Article
Environmental Sciences
Y. Wang, N. Meili, S. Fatichi
Summary: Investigating modifications in the hydrological cycle is crucial for understanding the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. This study focuses on changes in the velocity of the water cycle over land at a global scale and quantifies the hydrological acceleration through changes in average residence time (RT) of water in the first meter of soil. The study finds that soil water RT is sensitive to soil texture and seasonality of hydroclimatic variables, and the acceleration of the water cycle is primarily driven by changes in precipitation compared to evapotranspiration. Rising temperatures and increasing carbon dioxide have opposing effects on the speed of the terrestrial water cycle.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Roberto Corona, Gabriel Katul, Nicola Montaldo
Summary: The storage of water in the root zone of the soil introduces memory effects in soil moisture dynamics, with a timescale longer than many atmospheric processes. This study analyzes the spectrum of soil moisture dynamics using long-term measurements and models. The results show that the shape of the measured soil moisture spectrum is approximately Lorentzian, with peak values at daily and annual timescales. The study also found that precipitation variability dominates soil moisture variability, rather than evapotranspiration variability.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eduardo Habermann, Eduardo Augusto Dias de Oliveira, Daniele Ribeiro Contin, Joao Vitor Campos Pinho Costa, Katia Aparecida de Pinho Costa, Carlos Alberto Martinez
Summary: This study investigates the effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentration and warming on managed tropical grasslands. The results show that warming cancels out the improvements caused by elevated carbon dioxide concentration in terms of plant transpiration and water relations.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Lei Zheng, Youcun Qi, Zhangcai Qin, Xiaofeng Xu, Jinwei Dong
Summary: This study investigated the environmental drivers of albedo in the Tibetan Plateau based on remotely sensed data, revealing the significant impacts of snow cover, vegetation index, and soil moisture on albedo changes in different seasons and spectral bands. The findings are expected to enhance the understanding of energy budget simulations over the Tibetan Plateau region in land surface models.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Bliss Singer, Dagmawi Teklu Asfaw, Rafael Rosolem, Mark O. Cuthbert, Diego G. Miralles, David MacLeod, Edisson Andres Quichimbo, Katerina Michaelides
Summary: The study developed an hourly PET dataset for the global land surface at 0.1 degrees spatial resolution, filling the gap of high-resolution PET datasets, and providing users with the data to explore spatial and temporal variations in evaporative demand for water.
Article
Ecology
Veronika Forstner, Matevz Vremec, Markus Herndl, Steffen Birk
Summary: The frequency and severity of droughts in the Alps are expected to increase due to rising air temperatures and changes in precipitation regimes. Although biomass production in humid mountain areas tends to be energy limited rather than water limited, an increase in droughts may have negative impacts on the water availability and thus agricultural yields.
Article
Agronomy
S. Dzikiti, D. Lotter, S. Mpandeli, L. Nhamo
Summary: This study investigates the energy and water balance of rooibos fields and its relationship with crop yield. It reveals that implementing water conservation and weed management practices early in the growing season can save substantial amounts of soil moisture, sustaining rooibos production under low rainfall conditions.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Roberto Serrano-Notivoli, Alberto Martinez-Salvador, Rafael Garcia-Lorenzo, David Espin-Sanchez, Carmelo Conesa-Garcia
Summary: Ephemeral streams are highly sensitive to minor changes in rainfall and terrain characteristics. The irregular precipitation regime in the western Mediterranean area and potential climate change scenarios may result in severe changes in flow generation. Our study explores the rainfall-runoff relationships in two semi-arid watersheds and finds that specific types of rainfall events are required to generate new flow. However, the irregularity of annual precipitation makes predictions uncertain.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Pedro M. M. Soares, Daniela C. A. Lima
Summary: Climate change poses a major threat to Mediterranean countries, leading to reduced precipitation, increased temperature, and more frequent extreme events, resulting in water scarcity and various impacts. Portugal, like other Mediterranean countries, already experiences more frequent droughts and soil moisture deficits. Future projections using a multi-model ensemble show a clear reduction in soil moisture throughout the year, due to decreased precipitation and increased evapotranspiration. The study also reveals an increase in soil moisture deficits, especially in the mid-to-end of the century, and a decrease in surface humidity.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zixuan Zhou, Yunqiang Wang, Ruijie Li, Lijun Qi, Yali Zhao, Yuting Xu, Yongping Tong, Jianbei Huang
