Simulating soil‐water movement under a hedgerow surrounding a bottomland reveals the importance of transpiration in water balance

Thomas, Zahra; Molénat, Jérôme; Caubel, Virginie; Grimaldi, C.; Mérot, Philippe

doi:10.1002/hyp.6619

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(52 reference statements)

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“…The driving force is the deep tree root system that can lift water from wet soil horizons several meters below the ground up to the leaves (Richards and Caldwell, 1987; Ryszkowski and Kedziora, 1993). It is recognized that trees have higher transpiration rates and greater influence on soil water transfer than other plants (Thomas et al , 2008), resulting in reduced surface runoff, groundwater recharge, and interflow (Cosandey, 2001) and, in some cases reverse the hydraulic gradient underneath them (Heuperman, 1999). Trees are able to adapt their water use to local soil water conditions and hence optimize their water uptake to use the available water in their root zone efficiently (Plamboeck et al , 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil water movement under a bottomland hedgerow during contrasting meteorological conditions

Ghazavi

Thomas

Hamon

et al. 2010

Hydrological Processes

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"Linear vegetation structures such as hedge tree networks (hedgerows), shelterbelts, and isolated trees play a major role on soil water transfer. Our objective is to evaluate the influence of a bottomland hedgerow on water flux in the saturated and unsaturated zones. Soil water movement was investigated in a hillslope crossed by a hedgerow using total water-potential gradients and shallow groundwater dynamics. Results of a dry year were presented by Ghazavi et al. (2008). In this study, we analyse a wet year and then compare the two contrasting years (dry and wet). During the 2 years, the soil located at the vicinity of the hedgerow developed a drier status than the surrounding soils. Water flux in the unsaturated zone was directed towards the hedgerow for a longer period during the dry year than the wet year. The duration of delayed rewetting of the soil decreased from 3 months for the dry year to 1 month for the wet year. Variation in water storage calculated over the study period was highest near the hedgerow and lowest far from the hedgerow. In the hillslope studied, hedgerow and stream proximity controlled water transfer. It is clear that the hedgerow controlled water transfer in the unsaturated zone throughout the year, except for the period when the soil profile was fully saturated. First, hedgerows control water transfer by increasing lateral transfer, which is related to high soil water potential gradients in its vicinity. These processes may increase capillary rise and decrease groundwater recharge near the hedgerow. Second, reverse hydraulic gradient (upward flux of water) occurred during the period of lowest groundwater level, mainly because of groundwater and stream connectivity. Processes related to hedgerow presence, such as delayed soil rewetting and flow towards the hedgerow need to be considered to quantify the impact of linear vegetation structures on water flux.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil water movement under a bottomland hedgerow during contrasting meteorological conditions

Ghazavi

Thomas

Hamon

et al. 2010

Hydrological Processes

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“…Hedgerow (Acer campestre) transpiration rates have been observed reaching peak values of 8 mm day 1 (Herbst et al, 2007). The large impact of hedgerows on soil-water balance is due to their high transpiration rate (Thomas et al, 2008). Comparing simulated and observed results, Ticehurst et al (2005) identified several dominant processes to include in a simulation model to take into account the effect of tree belts on hillslopes: evaporation, surface runoff, lateral flow, and vertical drainage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hedgerow impacts on soil‐water transfer due to rainfall interception and root‐water uptake

Ghazavi

Thomas

Hamon

et al. 2008

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Hedgerow is one of the most important rural landscapes in the world, especially in Europe. Knowledge about the hydrological role of hedgerows is useful in many fields of study, such as hydrological modelling and rural landscape management. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a hedgerow on rainfall distribution, soil-water potential gradient, lateral water transfer and water balance. A hillslope with a hedgerow perpendicular to the slope was monitored. To evaluate hedgerow rainfall interception, rainfall was measured (hourly, daily, and by rainfall event) both next to and up to 16 m upslope and 12 m downslope perpendicularly away from the hedgerow. The strongest correlation between rainfall next to the hedgerow and rainfall at more distant points was obtained using data measured per rainfall event. The average percentage of rainfall intercepted equalled 28% for the leafed period and 12% for the leafless period. The impact of the hedgerow on spatial rainfall distribution was related to distance from the hedgerow and rainfall amount. Annual distribution of soil-water potential showed that the hedgerow influenced it up to 9 m upslope and 6 m downslope, the area in which most of the hedgerow's roots were observed. The soil was driest at the end of summer, which delayed soil rewetting during autumn in areas surrounding the hedgerow. Annual groundwater dynamics exhibited three distinct periods due to temporal rainfall distribution and, especially at the end of summer, root-water uptake. In addition, the total potential gradient showed that unsaturated flow was directed towards the hedgerow in summer and autumn. These results indicate that at the local scale hedgerows influences (1) spatial rainfall distribution, (2) soil rewetting, and (3) groundwater recharge, often at distances well beyond the hedgerow's drip line. Consequently, the processes involved in soil-water dynamics around hedgerows should be integrated into relevant hydrological models, especially for catchments with a dense hedgerow network.

