Fog precipitation in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve,Guatemala

Fog precipitation occurs when fog droplets are filtered by the forest canopy and coalesce on the vegetative surfaces to form larger water droplets that drip to the forest floor. This study examines the quantity of throughfall compared with incident precipitation produced by the canopy of a lower montane rain forest (2100 m) and an upper montane cloud forest (2550 m) in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. Fog precipitation was measured with throughfall and precipitation gauges from 23 July 1995 to 7 June 1996. Fog precipitation occurred during sampling periods when throughfall exceeded incident precipitation. Fog precipitation contributed <1% of total water inputs in the cloud forest at 2100 m during the 44‐week period, whereas fog precipitation contributed 7·4% at 2550 m during the same period. The depth equivalent of fog precipitation was greater at 2550 m (203·4 mm) than at 2100 m (23·4 mm). The calculation of fog precipitation in this study is underestimated. The degree of underestimation may be evident in the difference in apparent rainfall interception between 2100 m (35%) and 2550 m (4%). Because the apparent interception rate at 2550 m is significantly lower than 2100 m, the canopy probably is saturated for longer periods as a result of cloud water contributions. Data show a seasonal pattern of fog precipitation most evident at the 2550 m site. Fog precipitation represented a larger proportion of total water inputs during the dry season (November to May). Because cloud forests generate greater than 1 mm day^?1 of fog precipitation in higher elevations of the Sierra de las Minas, the conservation of the cloud forest may be important to meet the water demands of a growing population in the surrounding arid lowlands. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

It goes both ways: measurements of simultaneous evapotranspiration and fog droplet deposition at a montane cloud forest

Fluxes of latent heat, sensible heat, and water vapor, including turbulent deposition of fog droplets, were measured for two months in autumn 2005 within a subtropical montane cypress forest in Taiwan. The goal of the study was to determine whether significant evapotranspiration can occur during foggy conditions. Water vapor fluxes, Q_W, as determined with the Bowen Ratio method, were compared to those simultaneously measured with the eddy covariance method. The median Bowen Ratio was 1.06, and the median Q_W flux was 5 · 2 × 10^?5 kg m^?2 s^?1. The vertical gradients of temperature and specific humidity over the forest, ΔT and Δq, peaked around noon during days without fog, and were reduced during foggy conditions. For 66% of the data points, ΔT and Δq were negative, corresponding to positive (upward) fluxes of sensible heat Q_H and latent heat Q_E. A Monte Carlo simulation proved that statistically significant evapotranspiration rates, i.e., upward water vapor fluxes, occurred during fog. At the same time, deposition fluxes of fog droplets occurred. Our results show that even during fog events, significant evapotranspiration may occur. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Does canopy wetness matter? Evapotranspiration from a subtropical montane cloud forest in Taiwan

Evapotranspiration (ET) and canopy wetness were measured over a 2‐year intensive field campaign at the Chi‐Lan Mountain cloud forest site in Taiwan. Eddy covariance and sap flow methods were applied to measure ET and tree sap flow of the endemic yellow cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana). ET was 553 mm yr^?1 over the study period with an annual rainfall and fog deposition of 4893 and 288 mm yr^–1, respectively. The duration of canopy wetness exceeded actual fog or rain events (mostly in the afternoon), and the intercepted water was evaporated later in the following dry morning. The cumulative wet duration accounted for 52% of time over the study period, which was longer than the duration of rainfall and fog altogether (41%). As it adapted to the extremely moist environment, the yellow cypress behaved in a wet‐enhanced/dry‐reduced water use strategy and was sensitive to short periods of dry atmosphere with high evaporation potential. During dry days, the sap flow rate rose quickly after dawn and led to conservative water use through midday and the afternoon. During periodically wet days, the canopy was mostly wetted in the morning, and the interception evaporation contributed largely to the morning ET. The initiation of morning sap flow was postponed 1–3 h, and the sap flow rate tended to peak later at midday. The midday canopy conductance was higher in the periodically wet days (10.6 mm s^–1) as compared with 7.6 mm s^?1 in the dry days. Consequently, the dry‐reduced water use strategy led to much lower annual ET with respect to the available energy (~46%) and high precipitation input (~11%). The moist‐adapted ecohydrology we report reveals the vulnerability of montane cloud forests to prolonged fog‐free periods. More research is urgently needed to better understand the resilience of these ecosystems and formulate adaptive management plans. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating sublimation of intercepted and sub‐canopy snow using eddy covariance systems

