Long‐term stable water isotope and runoff data for the investigation of deforestation effects on the hydrological system of the Wüstebach catchment, Germany

Bogena, Heye; Stockinger, Michael; Lücke, Andreas

doi:10.1002/hyp.14006

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…1a). The underlying bedrock is largely Devonian shales with sandstone inclusions (Richter, 2008) covered by periglacial layers (Borchardt, 2012). While Cambisols dominate the hillslopes, Gleysols and Histosols characterize much of the riparian area (Bogena et al, 2015).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

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Reduction of vegetation-accessible water storage capacity after deforestation affects catchment travel time distributions and increases young water fractions in a headwater catchment

Hrachowitz

Stockinger

Coenders-Gerrits

et al. 2021

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Deforestation can considerably affect transpiration dynamics and magnitudes at the catchment scale and thereby alter the partitioning between drainage and evaporative water fluxes released from terrestrial hydrological systems. However, it has so far remained problematic to directly link reductions in transpiration to changes in the physical properties of the system and to quantify these changes in system properties at the catchment scale. As a consequence, it is difficult to quantify the effect of deforestation on parameters of catchment-scale hydrological models. This in turn leads to substantial uncertainties in predictions of the hydrological response after deforestation but also to a poor understanding of how deforestation affects principal descriptors of catchment-scale transport, such as travel time distributions and young water fractions. The objectives of this study in the Wüstebach experimental catchment are therefore to provide a mechanistic explanation of why changes in the partitioning of water fluxes can be observed after deforestation and how this further affects the storage and release dynamics of water. More specifically, we test the hypotheses that (1) post-deforestation changes in water storage dynamics and partitioning of water fluxes are largely a direct consequence of a reduction of the catchment-scale effective vegetation-accessible water storage capacity in the unsaturated root zone (SU, max) after deforestation and that (2) the deforestation-induced reduction of SU, max affects the shape of travel time distributions and results in shifts towards higher fractions of young water in the stream. Simultaneously modelling streamflow and stable water isotope dynamics using meaningfully adjusted model parameters both for the pre- and post-deforestation periods, respectively, a hydrological model with an integrated tracer routine based on the concept of storage-age selection functions is used to track fluxes through the system and to estimate the effects of deforestation on catchment travel time distributions and young water fractions Fyw. It was found that deforestation led to a significant increase in streamflow accompanied by corresponding reductions of evaporative fluxes. This is reflected by an increase in the runoff ratio from CR=0.55 to 0.68 in the post-deforestation period despite similar climatic conditions. This reduction of evaporative fluxes could be linked to a reduction of the catchment-scale water storage volume in the unsaturated soil (SU, max) that is within the reach of active roots and thus accessible for vegetation transpiration from ∼258 mm in the pre-deforestation period to ∼101 mm in the post-deforestation period. The hydrological model, reflecting the changes in the parameter SU, max, indicated that in the post-deforestation period stream water was characterized by slightly yet statistically not significantly higher mean fractions of young water (Fyw∼0.13) than in the pre-deforestation period (Fyw∼0.12). In spite of these limited effects on the overall Fyw, changes were found for wet periods, during which post-deforestation fractions of young water increased to values Fyw∼0.37 for individual storms. Deforestation also caused a significantly increased sensitivity of young water fractions to discharge under wet conditions from dFyw/dQ=0.25 to 0.36. Overall, this study provides quantitative evidence that deforestation resulted in changes in vegetation-accessible storage volumes SU, max and that these changes are not only responsible for changes in the partitioning between drainage and evaporation and thus the fundamental hydrological response characteristics of the Wüstebach catchment, but also for changes in catchment-scale tracer circulation dynamics. In particular for wet conditions, deforestation caused higher proportions of younger water to reach the stream, implying faster routing of stable isotopes and plausibly also solutes through the sub-surface.

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Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Weekly stream water grab samples for stable water isotope analysis were taken at the outlet of the Wüstebach catchment in the 1 October 2010-30 September 2016 period (Fig. 3a; Bogena et al, 2020). Isotope analysis was carried out using laser-based cavity ring-down spectrometers (L2120-i/L2130-i, Picarro Inc.).…”

Section: Riparian Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction of vegetation-accessible water storage capacity after deforestation affects catchment travel time distributions and increases young water fractions in a headwater catchment

Hrachowitz

Stockinger

Coenders-Gerrits

et al. 2021

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…The Wüstebach catchment (Figure 1) is located in the Eifel National Park, near the German-Belgian border located at 50 • 30 ′ 16 ′′ N and 6 • 20 ′ 00 ′′ E (WGS 84) and is part of the TERENO Rur catchment observatory (Bogena et al, 2018). The site covers an area of 38.5 ha and the altitude ranges from 596 m a.s.l in the northern part of the catchment to 628 m a.s.l in the southern part (Bogena et al, 2020). The catchment receives ∼1,220 mm annual precipitation and it is characterized by small headwater streams.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To assess water quality, weekly grab samples are taken for chemical analyses at several locations along the Wüstebach stream (Bogena et al, 2015). For these samples, high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles are pre-rinsed with stream water and subsequently filled and transported to the laboratory at Jülich Forschungszentrum for further analysis (Bogena et al, 2020). The samples are kept at a temperature of 4 • C during transport and storage.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of deforestation on dissolved organic carbon and nitrate in catchment stream water revealed by wavelet analysis

