Isotope-aided modelling of ecohydrologic fluxes and water ages under mixed land use in Central Europe: The 2018 drought and its recovery

Understanding the interactions of vegetation and soil water under varying hydrological conditions is crucial to aid quantitative assessment of land-use sustainability for maintaining water supply for humans and plants. Isolating and estimating the volume and ages of water stored within different compartments of the critical zone, and the associated fluxes of evaporation, transpiration, and groundwater recharge, facilitates quantification of these soil–plant-water interactions and the response of ecohydrological fluxes to wet and dry periods. We used the tracer-aided ecohydrological model EcH₂O-iso to examine the response of water ages of soil water storage, groundwater recharge, evaporation, and root-uptake at a mixed land use site, in northeastern Germany during the drought of 2018 and in the following winter months. The approach applied uses a dynamic vegetation routine which constrains water use by ecological mechanisms. Two sites with regionally typical land-use types were investigated: a forested site with sandy soils and a deep rooting zone and a grassland site, with loamier soils and shallower rooting zone. This results in much younger water ages (<1 year) through the soil profile in the forest compared to the grass, coupled with younger groundwater recharge. The higher water use in the forest resulted in a more pronounced annual cycle of water ages compared to the more consistent water age in the loamier soil of the grasslands. The deeper rooting zone of the forested site also resulted in older root-uptake water usage relative to soil evaporation, while the grassland site root-uptake was similar to that of soil evaporation. Besides more dynamic water ages in the forest, replenishment of younger soil waters to soil storage was within 6 months following the drought (cf. >8 months in the grassland). The temporal evaluation of the responsiveness of soil and vegetation interactions in hydrologic extremes such as 2018 is essential to understand changes in hydrological processes and the resilience of the landscape to the longer and more severe summer droughts predicted under future climate change.     

Modelling ecohydrological feedbacks in forest and grassland plots under a prolonged drought anomaly in Central Europe 2018–2020

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of understanding ecohydrological drought feedbacks to secure water resources under a changing climate and increasing anthropogenic impacts. In this study, we monitored and modelled feedbacks in the soil–plant-atmosphere continuum to the European drought summer 2018 and the following 2 years. The physically based, isotope-aided model EcH₂O-iso was applied to generic vegetation plots (forest and grassland) in the lowland, groundwater-dominated research catchment Demnitzer Millcreek (NE Germany; 66 km²). We included, inter alia, soil water isotope data in the model calibration and quantified changing “blue” (groundwater recharge) and “green” (evapotranspiration) water fluxes and ages under each land use as the drought progressed. Novel plant xylem isotope data were excluded from calibration but were compared with simulated root uptake signatures in model validation. Results indicated inter-site differences in the dynamics of soil water storage and fluxes with contrasting water age both during the drought and the subsequent 2 years. Forest vegetation consistently showed a greater moisture stress, more rapid recovery and higher variability in root water uptake depths from a generally younger soil water storage. In contrast, the grassland site, which had more water-retentive soils, showed higher and older soil water storage and groundwater recharge fluxes. The damped storage and flux dynamics under grassland led to a slower return to younger water ages at depth. Such evidence-based and quantitative differences in ecohydrological feedbacks to drought stress in contrasting soil-vegetation units provide important insights into Critical Zone water cycling. This can help inform future progress in the monitoring, modelling and development of climate mitigation strategies in drought-sensitive lowlands.     

Modelling non-stationary water ages in a tropical rainforest: A preliminary spatially distributed assessment

Pristine tropical forests play a critical role in regional and global climate systems. For a better understanding of the eco-hydrology of tropical “evergreen” vegetation, it is essential to know the partitioning of water into transpiration and evaporation, runoff and associated water ages. For this purpose, we evaluated how topography and vegetation influence water flux and age dynamics at high temporal (hourly) and spatial (10 m) resolution using the Spatially Distributed Tracer-Aided Rainfall-Runoff model for the tropics (STARRtropics). The model was applied in a tropical rainforest catchment (3.2 km²) where data were collected biweekly to monthly and during intensive monitoring campaigns from January 2013 to July 2018. The STARRtropics model was further developed, incorporating an isotope mass balance for evapotranspiration partitioning into transpiration and evaporation. Results exhibited a rapid streamflow response to rainfall inputs (water and isotopes) with limited mixing and a largely time-invariant baseflow isotope composition. Simulated soil water storage showed a transient response to rainfall inputs with a seasonal component directly resembling the streamflow dynamics which was independently evaluated using soil water content measurements. High transpiration fluxes (max 7 mm/day) were linked to lower slope gradients, deeper soils and greater leaf area index. Overall water partitioning resulted in 65% of the actual evapotranspiration being driven by vegetation with high transpiration rates over the drier months compared to the wet season. Time scales of water age were highly variable, ranging from hours to a few years. Stream water ages were conceptualized as a mixture of younger soil water and slightly older, deeper soil water and shallow groundwater with a maximum age of roughly 2 years during drought conditions (722 days). The simulated soil water ages ranged from hours to 162 days and for shallow groundwater up to 1,200 days. Despite the model assumptions, experimental challenges and data limitation, this preliminary spatially distributed model study enhances knowledge about the water ages and overall young water dominance in a tropical rainforest with little influence of deeper and older groundwater.     