Direct measurements of winter water loss due to sublimation were made in a sub‐alpine forest in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Above‐and below‐canopy eddy covariance systems indicated substantial losses of winter‐season snow accumulation in the form of snowpack (0·41 mm d^?1) and intercepted snow (0·71 mm d^?1) sublimation. The partitioning between these over and under story components of water loss was highly dependent on atmospheric conditions and near‐surface conditions at and below the snow/atmosphere interface. High above‐canopy sensible heat fluxes lead to strong temperature gradients between vegetation and the snow‐surface, driving substantial specific humidity gradients at the snow surface and high sublimation rates. Intercepted snowfall resulted in rapid response of above‐canopy latent heat fluxes, high within‐canopy sublimation rates (maximum = 3·7 mm d^?1), and diminished sub‐canopy snowpack sublimation. These results indicate that sublimation losses from the sub‐canopy snowpack are strongly dependent on the partitioning of sensible and latent heat fluxes in the canopy. This compels comprehensive studies of snow sublimation in forested regions that integrate sub‐canopy and over‐story processes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water and heat fluxes above a lowland dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia

We measured the fluxes of sensible and latent heat between a low‐land dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia and the atmosphere. No clear seasonal or interannual changes in latent heat flux were found from 2003 to 2005, while sensible heat flux sometimes fluctuated depending on the fluctuation of incoming radiation between wet and dry seasons. The evapotranspiration rates averaged for the period between 2003 and 2005 were 2·77 and 3·61 mm day^?1 using eddy covariance data without and with an energy balance correction, respectively. Average precipitation was 4·74 mm day^?1. Midday surface conductance decreased with an increasing atmospheric water vapour pressure deficit and thus restricted the excess water loss on sunny days in the dry season. However, the relationship between the surface conductance and vapour pressure deficit did not significantly decline with an increase in volumetric soil water content even during a period of extremely low rainfall. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rainfall partitioning into throughfall,stemflow, and interception within a single beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) canopy: influence of foliation,rain event characteristics,and meteorology

While the hydrological balance of forest ecosystems has often been studied at the annual level, quantitative studies on the factors determining rainfall partitioning of individual rain events are less frequently reported. Therefore, the effect of the seasonal variation in canopy cover on rainfall partitioning was studied for a mature deciduous beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) tree over a 2‐year period. At the annual level, throughfall amounted to 71% of precipitation, stemflow 8%, and interception 21%. Rainfall partitioning at the event level depended strongly on the amount of rainfall and differed significantly (p < 0·001) between the leafed and the leafless period of the year. Therefore, water fluxes of individual events were described using a multiple regression analysis (r_a² > 0·85, n = 205) with foliation, rainfall characteristics and meteorological variables as predictor variables. For a given amount of rainfall, foliation significantly increased interception and decreased throughfall and stemflow amounts. In addition, rainfall duration, maximum rainfall rate, vapour pressure deficit, and wind speed significantly affected rainfall partitioning at the event level. Increasing maximum hourly rainfall rate increased throughfall and decreased stemflow generation, while higher hourly vapour pressure deficit decreased event throughfall and stemflow amounts. Wind speed decreased throughfall in the growing period only. Since foliation and the event rainfall amount largely determined interception loss, the observed net water input under the deciduous canopy was sensitive to the temporal distribution of rainfall. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fog interception by non‐vascular epiphytes in tropical montane cloud forests: dependencies on gauge type and meteorological conditions

