Hydrological Modelling of Forested Ecosystems

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 2315

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: remote sensing; precipitation; climatology; weather prediction; pollution; environmental protection

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: forest ecosystems; eco-hydrology; forest landscape restoration; climate change and forest resilience; multifunctional forest management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Demands for water services from forested ecosystems have dramatically increased since the 1950s, and the trend continues as global environmental change intensifies in the 21st century. Forests play a critical role in regulating the hydrologic cycle, impacting the surface and groundwater dynamics of watersheds through transpiration, interception, shading, and modification of the atmospheric boundary layer. It is, therefore, critical that forest dynamics be adequately represented in watershed models. Predicting the effects of forested ecosystems on watershed processes and streamflow is a complex activity. Models are increasingly used to investigate the potential effects of forest management on hydrologic processes and the resulting consequences for watershed values. Therefore, it becomes particularly important to be able to build and select appropriate hydrological models to carry out simulations of hydrological processes in forested ecosystems.

The Special Issue, entitled "Hydrological Modelling of Forested Ecosystems", encourages the submission of comprehensive multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary contributions related to hydrological modelling of forest ecosystems, including model establishment, model improvement, modelling reviews, and simulation of hydrological processes in forest ecosystems. All theoretical, methodological, and practical studies of forest ecosystem hydrological simulation are welcome.

Dr. Zhangwen Liu
Prof. Dr. Shirong Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • forest hydrology
  • streamflow
  • hydrological processes
  • forecasts and projections
  • climate change
  • hydrological modelling
  • forested ecosystems

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6704 KiB  
Article
A Copula Approach for Predicting Tree Sap Flow Based on Vapor Pressure Deficit
by Ying Ouyang and Changyou Sun
Forests 2024, 15(4), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15040695 - 13 Apr 2024
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Abstract
While using sap-flow sensor measurements is a well-established technique for quantifying leaf water transpiration in tree species, installing and maintaining a large number of sensors and data loggers in large-scale plantations to obtain accurate measurements is both costly and time-consuming. We developed a [...] Read more.
While using sap-flow sensor measurements is a well-established technique for quantifying leaf water transpiration in tree species, installing and maintaining a large number of sensors and data loggers in large-scale plantations to obtain accurate measurements is both costly and time-consuming. We developed a copula-based approach to predict sap flows based on readily available vapor pressure deficits (VPDs) and found that the Normal copula was the best among five commonly used copulas. The Normal-copula approach was validated using our field-measured eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides (Bartr. ex Marsh.)) sap flow data, yielding solid statistical measures, including Mann–Kendall’s τ = 0.59, R2 = 0.81, and p-value < 0.01. The approach was applied to predict sap flows of eastern cottonwood during the growing period from 1 March to 31 October 2015 as well as the 5-year growing period from 2019 to 2023. It successfully replicated the characteristic diurnal sap flow pattern, with rates increasing during the day and decreasing at night, as well as the typical seasonal pattern, with rates rising from winter to summer and decreasing from summer to next winter. Our study suggests that the copula-based approach is a reliable tool for estimating sap flows based on VPD data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrological Modelling of Forested Ecosystems)
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16 pages, 2610 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Estimation of the Time of Concentration for Small Forested Catchments in Steep Mountainous Terrain
by Sooyoun Nam, Honggeun Lim, Byoungki Choi, Qiwen Li, Haewon Moon and Hyung Tae Choi
Forests 2024, 15(1), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010186 - 17 Jan 2024
Viewed by 690
Abstract
Accurate modeling of flood flow hydrographs for small forested catchments in steep mountainous terrain is challenging because of large errors in the estimation of response time using existing empirical equations. The time of concentration (TC) for a catchment is a widely [...] Read more.
Accurate modeling of flood flow hydrographs for small forested catchments in steep mountainous terrain is challenging because of large errors in the estimation of response time using existing empirical equations. The time of concentration (TC) for a catchment is a widely used time parameter for estimating peak discharges in hydrological designs. In this study, we developed an estimated TC using readily available mountain catchment variables, a small catchment, steep slope, and narrow valley, using empirical equations. For our approach, we used directly measured data from 39 forested catchments (area: 0.02–9.69 km2) during 3648 observed rainfall events over a 10-year observation period. Based on the uncertainties inherent in the empirical equation, the estimated TC values were compared and analyzed through multiple regression and two different modified empirical modelling equations using our observed catchment parameters. The mean TC was significantly correlated with catchment size and stream length but negatively correlated with stream slope (p < 0.01). As a result, the mean TC estimated using the three modelling equations with catchment variables was qualitatively similar and had relative differences ranging from −12.5 to 15.5 min (−49 to 56%). Therefore, the models (particularly modeling equations with multiple regression, a modified empirical formula, and modified SCS Lag) can efficiently determine the TC and can be used in any small forested catchment in steep mountainous terrain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrological Modelling of Forested Ecosystems)
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15 pages, 4186 KiB  
Article
The Water Dynamics of Norway Spruce Stands Growing in Two Alpine Catchments in Austria
by Franciele de Bastos and Hubert Hasenauer
Forests 2024, 15(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010035 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 649
Abstract
Forests are highly relevant for the water dynamics of mountain areas. This study assesses the water balance of two mountainous watersheds in Austria (Rindbach and Schmittental) with similar average annual precipitation patterns but different parent material, i.e., limestone in Rindbach versus greywacke in [...] Read more.
Forests are highly relevant for the water dynamics of mountain areas. This study assesses the water balance of two mountainous watersheds in Austria (Rindbach and Schmittental) with similar average annual precipitation patterns but different parent material, i.e., limestone in Rindbach versus greywacke in Schmittental. The biogeochemical mechanistic ecosystem model Biome-BGC with parameter settings developed for the central European tree species was obtained to assess the energy, nutrient, and water cycle as relevant for tree growth (=carbon cycle). The seasonal precipitation pattern, the snow accumulation, the evapotranspiration, the transpiration, the water-use efficiency, and the outflow are investigated. For the period 1960 to 2022, no precipitation trends are detectable, but a temperature increase of 1.9 °C in Rindbach and 1.6 °C in Schmittental is evident, leading to a declining snow accumulation. The model simulations suggest that transpiration and evapotranspiration rates increase with increasing LAI, indicating higher rates in Rindbach compared to Schmittental. The water use efficiency increases up to an LAI = 3 m2 m−2 and declines afterwards. The water balance variables follow the same pattern, i.e., with increasing LAI, the water outflow at the Rindbach catchment declines from 78% to 29% and from 72% to 31% in Schmittental. This confirms that forest cover is important to reduce water outflow and thus enhances the protection function of mountain forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrological Modelling of Forested Ecosystems)
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