Towards hydrological connectivity in the karst hillslope critical zone: Insight from using water isotope signals

Reply on RC2

“…6c). This contrasts with findings from suction lysimeter water studies (Burt et al 2023;Zhang et al, 2023), which reported higher Fyw at higher elevations and lower Fyw lower down. We propose that their findings are limited by sampling only at lower HAND levels, preventing the observation of alternate patterns that emerge beyond the HAND threshold.…”

“…In contrast, stream water is likely characterized by longer flow paths. Despite the prevalence of exfiltration-induced overland flow as a primary water source in headwater catchments, as noted by Chen et al (2023), our findings from the Hehuan catchment suggest that stream water may have a greater contribution from groundwater. This would result in a lower Fyw for stream water and less variability across different catchments.…”

“…For instance, Burt et al (2023) reported Fyw values of 15% in hillslope and 6% in riparian lysimeters in the Peruvian Andes, with stream water Fyw at only 5%. Another study by Zhang et al (2023) on a 20-meter experimental hillslope found lysimeter water Fyw to range between 70-100%. Our seepage water Fyw findings, which ranged from 24% to 79%, exhibited a broader range than these studies, possibly due to our larger HAND range in seepage sampling.…”

Lithology‐mediated soil erodibility characteristics after vegetation restoration in the karst region of Southwest China

“…The two research areas included Guzhou Ecological Reconstruction Demonstration Area (24° 50′ N, 107° 55′ E) and the Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystem (24° 43′ N, 108° 18′ E). The average annual temperature is 19.6°C, and the average annual rainfall is 1456 mm (Zhang et al, 2023). The topography of the two study areas is similar, with a high circumference and low center.…”

Reply on RC1

“…For instance, Burt et al (2023) reported Fyw values of 15% in hillslope and 6% in riparian lysimeters in the Peruvian Andes, with stream water Fyw at only 5%. Another study by Zhang et al (2023) on a 20-meter experimental hillslope found lysimeter water Fyw to range between 70-100%. Our seepage water Fyw findings, which ranged from 24% to 79%, exhibited a broader range than these studies, possibly due to our larger HAND range in seepage sampling.…”