Robinson

Bogena²,

Wang³

et al. 2022

Front. Water

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Deforestation can lead to an increase in the availability of nutrients in the soil and, in turn, have an impact on the quality of water in receiving water bodies. This study assesses the impact of deforestation by evaluating the in-stream concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrate, their internal relationship, and those with stream discharge in the Wüstebach headwater catchment (Germany). This catchment has monitored stream water and associated environmental parameters for over a decade as part of the TERENO initiative. Additionally, there is a paired undisturbed forested catchment that serves as a reference stream. Our approach included a more advanced correlation analysis, namely wavelet analysis, that assists in determining changes in the correlation and lag time between the variables of interest over different time scales. This study found that after deforestation, there was an immediate increase in in-stream DOC concentrations, followed by an increase in nitrate ~1 year later. Overall, the mean DOC concentration increased, and mean nitrate concentration decreased across the catchment post-deforestation. Elevated stream water nutrient levels peaked around 2 to 3 years after the clear-cutting, and returned to pre-deforestation levels after ~5 years. The deforestation had no influence on the anti-correlation between DOC and nitrate. However, the correlation between both compounds and discharge was likely altered due to the increased soil nutrients availability as a result of deforestation. Wavelet coherence analysis revealed the “underlying” changing strengths and directions of the main correlations between DOC, nitrate and discharge on different time scales resulting from severe forest management interventions (here deforestation). This information provides new valuable impact insights for decision making into such forest management interventions.

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“…In 2013, a part of the spruce trees (23% of the catchment forestation) was logged mostly close to the stream. Several studies reported the effects of this disturbance on hydrological fluxes, for example, the transit time distribution (Stockinger et al, 2016) and water flow paths (Bogena et al, 2020). The deforestation in the Wüstebach catchment caused an increase in discharge and sequential flow occurrence (Wiekenkamp et al, 2016(Wiekenkamp et al, , 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deforestation alters dissolved organic carbon and sulfate dynamics in a mountainous headwater catchment—A wavelet analysis

Wang

Robinson

et al. 2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Deforestation has a wide range of effects on hydrological and geochemical processes. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics, a sensitive environmental change indicator, is expected to be affected by deforestation, with changes in atmospheric sulfur (S) deposition compounding this. However, how precisely anthropogenic disturbance (deforestation) under a declining atmospheric S input scenario affects the underlying spatiotemporal dynamics and relationships of river DOC and sulfate with hydro-climatological variables e.g., stream water temperature, runoff, pH, total dissolved iron (Fetot), and calcium (Ca2+) remains unclear. We, therefore, examined this issue within the TERENO Wüstebach catchment (Eifel, Germany), where partial deforestation had taken place in 2013. Wavelet transform coherence (WTC) analysis was applied based on a 10-year time series (2010–2020) from three sampling stations, whose (sub) catchment areas have different proportions of deforested area (W10: 31%, W14: 25%, W17: 3%). We found that water temperature and DOC, sulfate, and Fetot concentrations showed distinct seasonal patterns, with DOC averaging concentrations ranging from 2.23 (W17) to 4.56 (W10) mg L–1 and sulfate concentration ranging from 8.04 (W10) to 10.58 (W17) mg L–1. After clear-cut, DOC significantly increased by 59, 58% in the mainstream (W10, W14), but only 26% in the reference stream. WTC results indicated that DOC was negatively correlated with runoff and sulfate, but positively correlated with temperature, Ca2+, and Fetot. The negative correlation between DOC with runoff and sulfate was apparent over the whole examined 10-year period in W17 but did end in W10 and W14 after the deforestation. Sulfate (SO4) was highly correlated with stream water temperature, runoff, and Fetot in W10 and W14 and with a longer lag time than W17. Additionally, pH was stronger correlated (higher R2) with sulfate and DOC in W17 than in W10 and W14. In conclusion, WTC analysis indicates that within this low mountainous forest catchment deforestation levels over 25% (W10 and W14) affected the coupling of S and C cycling substantially more strongly than “natural” environmental changes as observed in W17.

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Long‐term stable water isotope and runoff data for the investigation of deforestation effects on the hydrological system of the Wüstebach catchment, Germany

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Reduction of vegetation-accessible water storage capacity after deforestation affects catchment travel time distributions and increases young water fractions in a headwater catchment

Reduction of vegetation-accessible water storage capacity after deforestation affects catchment travel time distributions and increases young water fractions in a headwater catchment

Effects of deforestation on dissolved organic carbon and nitrate in catchment stream water revealed by wavelet analysis

Deforestation alters dissolved organic carbon and sulfate dynamics in a mountainous headwater catchment—A wavelet analysis

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