Precipitation is the most fundamental input of water for terrestrial ecosystems. Most precipitation inputs are vertical, via rain, but can be horizontal, via wind‐driven rain and snow, or, in some ecosystems such as tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs), via fog interception. Fog interception can be particularly important in ecosystems where fog is frequently present and there are seasonal periods of lower rainfall. Epiphytes in trees are a major ecological component of TMCFs and are particularly dependent on fog interception during periods of lower rainfall because they lack access to soil water. But assessing fog interception by epiphytes remains problematic because: (i) a variety of field or laboratory methods have been used, yet comparisons of interception by epiphytes versus interception by various types of fog gauge are lacking; (ii) previous studies have not accounted for potential interactions between meteorological factors. We compared fog interception by epiphytes with two kinds of commonly used fog gauges and developed relations between fog interception and meteorological variables by conducting laboratory experiments that manipulated key fog characteristics and from field measurements of fog interception by epiphytes. Fog interception measured on epiphytes was correlated with that measured from fog gauges but was more than an order of magnitude smaller than the actual measurements from fog gauges, highlighting a key measurement issue. Our laboratory measurements spanned a broad range of liquid water content (LWC) values for fog and indicate how fog interception is sensitive to an interaction between wind speed and LWC. Based on our results, considered in concert with those from other studies, we hypothesize that fog interception is constrained when LWC is low or high, and that fog interception increases with wind speed for intermediate values of LWC—a net result of deposition, impaction, and evaporation processes—until interception begins to decrease with further increases in wind speed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cloud water interception in the high altitude tree heath forest (Erica arborea L.) of Paul da Serra Massif (Madeira,Portugal)

Cloud water interception (CWI) occurs when cloud droplets are blown against the forest canopy, where they are retained on the vegetation surface, forming larger water droplets that drip into the forest floor. CWI was measured from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1999, on a first‐line tree heath (Erica arborea), at Bica da Cana, Madeira Island. Rainfall was corrected for wind‐loss effect and compared with throughfall and other climatological normals. The CWI depletion rate along a forest stand transect was also analysed during three distinct fog events in 2008. Cloud water was 28 mm day^?1, corresponding to 68% of total throughfall and 190% of the gross precipitation. Cloud water correlates directly with monthly normals of fog days and wind speed and correlates inversely with the monthly air temperature normal. CWI has an exponential correlation with monthly relative humidity normal. Cloud water capture depletion along the stand shows a logarithmic decrease. Although a forest stand does not directly relate to a first‐line tree heath, this study shows that CWI is a frequent phenomenon in the Paul da Serra massif. Restoration and protection of high altitude ecosystems in Madeira should be a priority, not only for biodiversity, ecological and economical purposes but also for its role in regional water resources. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interception loss from eucalypt forest: Lysimeter determination of hourly rates for long term evaluation

Analyses of the response by a weighing lysimeter in Kioloa State Forest during and after rainfall provided values of interception loss rate. The derived rates for time scales between 0.1 and 1.0mm h^?1 were generally similar throughout storm events to losses determined from throughfall and stemflow observations. During post-rainfall periods of canopy drying, enhanced rates of lysimeter evaporation were consistent with micrometeorological determinations of the partitioning of available radiant energy, based on atmospheric gradients of humidity and temperature. Interception losses from the eucalypt forest, deduced from the lysimeter response, varied between 10 and 15 per cent of gross rainfall in three consecutive 12 month periods whereas the corresponding rainfall ranged between 590 and 1530 mm yr^?1. Daytime losses accounted for about two-thirds of total interception loss with a similar fraction occurring during rain periods. Storage capacity of the evergreen forest canopy was inferred to be 0.35 mm. Hourly loss rates during rainfall ranged up to 0.8 mm h^?1 but with decreasing mean values and variability with increasing time scale resulting in a monthly mean value computed for the total number of hours of rain of approximately 0.1 mm h^?1. A preliminary analysis of loss rate in terms of storm windspeed and rainfall intensity explained about half of its variation in statistically derived relationships. Improved time resolution of the order of seconds was considered a prerequisite to the physical understanding of turbulent transport from saturated canopies. The small value of interception storage capacity was considered in relation to that for pine forest as a basis for explaining observed differences in interception behaviour between eucalypt forest and coniferous plantations in the same area. Large differences in interception losses between the Kioloa site and evergreen forest in the South Island of New Zealand and also eucalypt forest in Western Australia were attributed to dissimilar meteorological conditions at the various sites.     