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“…Our results showed that the LF within the root zone from top to bottom was trivial, which might be explained by the small elevation difference or rainfall intensity [40,41], or lack of a headwater catchment [24]. Thus, further work is needed to quantify the response of LF to altered precipitation intensity and sand-fixing shrub density in dune-interdune landscapes, which would contribute to water resource management.…”

Section: Effect Of Micro-topography On Hydrological Budgetsmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Numerical simulation is a flexible and cost-efficient alternative and approximates the hydrological system using computational models. Some scholars have applied mechanistic models such as HYDRUS, SWMS, and APRI to investigate the hillslope hydrological mechanisms related to the management of water resources [24][25][26]. However, to our knowledge, there has been no research on predicting hydrological processes in the dune-interdune landscape in the Horqin Sandy Land using hydrological models.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Investigations of Water Balances of a Dune-Interdune Landscape during the Growing Season in the Horqin Sandy Land, Northeastern China

Zhou

Guan

et al. 2017

Sustainability

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Dune-interdune is the main landscape pattern of desert areas, such as the Horqin sandy land of Northeastern China. Exploring the temporal and spatial variation of the water balance is crucial for efficient vegetation restoration at the micro-landform scale. The SWMS-2D model was used to estimate the seasonal variations of the water balance including evapotranspiration, soil water storage changes, lateral flow and drainage, and to examine the effects of micro-landforms (i.e., the top, upper, down, and bottom positions of the dune slope, and the interdune lowland area) on these components from May to October 2013 and 2015. Results showed that the soil water content was sensitive to rainfall pulses, particularly large precipitation events. Over 70% of the total evapotranspiration occurred from June to August, with a maximum daily value of 6.56 mm. At a monthly scale, evapotranspiration was not synchronous with precipitation. The ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation was 1.84, 0.39, 2.49, 0.93, 2.26, and 1.14 in May, June, July, August, September, and October 2013 (a wet year), respectively; and 2.40, 1.11, 0.69, 2.14, 1.07, and 1.11 in 2015 (a dry year), respectively. The components of the water balance were significantly different among different micro-landforms. Evapotranspiration of a lowland area was greater than that in other micro-landforms, and the value in the wet year (2013) was significantly greater than that in the dry year (2015). However, water consumption in the lowland area was similar in both years. At the top, upper, down, and bottom positions of the dune slope, the ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation in the wet year (2013) was 96%, 97%, 86%, and 96%, respectively; while in the dry year (2015), the ratio was 103%, 103%, 88%, and 104%. Therefore, in the dry year, evapotranspiration was generally larger than precipitation, indicating that almost all water from precipitation was evaporated. The lateral flow of the root zone from top to bottom accounted for only a small portion of water budget at the growing season scale. The results could be generalized to other similar region with corresponding model calibration, and would help to reveal seasonal variations of water balance components under the local topography, climate, soil, and vegetation conditions.

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Simulating soil‐water movement under a hedgerow surrounding a bottomland reveals the importance of transpiration in water balance

Cited by 20 publications

References 35 publications

Soil water movement under a bottomland hedgerow during contrasting meteorological conditions

Soil water movement under a bottomland hedgerow during contrasting meteorological conditions

Hedgerow impacts on soil‐water transfer due to rainfall interception and root‐water uptake

Quantitative Investigations of Water Balances of a Dune-Interdune Landscape during the Growing Season in the Horqin Sandy Land, Northeastern China

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