used hydrological modelling techniques to assess the impact of climate variability on surface runoff in the Mouhoun River catchment in Burkina Faso.
Overall, the manuscript is well written albeit a few minor errors. The statistical analyses are sound and key software used for all the analyses are clearly referenced. This may be very helpful for readers to replicate their methods in other studies.
Abstract
p-values less than 0.05 should be reported as (p-value<0.05). For example, the authors reported p-values in L21 as p-value = 0.029 and p-value = 0.013 and both are less than 0.05. The in L22, p-value is reported as p-value < 0.0001. Can the authors clearly justify this ambiguity.
Specific issues identified in the manuscript that need to be addressed before the manuscript is accepted for publication are highlighted below.
In L25, p-value is reported as p-value=0.386 which is correct.
L45, use either “rivers” or “surface water” and not “surface rivers”.
L45-47, reference needed to highlight the impact of climate change on surface runoff or rivers in the Sahel.
L56, the catchment provides “drinking water” not “water for drinking”.
L60-61, reference needed to justify this claim.
L71-72, remove the last phrase “further resilient to climate changes”.
In L18, the authors stated the study period as 1983-2018 and contradicted in L79 and L82 by stating that the study period is 1983-2021. The authors should clarify this ambiguity found in the abstract and the introduction section.
L156, MERRA-2 reanalysis data “were” and not “was”.
L175, “refers” not “defers”.
L408-409, more runoff is generated in the “north-western” sub-basins not “northern” sub-basins as shown in Figure 7c.
L490, to a “lesser extent” not “slighter extent”.
L491-493, the statement should read as catchment properties “may” also play also play a role in the variability of surface runoff in the MRC considering that a significant proportion of variability in surface runoff remains unexplained by rainfall and PET. However, the study did not address the quantification of the isolated contribution of these sources of variation.
L495-496, the statement should be “profound implications for regional hydrology”. Remove “in text context”.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Minor editing required
Author Response
Dear Reviewer #1
Please find attached the point-by-point responses to your comments.
Thank you for your evaluation of our work.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsPlease see the attachment.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear Reviewer #2
Please find attached the point-by-point responses to your comments.
Thank you for your evaluation of our work.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThank you to authors for their modification and responses which were found adequate and the manuscript is accepted as it is.