Rainfall interception by trees of Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus viminalis in a 1300 mm rainfall area of southeastern New South Wales: II. Influence of wind-borne precipitation

Analyses were made of the concurrent canopy precipitation balances of a seed orchard pine and a mature forest eucalypt during protracted rainfalls selected for their representativeness of the range of variation encountered in the two canopy types at Tallanganda State Forest (ca. 990 m a.s.l.) in the Upper Shoalhaven Valley of southeastern New South Wales. Although their canopy storage capacities were widely different there was consistent interception behaviour in the pine and the eucalypt in all events. Detailed weather data and the time courses of interception loss provided circumstantial evidence for a varying and, at times, substantial influence of cloud or mist deposition on the canopy precipitation balances during rainfall that made a significant contribution to the variation in rainfall interception data. Mean evaporation rates from the saturated canopies during rainfall varied from ?0·02 mm hr^?1 up to 0·68 mm hr^?1 in the pine; and from ?0·04 mm hr^?1 up to 0·13 mm hr^?1 in the eucalypt. The implications of cloud-capture during rainfall for studies of rainfall interception in forests of southeastern Australia are discussed.     

The solute budget of a forest catchment and solute fluxes within a Pinus radiata and a secondary native forest site,southern Chile

Solute concentrations and fluxes in rainfall, throughfall and stemflow in two forest types, and stream flow in a 90 ha catchment in southern Chile (39°44′S, 73°10′W) were measured. Bulk precipitation pH was 6·1 and conductivity was low. Cation concentrations in rainfall were low (0·58 mg Ca²⁺ l^?1, 0·13 mg K⁺ l^?1, 0·11 mg Mg²⁺ l^?1 and <0·08 mg NH₄–N l^?1), except for sodium (1·10 mg l^?1). Unexpected high levels of nitrate deposition in rainfall (mean concentration 0·38 mg NO₃–N l^?1, total flux 6·3 kg NO₃–N ha^?1) were measured. Concentrations of soluble phosphorous in bulk precipitation and stream flow were below detection limits (<0·09 mg l^?1) for all events. Stream‐flow pH was 6·3 and conductivity was 28·3 μs. Stream‐water chemistry was also dominated by sodium (2·70 mg l^?1) followed by Ca, Mg and K (1·31, 0·70 and 0·36 mg l^?1). The solute budget indicated a net loss of 3·8 kg Na⁺ ha^?1 year^?1, 5·4 kg Mg²⁺ ha^?1 year^?1, 1·5 kg Ca²⁺ ha^?1 year^?1 and 0·9 kg K⁺ ha^?1 year^?1, while 4·9 kg NO₃–N ha^?1 year^?1 was retained by the ecosystem. Stream water is not suitable for domestic use owing to high manganese and, especially, iron concentrations. Throughfall and stemflow chemistry at a pine stand (Pinus radiata D. Don) and a native forest site (Siempreverde type), both located within the catchment, were compared. Nitrate fluxes within both forest sites were similar (1·3 kg NO₃–N ha^?1 year^?1 as throughfall). Cation fluxes in net rainfall (throughfall plus stemflow) at the pine stand generally were higher (34·8 kg Na⁺ ha^?1 year^?1, 21·5 kg K⁺ ha^?1 year^?1, 5·1 kg Mg²⁺ ha^?1 year^?1) compared with the secondary native forest site (24·7 kg Na⁺ ha^?1 year^?1, 18·9 kg K⁺ ha^?1 year^?1 and 4·4 kg Mg²⁺ ha^?1 year^?1). However, calcium deposition beneath the native forest stand was higher (15·9 kg Ca²⁺ ha^?1 year^?1) compared with the pine stand (12·6 kg Ca²⁺ ha^?1 year^?1). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intra‐storm evaporation as a component of canopy interception loss in dryland shrubs: observations from Fowlers Gap,Australia

