Short-time phosphorus losses by overland flow in burnt pine and eucalypt plantations in north-central Portugal: A study at micro-plot scale

Ferreira, R.; Serpa, Dalila; Cerqueira, Mário; Keizer, Jan Jacob

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.036

Cited by 27 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Northwestern Portugal has been the focus of research on hydrological and erosion processes in burnt areas (Ferreira et al ., ; Malvar et al ., , ; Shakesby et al ., ); impacts of postfire management on hydrological processes and erosion (Martins et al ., ); postfire stream water quality (Campos et al ., ; Ferreira et al ., ; Silva et al ., ); hydrological and erosion processes in unburnt forest plantations (Boulet et al ., ; Hawtree et al ., ; Santos et al ., ); and hydrological modelling in burnt and unburnt forests (Nunes et al ., ; Rial‐Rivas et al ., ; Tavares Wahren et al ., ; Vieira et al ., ). The Macieira watershed has also received some research attention: Ferreira () studied erosion after the 1991 fire, and Nunes et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Afforestation, Subsequent Forest Fires and Provision of Hydrological Services: A Model‐Based Analysis for a Mediterranean Mountainous Catchment

et al. 2017

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Mediterranean landscapes have experienced extensive abandonment and reforestation in recent decades, which should have improved the provision of hydrological services such as flood mitigation, soil erosion protection and water quality regulation. However, these forests are fire‐prone, and the postfire increase in runoff, erosion and sediment exports could negatively affect service provision. This issue was assessed by using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model for the Macieira de Alcôba mountain catchment in northwestern Portugal, covered by agriculture and forest plantations, monitored in 2010–2014 and partially burnt in 2011. The model was validated for streamflow, sediment yield and erosion in agricultural fields and burnt hillslopes, showing that it can be adapted for postfire simulation. Model results for a decadal assessment (2004–2014) show that the fire increased erosion in the burnt slopes from 0.1 to 46.5 Mg ha−1 y−1 and catchment sediment yield from 0.14 to 2.1 Mg ha−1 y−1. Erosion in the burnt forest during this decade was 1 order of magnitude above that in agricultural fields. Model results for different fire and land‐use scenarios indicate that postfire erosion and sediment yield were lower without postfire soil management for reforestation and when the fire occurred in pine forests (land use before the 1990s) or in shrublands (land‐use before afforestation in the 1930s). These impacts were robust to changes in postfire weather and to a longer (20 years) unburnt period. The results suggest that, in the long term, Mediterranean fire‐prone forests might not provide the anticipated soil protection and water quality regulation services. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Afforestation, Subsequent Forest Fires and Provision of Hydrological Services: A Model‐Based Analysis for a Mediterranean Mountainous Catchment

et al. 2017

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“…The postfire nutrient concentration predictions agree with the findings of several studies that measured nitrates and total nitrogen in recently burned forest areas in North Central Portugal. Ferreira, Serpa, Cerqueira, and Keizer (2016), for instance, show a range between 0.010 and 0.095 mg L −1 for nitrate concentrations, and values ranging from 0.010 to 0.095 mg L −1 for total nitrogen concentration, at the plot scale during the first 6 months following a moderate wildfire. A different study reports values of 1.01 mg L −1 for total nitrogen concentrations in a postfire hydrological year in a forest that burned once, and 2.23 mg L −1 for a forest that burned four times.…”

Section: Postfire Impacts On the Hydrological Response At The Subbamentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

et al. 2019

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Forest fires have intensified in the Mediterranean area over the last decades, becoming increasingly destructive. Catastrophic wildfires, such as the ones that occurred on the Portuguese territory during 2017, have emphasized the need for developing management tools capable of rapidly assessing their impact on downstream water bodies. This study focuses on the effects of the 2017 forest fires on the water quality of the Zêzere River (Portugal), one of the major sources of freshwater to Lisbon and the surrounding areas. During 2017, more than 100,000 ha (30% of the Zêzere watershed) were affected by wildfires, making it one of the largest burned areas in Portugal. Using the soil water assessment tool, the land use (curve number, crop vegetation management factor) and soil (soil erodibility factor) parameters were modified considering different magnitudes of the fire event (low, medium, and high severity). The impact of the different wildfires was then assessed at the subbasin level and at the entrance of Castelo de Bode reservoir. Simulations showed a significant increase in runoff and sediment concentration at the subbasin level in the years following the fire events, with high concentrations of nutrients occurring at the reservoir inlet. Nitrate concentration slightly overcame the threshold limits foreseen in legislation for drinking water, meaning that fires could have additional impact on human health. Phosphate concentration recurrently exceeded the legislation threshold, representing a severe risk to the ecosystem by potentially promoting the eutrophication of downstream water bodies, oxygen deficiency in the bottom substrate, and reduced biodiversity.

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“…The relevance of vertical as well as lateral transport mechanisms was also suggested by the increases in PAH loads that have been found in groundwater (Mansilha, Carvalho, Guimarães, & Espinha Marques, 2015), as well as in surface water and sediments (Campos et al, 2012;Moreira et al, 2013;Schäfer, Hearn, Kefford, Mueller, & Nugegoda, 2010;Smith et al, 2011) following heavy rainfall after the wildfire. Possibly, the relative importance of lateral and vertical transport of PAHs was quite distinct at the two Ermida sites, as runoff and especially soil (fertility) losses were much lower at the pine site than at a nearby eucalypt site Ferreira, Serpa, Cerqueira, & Keizer, 2016) probably due to a protective mulch layer of needle cast from the scorched pine crowns.…”

Section: Topsoil and Ash Pah Levelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fires as potential triggers for production and mobilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the terrestrial ecosystem

et al. 2019

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Although forest fires have been identified as an important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), this problematic has not been thoroughly studied yet. This study addressed the role of wildfires and time since fire in the production and mobilization of PAHs to the terrestrial compartment. Levels of 15 priority PAHs were assessed in topsoil and ash samples (by GC–MS analysis) collected in two burnt areas and an unburnt one, comprising two types of vegetation coverage and four sampling occasions after fire. The fire had triggered an immediately increase of PAH levels in topsoil, according to the comparison of burnt and unburnt samples, but this impact had largely faded 4 months later. Although the fire severity did not play a role in immediate postfire PAH contents in topsoil and ashes, variations were found with the type of vegetation coverage being higher in pine slopes. The wildfire event markedly changed PAHs composition through enrichment in three‐ring PAHs (69% vs. 27%, burnt and unburnt, respectively), which dwindled more markedly in topsoil than in ashes. This study pointed out the key role of wildfires as a source of PAHs to the terrestrial compartment, as unveiled by the increased levels in topsoil and ashes. Additionally, it was found that PAHs could be mobilized from these matrixes over the first year after the fire, possibly leading to aquatic contamination. This finding suggests wildfires as a diffuse source of PAH contamination to freshwater systems, which need to be considering in future monitoring/management programs on the environmental impact of wildfires.

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Short-time phosphorus losses by overland flow in burnt pine and eucalypt plantations in north-central Portugal: A study at micro-plot scale

Cited by 27 publications

References 68 publications

Afforestation, Subsequent Forest Fires and Provision of Hydrological Services: A Model‐Based Analysis for a Mediterranean Mountainous Catchment

Afforestation, Subsequent Forest Fires and Provision of Hydrological Services: A Model‐Based Analysis for a Mediterranean Mountainous Catchment

Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

Forest fires as potential triggers for production and mobilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to the terrestrial ecosystem

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