Quantifying the Soil Water Storage Capacity of Flysh Catchments Surrounded by Mixed Forests in Outer Carpathians

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the retention capacity of catchments situated in the Beskid Wyspowy region of southern Poland. To accomplish this, we employed the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+), a newly developed hydrological model. The large heterogeneity of the catchment area and the limitations of measurement techniques necessitated the use of hydrological models. The study found that forested and pasture areas had higher soil water retention potential than agricultural areas. Furthermore, surface runoff of both catchments correlated negatively with soil water retention potential and evapotranspiration, however, positively with mean annual precipitation. Soil moisture was directly related to mean annual precipitation and electrical conductivity. The research also advocates incorporating the Landscape Hydric Potential (LHP) index into existing hydrologic models, in line with the physical-based SWAT+. Future watershed models based on water balance should be developed to increase resilience to climate change manifestations in the flysh Carpathian Mountains.