Interception losses from the canopies of dryland plant taxa remain poorly understood, especially the relative contributions of intra‐storm and post‐storm evaporative losses. Employing a new measuring apparatus, this study uses low‐intensity simulated rain, matched to the properties of local rain, to explore interception processes in bluebush shrubs at an Australian dryland site. Five shrub specimens were exposed to simulated rain for 60–90 min. Experiments were repeated at three rainfall intensities (10, 15, and 20 mm h^?1). Canopy evaporation was found from the difference between the flux of water delivered to the shrub and the flux of throughfall, once equilibrium had been established. The results show that evaporation from the wet foliage during rain proceeds at an average rate of 3·6 mm h^?1. This figure is for relatively cool spring‐season conditions; evaporation rates in hot summer conditions would be larger. Intra‐storm evaporation is shown to exceed post‐rain evaporation from interception storage on the shrubs, and this differentiates dryland shrub interception processes from those of the better‐studied wet forest environment. Implications of the high dryland shrub canopy evaporation rates for aspects of dryland ecology are highlighted. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonal and annual throughfall and stemflow in Andean temperate rainforests

The partitioning of gross rainfall into throughfall, stemflow, and interception loss and their relationships with forest structure was studied for a period of four years (October 2002–September 2006) and two years (October 2005–September 2007) in seven experimental catchments of temperate rainforest ecosystems located in the Andes of south‐central Chile (39°37′S, 600–925 m a.s.l.). The amount of throughfall, stemflow, and interception loss was correlated with forest structure characteristics such as basal area, canopy cover, mean quadratic diameter (MQD), and tree species characteristics in evergreen and deciduous forests. Annual rainfall ranged from 4061 to 5308 mm at 815 m a.s.l. and from 3453 to 4660 mm at 714 m a.s.l. Throughfall ranged from 64 to 89% of gross rainfall. Stemflow contributed 0·3–3·4% of net precipitation. Interception losses ranged from 11 to 36% of gross rainfall and depended on the amount of rainfall and characteristics as well as on forest structure, particularly the MQD. For evergreen forests, strong correlations were found between stemflow per tree and tree characteristics such as diameter at breast height (R² = 0·92, P < 0·01) and crown projection area (R² = 0·65, P < 0·01). Stemflow per tree was also significantly correlated with epiphyte cover of trunks in the old‐growth evergreen forests (R² = 0·29, P < 0·05). The difference in the proportion of throughfall and interception loss among stands was significant only during winter. The reported relationships between rainfall partitioning and forest structure and composition provide valuable information for management practices, which aimed at producing other ecosystem services in addition to timber in native rainforests of southern Chile. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How much does dry‐season fog matter? Quantifying fog contributions to water balance in a coastal California watershed

The seasonally‐dry climate of Northern California imposes significant water stress on ecosystems and water resources during the dry summer months. Frequently during summer, the only water inputs occur as non‐rainfall water, in the form of fog and dew. However, due to spatially heterogeneous fog interaction within a watershed, estimating fog water fluxes to understand watershed‐scale hydrologic effects remains challenging. In this study, we characterized the role of coastal fog, a dominant feature of Northern Californian coastal ecosystems, in a San Francisco Peninsula watershed. To monitor fog occurrence, intensity, and spatial extent, we focused on the mechanisms through which fog can affect the water balance: throughfall following canopy interception of fog, soil moisture, streamflow, and meteorological variables. A stratified sampling design was used to capture the watershed's spatial heterogeneities in relation to fog events. We developed a novel spatial averaging scheme to upscale local observations of throughfall inputs and evapotranspiration suppression and make watershed‐scale estimates of fog water fluxes. Inputs from fog water throughfall (10–30 mm/year) and fog suppression of evapotranspiration (125 mm/year) reduced dry‐season water deficits by 25% at watershed scales. Evapotranspiration suppression was much more important for this reduction in water deficit than were direct inputs of fog water. The new upscaling scheme was analyzed to explore the sensitivity of its results to the methodology (data type and interpolation method) employed. This evaluation suggests that our combination of sensors and remote sensing allows an improved incorporation of spatially‐averaged fog fluxes into the water balance than traditional interpolation approaches.     

