Article
Environmental Sciences
C. Juez, D. Pena-Angulo, M. Khorchani, D. Regues, E. Nadal-Romero
Summary: Mediterranean mountain forests in Central Spanish Pyrenees play a significant role in hydrological regulation, with a bi-modal hydrological behavior observed in the small forest catchment. The hydrological response in the catchment mainly depends on water table, with antecedent moisture conditions and rainfall depth as secondary factors. Increased understanding of the role of natural Mediterranean forests in hydrological dynamics is crucial for water resources management in the context of Global Change.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Carmelo Juez, Estela Nadal-Romero, Erik L. H. Cammeraat, David Regues
Summary: This research investigates the spatial and temporal variability of water table dynamics in a small afforested sub-catchment in the Central Spanish Pyrenees. The study highlights the significant differences in groundwater dynamics among afforestation areas, natural revegetation areas, and early abandoned meadows, with complex hydrological behavior observed. The results reveal a high temporal and spatial variability, with different runoff generation processes identified in relation to wet and dry periods.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Giulia Zuecco, Chiara Marchina, Ylenia Gelmini, Anam Amin, H. J. (Ilja) van Meerveld, Daniele Penna, Marco Borga
Summary: Ressi is a small forested catchment in the Italian pre-Alps used for studying water fluxes and the impact of vegetation on runoff generation. The site includes measurements of rainfall, streamflow, soil moisture, and water table depth. Data collection is ongoing with the aim of updating the dataset annually.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Lei Su, Jing Yang, Xiang Zhao, Yuan Miao
Summary: Interception loss is an important part of the hydrological cycle and can be influenced by fire. This study found that fire can alter the process of rainfall partitioning, increasing throughfall rate and decreasing interception loss and stemflow. The revised Gash model can accurately predict rainfall partitioning and interception loss in burned forests. The dominant components of interception loss still come from evaporative processes in the canopy, and the predicted interception loss is highly sensitive to changes in canopy cover, rain intensity, and evaporation rate.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joao Rocha, Andre Duarte, Sergio Fabres, Ana Quintela, Dalila Serpa
Summary: Terracing is an effective method for soil and water conservation in sloped terrains. The resolution of the digital elevation model (DEM) used in hydrological models can influence the accuracy of terrain representation and model performance. This study found that DEMs derived from LiDAR data improved the accuracy of terrain representation and increased the accuracy of the SWAT hydrological model in simulating streamflow. Comparing simulations with and without terraces, it was found that the presence of terraces reduced streamflow by 28% to 36%, demonstrating the effectiveness of terraces in water conservation.
Article
Engineering, Civil
L. Strohmenger, P. Ackerer, B. Belfort, M. C. Pierret
Summary: In the context of climate change, this study investigated the changes in temperature, precipitation, and discharge in the Strengbach catchment in France. The findings showed that the local climate changed in line with global observations, varying among seasons, and the hydrological behavior of the catchment also changed.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Jessica D. Lundquist, Susan Dickerson-Lange, Ethan Gutmann, Tobias Jonas, Cassie Lumbrazo, Dylan Reynolds
Summary: When formulating hydrologic models, scientists often rely on parameterizations from pre-existing models rather than re-evaluating field experiments. Increasing temperatures can lead to a decrease in simulated snow under canopy, but the magnitude of the change varies based on environmental conditions and processes.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
P. J. Gelabert, M. Rodrigues, J. J. Vidal-Macua, A. Ameztegui, C. Vega-Garcia
Summary: In this study, a geospatial framework was used to predict the probability of land abandonment in the Spanish Pyrenees, providing insights into its spatial behavior and main drivers. The results are of great significance for decision-making and assessment by land planners.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Lars Lundin, Torbjorn Nilsson
Summary: Forest fertilization with nitrogen can have adverse effects such as acidification and nitrate leaching. The study found high excess outflow of nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium, with nitrate dominating total nitrogen. Effects on pH were limited.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Longshan Zhao, Ping Meng, Jinsong Zhang, Jinxin Zhang, Shoujia Sun, Chunxia He
Summary: The slope has a significant impact on the interception capacity of leaf litter, with higher slopes leading to decreased interception and increased litter flow.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Veronika Skalova, Michal Dohnal, Jana Votrubova, Tomas Vogel, Martin Sanda
Summary: This study examines the effects of inter-annual climatic variability on the long-term water balance of a small headwater catchment in temperate montane forests. The results suggest a significant decrease in catchment water storage due to increasing winter temperatures.
HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Mie Andreasen, Jesper R. Christiansen, Torben O. Sonnenborg, Simon Stisen, Majken C. Looms
Summary: Canopy interception loss and the impact of species- and leaf-cover-specific canopy structure metrics on interception loss were studied in two typical forest types in Denmark. The study found that the derived canopy structure parameters reflected the seasonal change in leaf cover of deciduous forest and improved the accuracy of the model. The share of interception loss to precipitation varied between deciduous and coniferous forests, accounting for 35% and 51% respectively.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Luara Castilho Pereira, Leonardo Balbinot, Marcelle Teodoro Lima, Julieta Bramorski, Kelly Cristina Tonello
Summary: This study relates litter levels to water holding capacity in forest fragments under different passive restoration stages, revealing that the 46-year stage had the highest litter accumulation and water holding capacity. Passive restoration plays a key role in soil water maintenance in Cerrado savannas.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Decio Oscar Cardoso Ferreto, Jose Miguel Reichert, Rosane Barbosa Lopes Cavalcante, Raghavan Srinivasan
Summary: This study investigated rainfall partitioning in a young clonal plantation of three eucalyptus species, showing that rainfall interception depends on various variables such as tree parameters, antecedent rainfall, rainfall intensity, and seasonality, and decreases with a reduction in leaf area index.
INTERNATIONAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
R. Dan Moore, Diana Allen, Lucy MacKenzie, David Spittlehouse, Rita Winkler
Summary: The Upper Penticton Creek watershed experiment is one of a few forestry-focused paired catchment experiments in the snow-dominated zone of western North America, involving an undisturbed control catchment and two treatment catchments. With decades of hydrological monitoring and research, the dataset provides valuable support for analyzing hydrological responses to forest dynamics and climatic variability.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Estela Nadal-Romero, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Sonia Chamizo, Carmelo Juez, Yolanda Canton, Jose M. Garcia-Ruiz
Summary: Badlands are found worldwide in both dry and wet environments, and are characterized by intense erosion processes and extreme sediment yield. Climate change is expected to have direct and indirect effects on badland dynamics in the future, with potential improvements in water resources and vegetation growth.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Juan Pinos, Jerome Latron, Delphis F. Levia, Pilar Llorens
Summary: This study focuses on the spatial variability of stemflow on the bole of trees, providing quantitative data on the drivers of circumferential variation of stemflow. Biotic factors such as trunk lean, bark morphology, and tree neighborhood were found to have a greater influence on stemflow distribution than abiotic factors like rainfall intensity peaks. Non-uniform stemflow distribution around tree stems were observed, highlighting the need for further research on stemflow dynamics across tree species and vegetative surfaces.
Article
Ecology
Pilar Llorens, Jerome Latron, Darryl E. Carlyle-Moses, Kerstin Nathe, Jeffrey L. Chang, Kazuki Nanko, Shin'ichi Iida, Delphis F. Levia
Summary: This study aimed to measure the stemflow infiltration areas of high stemflow-producing American beech trees, revealing that these areas are typically small, indicating that stemflow is an extremely localized input in natural forests.
Article
Geography, Physical
Javier Santos-Gonzalez, Rosa Blanca Gonzalez-Gutierrez, Jose Maria Redondo-Vega, Amelia Gomez-Villar, Vincent Jomelli, Jose M. Fernandez-Fernandez, Nuria Andres, Jose M. Garcia-Ruiz, Sergio Alberto Pena-Perez, Adrian Melon-Nava, Marc Oliva, Javier Alvarez-Martinez, Joanna Charton, David Palacios
Summary: This research analyzes the deglaciation process in the Muxiven Cirque and discovers the formation of rock glaciers after the retreat of glaciers. These findings are significant for understanding the glacial geomorphology evolution in the Iberian Peninsula.
Article
Geography, Physical
Anita Bernatek-Jakiel, Estela Nadal-Romero
Summary: Soil piping is a widespread land degradation process that has been overlooked. Previous studies have focused on the importance of soil piping in hydrological and geomorphological processes, as well as the factors that control piping processes. However, with the environmental changes caused by the Anthropocene, society's dependence on soil has increased, necessitating a redefinition of traditional soil erosion studies. This article identifies new areas of research, including soil pipes and pipe collapses as natural hazards, the role of soil piping in the carbon cycle, soil piping and pipe collapses and their relationships with biodiversity, and piping-affected areas as geodiversity sites. Better recognition of natural hazards driven by soil piping and further research in these areas are essential for prevention and control measures, as well as sustainable development.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Juan Pinos, Pilar Llorens, Jerome Latron
Summary: Vegetation plays a crucial role in the isotopic fractionation of rainwater. This study monitored and sampled rainfall, throughfall, and stemflow in a Scots pine forest under Mediterranean conditions for 20 months. The results showed that throughfall was usually more enriched than rainfall, and stemflow was more enriched than throughfall. At the intra-storm scale, stemflow was initially more enriched, but decreased towards the end.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Makki Khorchani, Leticia Gaspar, Estela Nadal-Romero, Jose Arnaez, Teodoro Lasanta, Ana Navas
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of cropland abandonment and post-land abandonment management on soil redistribution rates in the Mediterranean mid-mountain areas. It found that afforested areas had the lowest soil erosion rates, indicating the potential of afforestation in reducing soil degradation. However, there were no significant differences in soil redistribution rates among different land uses and covers.
INTERNATIONAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Brian Omondi Oduor, Miguel Angel Campo-Bescos, Noemi Lana-Renault, Alberto Alfaro Echarri, Javier Casali
Summary: This study analyzed the changes in hydrology and water quality resulting from the conversion of rainfed to irrigated agriculture in a Mediterranean watershed in Spain. The results showed increased streamflow, nitrate load, and nitrate concentration after irrigation implementation. These findings are important for implementing nitrate pollution control measures and guiding the development of irrigated lands for improved agricultural sustainability.
Article
Ecology
Maria Paz Errea, Melani Cortijos-Lopez, Manel Llena, Estela Nadal-Romero, Javier Zabalza-Martinez, Teodoro Lasanta
Summary: Since the mid-20th century, the Mediterranean mountains have witnessed the revegetation of former pasture and cultivated fields. This study examines the changes in land use and land cover in a valley of the Central Pyrenees from 1956 to 2017, revealing a decrease in cultivated and pasture areas and an increase in forest area. The findings emphasize the importance of preserving and restoring mosaic landscapes for biodiversity, sustainability, and ecosystem services.
Article
Agronomy
Brian Omondi Oduor, Miguel Angel Campo-Bescos, Noemi Lana-Renault, Javier Casali
Summary: Predicting the response of water quality and quantity to climate change in a watershed is challenging due to complexity and uncertainties. However, hydrological models like the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) can simplify the processes and predict the impacts of agricultural activities. This study evaluated the applicability of SWAT in predicting streamflow and nitrate load in an agricultural Mediterranean watershed and found that the model performed well during calibration and validation. Climate change projections showed a decline in streamflow and nitrate load, with the long-term projection scenario of RCP8.5 being greatly affected.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Estela Nadal-Romero, Manel Llena, Melani Cortijos-Lopez, Teodoro Lasanta
Summary: Management policies in Mediterranean mid-mountains after abandonment have promoted afforestation as a nature-based solution (NBS). Afforestation can accelerate soil property recovery over long periods, change litter quality and quantity, improve aggregate stability, and increase water holding capacity. However, afforestation also threatens water resources by reducing floods, decreasing annual water yield, delaying peak flows, increasing rainfall interception, and reducing erosion risk and sediment volume in the long term. Scientific uncertainty still remains, and more research on the impacts of afforestation on soil and water conservation is needed.
CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Juan Pinos, Markus Flury, Jerome Latron, Pilar Llorens
Summary: Stemflow, which is the flow of water down the stem or trunk of a plant, can redistribute soil moisture in forest environments. In this study, artificial tracers were used to observe and measure the preferential flow of stemflow in the soil. The results showed that stemflow infiltrated primarily along the surface of roots and through macropores, impacting soil moisture distribution and groundwater recharge.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Teodoro Lasanta, Melani Cortijos-Lopez, M. Paz Errea, Manel Llena, Pedro Sanchez-Navarrete, Javier Zabalza, Estela Nadal-Romero
Summary: This study analyzes the effects of the Plan for Shrub Clearing (PSC) in the Mediterranean mountains of La Rioja, Spain, which includes clearing and grazing, on landscape structure, pasture production, fire control, soil organic carbon sequestration, and surface water resources. The results show that these measures create a more diverse landscape, increase grazing land, reduce fires, sequester more organic carbon in cleared areas, and improve water resources.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Matthias Sprenger, Pilar Llorens, Francesc Gallart, Paolo Benettin, Scott T. Allen, Jerome Latron
Summary: This study investigates the partitioning of precipitation in the Can Vila catchment using stable isotopes, and quantifies the dynamics of water evapotranspiration and streamflow. The results show that the multi-objective calibration approach can accurately simulate the isotope ratios of both stream water and xylem water. The findings support recent ecohydrological studies that highlight the heterogeneity of water storage and fluxes, as well as the use of relatively old water by trees.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)