Summary: Climate change has an impact on soil water content, especially in dryland ecosystems like the Chinese Loess Plateau. This study conducted a large experiment to assess the effects of precipitation changes on dried soil layers (DSLs) and found that these changes have important implications for the sustainable development management of drylands.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Wahida Ghiloufi, Mohamed Chaieb
Summary: Understanding the environmental factors influencing vegetation and soil attributes is essential for predicting the impact of future climate change on ecosystem functioning. Through analyzing data from 10 sites in South Mediterranean grasslands, this study found significant effects of soil pH and climate factors on vegetation attributes, as indicated by multiple linear regression analysis. This suggests that vegetation growth is influenced by a range of factors, with soil pH and climate playing important roles.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhaogang Liu, Zhi Chen, Guirui Yu, Weikang Zhang, Tianyou Zhang, Lang Han
Summary: Drylands play a significant role in the land carbon sink, but the implications of climate change on carbon dynamics in these areas are not well understood. This study investigates the roles of climate, vegetation, and soil factors on carbon fluxes, and finds that soil factors have a greater impact on carbon fluxes in drylands.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shengli Liu, Tong Li, Bing Liu, Chenyang Xu, Yan Zhu, Liujun Xiao
Summary: This study focused on grassland activity in Inner Mongolia, China, and investigated the risk of vegetation decline under drought conditions. The results showed a positive correlation between water balance and vegetation activity, with soil properties playing a significant role in mitigating the adverse effects of drought on grassland vegetation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martha A. Scholl, Maoya Bassiouni, Angel J. Torres-Sanchez
Summary: This study found that forest cover plays a crucial role in mountain hydrometeorology and cloud formation. Natural experiments revealed interactions between living forest and hydroclimatic processes, as well as the impact of forest disturbances on local meteorology.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Xinrui Luo, Shaoda Li, Wunian Yang, Liang Liu, Yuehong Shi, Yunsen Lai, Peng Yu, Zhihan Yang, Ke Luo, Tao Zhou, Xin Yang, Xiao Wang, Shaohui Chen, Xiaolu Tang
Summary: This study investigated the spatial and temporal changes of root zone soil moisture (RZSM) and its driving factors using three soil moisture products. The results showed significant variations in RZSM across the globe, which were closely correlated with temperature anomalies. Different regions exhibited different sensitivities to climate change and various environmental factors played dominant roles in the spatial patterns of RZSM.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Magali F. Nehemy, Paolo Benettin, Mitra Asadollahi, Dyan Pratt, Andrea Rinaldo, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: The study combines isotope data with physiological measurements to investigate the mechanism driving tree water source partitioning. Results show that tree water use is a dynamic process on the time scale of days, primarily determined by plant hydraulic response to changes in soil matric potential.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Paolo Benettin, Magali F. Nehemy, Lucas A. Cernusak, Ansgar Kahmen, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: Source water apportionment studies using dual isotopes have advanced our understanding of ecohydrology, but technical challenges still exist in linking xylem water to its sources. This study explores the use of leaf water isotopes to quantify rainfall inputs, providing a potentially non-intrusive method for addressing plant water source questions.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Brent T. Aulenbach, Richard P. Hooper, H. J. (Ilja) van Meerveld, Douglas A. Burns, James E. Freer, James B. Shanley, Thomas G. Huntington, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Norman E. Peters
Summary: The Panola Mountain Research Watershed (PMRW) is a forested catchment in the Southeastern United States where observations, experiments, and numerical modeling have been conducted over the past 35 years, leading to valuable insights regarding streamflow generation mechanisms. The extensive characterization of soil and bedrock has played a key role in forming hypotheses and understanding water flow mechanisms, demonstrating the importance of long-term studies and field evidence accumulation.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Cody Millar, Kim Janzen, Magali F. Nehemy, Geoff Koehler, Pedro Herve-Fernandez, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: Organic contamination can cause significant errors in IRIS stable isotope results, with methanol having a larger impact than ethanol. The O-17-excess method is highly sensitive for detecting narrowband (methanol) contamination errors in both vapour and liquid analysis modes.
RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Christopher Spence, Daniel J. Karran, H. J. (Ilja) van Meerveld, Ciaran J. Harman
Summary: Descriptions of runoff processes have become more detailed in recent years, but there has been little grouping of these facts. The fill-and-spill concept provides a structured way to group event-based runoff generation processes, where water is stored until a critical level is reached and an outflow pathway is activated.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paolo Benettin, Magali F. Nehemy, Mitra Asadollahi, Dyan Pratt, Michael Bensimon, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Andrea Rinaldo
Summary: Closing the soil water balance is crucial in ecohydrology, but challenges exist in tracing the specific components. Results from a controlled tracer experiment revealed the significant impact of evapotranspiration on the water balance, providing insights into plant uptake and deep percolation.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Md. Shawkat I. Sohel, Adriana Vega Grau, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, John Herbohn
Summary: It was found that the majority of tree species in tropical forests rely on water from shallow soil layers, with trees of high wood density, slow growth, and small size showing the highest dependence on shallow soil water.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Grant Ferguson, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Oliver Warr, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Christopher J. Ballentine, James S. Famiglietti, Ji-Hyun Kim, Joseph R. Michalski, John F. Mustard, Jesse Tarnas, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: This study estimates the total volume of groundwater in the upper 10 km of the Earth's continental crust, revealing that deep groundwater has a volume comparable to that of groundwater in the upper 2 km. These findings have important implications for water resource management and waste water treatment.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Leo M. Peskett, Kate Heal, Alan M. MacDonald, Andrew R. Black, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: The study investigates the influence of plantation forestry on storm rainfall runoff in UK catchments. While plantation forest cover may affect storm rainfall runoff fractions, it is not a dominant control in temperate upland UK catchments. Soils and geology are found to have a greater influence on storm rainfall runoff fraction, emphasizing the importance of considering these factors in natural flood management planning.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Anam Amin, Giulia Zuecco, Chiara Marchina, Michael Engel, Daniele Penna, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Marco Borga
Summary: In a simple glasshouse experiment, researchers found no isotopic fractionation in olive trees under specific experimental conditions, validating the traditional isotope-tracing approach. Water extracted from wood cores and twigs showed no significant differences, reflecting the signature of labelled water, while significant differences were found between plant water and deep soil water.
HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL-JOURNAL DES SCIENCES HYDROLOGIQUES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Magali F. Nehemy, Paolo Benettin, Scott T. Allen, Kathy Steppe, Andrea Rinaldo, Marco M. Lehmann, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: The study systematically sampled xylem and phloem water to show that phloem water is significantly less enriched in heavy isotopes than xylem water. The results also revealed a larger isotopic difference between xylem and phloem during phloem water refilling and under periods of tree water deficit. These findings suggest that radial water transport across the xylem-phloem boundary may drive the relative depletion of heavy isotopes in phloem and their relative enrichment in xylem.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Magali F. Nehemy, Jason Maillet, Nia Perron, Christoforos Pappas, Oliver Sonnentag, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Colin P. Laroque, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: Previous studies on tree water source partitioning have mostly focused on the growing season, leaving little known about the source of tree transpiration before, during, and after snowmelt. This study investigates the water use of boreal forest trees during spring snowmelt, particularly after winter stem shrinkage. The results show that snowmelt is a significant source for stem rehydration and transpiration in the boreal forest during the spring onset.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hongxiu Wang, Han Li, Wei Xiang, Yanwei Lu, Huanhuan Wang, Wei Hu, Bingcheng Si, Scott Jasechko, Jeffrey J. McDonnell
Summary: In this study, a 98 m soil core from the Loess Plateau of China was sampled and the relationship between pore water isotopic values and hydroclimate history was examined. The results showed that the δO-18 and δH-2 values between 14-50 m were anomalously low, corresponding well to the Little Ice Age period from 1420 to 1870. This identification was consistent with other standard proxies in the region and revealed the temporal dynamics of temperature anomalies. The study highlights the potential of stable isotopes of soil water for paleoclimate reconstruction in deep soils.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Paolo Nasta, Diego Todini-Zicavo, Giulia Zuecco, Chiara Marchina, Daniele Penna, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Anam Amin, Carolina Allocca, Fabio Marzaioli, Luisa Stellato, Marco Borga, Nunzio Romano
Summary: An isotope-enabled module of Hydrus-1D was used to trace the origin and transit time of irrigation water in a glasshouse experiment with a potted olive tree. The soil hydraulic parameters were optimized through inverse modelling, and the model's performance was validated with observed sap flow z-scores and xylem water O-18. The study found that on average, 26% of irrigation water was removed by plant transpiration with a mean transit time of 94 hours, suggesting transit time as a functional indicator for irrigation water uptake in agricultural ecosystems.
HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Chris M. DeBeer, Howard S. Wheater, John W. Pomeroy, Alan G. Barr, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Jill F. Johnstone, Merritt R. Turetsky, Ronald E. Stewart, Masaki Hayashi, Garth van der Kamp, Shawn Marshall, Elizabeth Campbell, Philip Marsh, Sean K. Carey, William L. Quinton, Yanping Li, Saman Razavi, Aaron Berg, Jeffrey J. McDonnell, Christopher Spence, Warren D. Helgason, Andrew M. Ireson, T. Andrew Black, Mohamed Elshamy, Fuad Yassin, Bruce Davison, Allan Howard, Julie M. Theriault, Kevin Shook, Michael N. Demuth, Alain Pietroniro
Summary: The interior of western Canada, like many similar cold mid- to high-latitude regions worldwide, is experiencing extensive and rapid climate and environmental changes. Understanding changes in coupled climate-land-hydrological systems is crucial but limited by lack of understanding of cold-region process responses and interactions. It is important to consider underlying processes and base predictive models on proper physics, especially under conditions of non-stationarity where the past cannot reliably guide the future.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2021)