Transit time evaluation using a chloride concentration input step shift after forest cutting in a Japanese headwater catchment

Mean transit times were estimated for a small headwater catchment in Japan (the Fukuroyamasawa Experimental Watershed) using the step shift in input chloride (Cl^?) concentrations that occurred immediately after an episode of forest clear‐cutting. Measured Cl^? concentrations in stream water began to decrease immediately after clear‐cutting, and this trend continued for 6 years. Before clear‐cutting, the input Cl^? concentrations were controlled by wet and dry deposition processes, and most of the dry Cl^? deposition was collected by the forest canopy and reached the ground as throughfall and stemflow. After clear‐cutting, dry deposition was no longer collected by the canopy in this way, thus causing a sharp decrease in input Cl^? concentrations. By comparing measured Cl^? concentrations in stream water with estimates based on the input and evaporative Cl^? concentrations, it was shown that the decrease in stream water Cl^? concentrations was caused mainly by this step shift in the Cl^? input. It was proposed that the change in Cl^? concentrations after forest cutting could be used to represent the replacement of ‘old’ water that existed before cutting by ‘new’ water that was supplied after cutting. The breakthrough curve for the new water fraction gave an approximately exponential distribution of transit times in flow‐corrected time. The mean flow‐corrected transit time was estimated as 1068 days (runoff: 3497 mm). It was therefore concluded that the step change in input Cl^? concentrations immediately following forest clear‐cutting could be successfully used to estimate transit times for the entire catchment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observations of canopy storage capacity and wet canopy evaporation in a humid boreal forest

Evaporation of intercepted rain by a canopy is an important component of evapotranspiration, particularly in the humid boreal forest, which is subject to frequent precipitation and where conifers have a large surface water storage capacity. Unfortunately, our knowledge of interception processes for this type of environment is limited by the many challenges associated with experimental monitoring of the canopy water balance. The objective of this study is to observe and estimate canopy storage capacity and wet canopy evaporation at the sub-daily and seasonal time scales in a humid boreal forest. This study relies on field-based estimates of rainfall interception and evapotranspiration partitioning at the Montmorency Forest, Québec, Canada (mean annual precipitation: 1600 mm, mean annual evapotranspiration: 550 mm), in two balsam fir-white birch forest stands. Evapotranspiration was monitored using eddy covariance sensors and sap flow systems, whereas rainfall interception was measured using 12 sets of throughfall and six stemflow collectors randomly placed inside six 400-m² plots. Changes in the amount of water stored on the canopy were also directly monitored using the stem compression method. The amount of water intercepted by the forest canopy was 11 ± 5% of the total rainfall during the snow-free (5 July–18 October) measurement periods of 2017 and 2018. The maximum canopy storage estimated from rainfall interception measurements was on average 1.6 ± 0.7 mm, though a higher value was found using the stem compression method (2.2 ± 1.6 mm). Taking the average of the two forest stands studied, evaporation of intercepted water represented 21 ± 8% of evapotranspiration, while the contribution of transpiration and understory evapotranspiration was 36 ± 9% and 18 ± 8%. The observations of each of the evapotranspiration terms underestimated the total evapotranspiration observed, so that 26 ± 12% of it was not attributed. These results highlight the importance to account for the evaporation of rain intercepted by humid boreal forests in hydrological models.     

Rainfall partitioning through a mixed cedar swamp and associated C and N fluxes in Southern Ontario,Canada

Partitioning of rainfall through a forest canopy into throughfall, stemflow, and canopy interception is a critical process in the water cycle, and the contact of precipitation with vegetated surfaces leads to increased delivery of solutes to the forest floor. This study investigates the rainfall partitioning over a growing season through a temperate, riparian, mixed coniferous‐deciduous cedar swamp, an ecosystem not well studied with respect to this process. Seasonal throughfall, stemflow, and interception were 69.2%, 1.5%, and 29.3% of recorded above‐canopy precipitation, respectively. Event throughfall ranged from a low of 31.5 ± 6.8% for a small 0.8‐mm event to a high of 82.9 ± 2.4% for a large 42.7‐mm event. Rain fluxes of at least 8 mm were needed to generate stemflow from all instrumented trees. Most trees had funnelling ratios <1.0, with an exponential decrease in funnelling ratio with increasing tree size. Despite this, stand‐scale funnelling ratios averaged 2.81 ± 1.73, indicating equivalent depth of water delivered across the swamp floor by stemflow was greater than incident precipitation. Throughfall dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) averaged 26.60 ± 2.96 and 2.02 ± 0.16 mg L^?1, respectively, which were ~11 and three times above‐canopy rain levels. Stemflow DOC averaged 73.33 ± 7.43 mg L^?1, 35 times higher than precipitation, and TDN was 4.45 ± 0.56 mg L^?1, 7.5 times higher than rain. Stemflow DOC concentration was highest from Populus balsamifera and TDN greatest from Thuja occidentalis trees. Although total below‐canopy flux of TDN increased with increasing event size, DOC flux was greatest for events 20–30 mm, suggesting a canopy storage threshold of DOC was readily diluted. In addition to documenting rainfall partitioning in a novel ecosystem, this study demonstrates the excess carbon and nitrogen delivered to riparian swamps, suggesting the assimilative capacity of these zones may be underestimated.     

Spatial and temporal variability of canopy and forest floor interception in a beech forest

Depending on season, rainfall characteristics and tree species, interception amounts to 15–50% of total precipitation in a forest under temperate climates. Many studies have investigated the importance of interception of different tree species in all kinds of different climates. Often authors merely determine interception storage capacity of that specific species and the considered event, and only sometimes a distinction is made between foliated and non‐foliated trees. However, interception is highly variable in time and space. First, since potential evaporation is higher in summer, but secondly because the storage capacity has a seasonal pattern. Besides weather characteristics, such as wind and rain intensity, snow causes large variations in the maximum storage capacity. In an experimental beech plot in Luxembourg, we found storage capacity of canopy interception to show a clear seasonal pattern varying from 0·1 mm in winter to 1·2 mm in summer. The capacity of the forest floor appears to be rather constant over time at 1·8 mm. Both have a standard deviation as high as ± 100%. However, the process is not sensitive to this variability resulting only in 11% variation of evaporation estimates. Hence, the number of raindays and the potential evaporation are stronger driving factors on interception. Furthermore, the spatial correlation of the throughfall and infiltration has been investigated with semi‐variograms and time stability plots. Within 6–7 m distance, throughfall and infiltration are correlated and the general persistence is rather weak. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Throughfall and stemflow vary seasonally in different land‐use types in a lower montane tropical region of Panama

Catchment hydrology is influenced by land‐use change through alteration of rainfall partitioning processes. We compared rainfall partitioning (throughfall, stemflow and interception) and soil water content in three land‐use types (primary forest, secondary forest and agriculture) in the Santa Fe region of Panama. Seasonal patterns were typified by larger volumes of throughfall and stemflow in the wet season, and the size of precipitation events was the main driver of variation in rainfall redistribution. Land‐use‐related differences in rainfall partitioning were difficult to identify due to the high variability of throughfall. However, annual throughfall in agricultural sites made up a larger proportion of gross precipitation than throughfall in forest sites (94 ± 1, 83 ± 6 and 81 ± 1% for agriculture, primary and secondary forests, respectively). Proportional throughfall (% of gross precipitation becoming throughfall) was consistent throughout the year for primary forest, but for secondary forest, it was larger in the dry season than the wet season. Furthermore, proportional stemflow in the dry season was larger in secondary forest than primary forest. Stemflow, measured only in primary and secondary forests, ranged between 0.9 and 3.2% of gross precipitation. Relative soil moisture content in agricultural plots was generally elevated during the first half of the dry season in comparison to primary and secondary forests. Because throughfall is elevated in agricultural plots, we suggest careful management of the spatial distribution and spread of this land‐use type to mitigate potential negative impacts in the form of floods and high erosion rates in the catchment. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.