A soil‐water‐balance approach to quantify groundwater recharge from irrigated cropland in the North China Plain

Rapidly depleting unconfined aquifers are the primary source of water for irrigation on the North China Plain. Yet, despite its critical importance, groundwater recharge to the Plain remains an enigma. We introduce a one‐dimensional soil‐water‐balance model to estimate precipitation‐ and irrigation‐generated areal recharge from commonly available crop and soil characteristics and climate data. To limit input data needs and to simplify calculations, the model assumes that water flows vertically downward under a unit gradient; infiltration and evapotranspiration are separate, sequential processes; evapotranspiration is allocated to evaporation and transpiration as a function of leaf‐area index and is limited by soil‐moisture content; and evaporation and transpiration are distributed through the soil profile as exponential functions of soil and root depth, respectively. For calibration, model‐calculated water contents of 11 soil‐depth intervals from 0 to 200 cm were compared with measured water contents of loam soil at four sites in Luancheng County, Hebei Province, over 3 years (1998–2001). Each 50‐m² site was identically cropped with winter wheat and summer maize, but received a different irrigation treatment. Average root mean‐squared error between measured and model‐calculated water content of the top 180 cm was 4·2 cm, or 9·3% of average total water content. In addition, model‐calculated evapotranspiration compared well with that measured by a large‐scale lysimeter. To test the model, 12 additional sites were simulated successfully. Model results demonstrate that drainage from the soil profile is not a constant fraction of precipitation and irrigation inputs, but rather the fraction increases as the inputs increase. Because this drainage recharges the underlying aquifer, improving irrigation efficiency by reducing seepage will not reverse water‐table declines. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of energy and water balance in Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer system in the mountain area of Heihe River Basin at Hexi Corridor of northwest China

Under the background of global water cycle, theregional water cycle systems of the arid inland regionsof northwest China are characterized by the fact thatthe area is composed of various relatively independentinland river basins, each of which is a system of inter-related climate, hydrology, water resources, ecologyand environment. An inland river basin consists of amountain area and the plain and basin area in front ofthe mountains. The vertical landscape zonality of aninland river basin can …     

Water balance of tropical rainforest canopies in north Queensland,Australia

The water balance of four different rainforest types in the Wet Tropics region of north Queensland is inferred from measurements of canopy hydrological components undertaken for periods between 391 to 657 days. These measurements of rainfall, cloud interception, stem-flow, throughfall, canopy interception and transpiration have revealed considerable differences in the canopy water balance of different locations as a result of forest structural differences, altitude, exposure and climate. Cloud interception is a significant extra input of water to forests at high altitude sites (>1000 m) and varies between 7 and 29% of the total water input. At coastal and lower montane rainforests annual total evaporation is consistently around 50% of the total water input, but in upper montane cloud forest this drops dramatically to only 13% of the water input. At all sites actual evaporation is greater than potential evaporation for most of the year and on an annual basis exceeds potential by between 2 and 53%. The source of this additional energy is uncertain, but is likely to come from advection. Annual interception at all the rainforest sites was greater than annual transpiration, with transpiration dominating in the dry season and interception dominating in the wet season. All of the rainforests have a large annual net water balance to sustain runoff and recharge. Towards the end of the dry season runoff and recharge can cease in coastal lowland and lower mountain forests and they may have to draw on soil moisture and/or ground water at this time. In contrast, upper montane cloud forests have a positive net water balance throughout the year and are therefore an important source of dry season river flows. Furthermore, their exceptionally large annual runoff (∼6500 mm year⁻¹) is a major source of downstream water. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration for two natural ecosystems covered with oak and heather

The evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge from two natural areas with high (oak) and low (heath) vegetation were estimated by calibrating a semi-physical numerical soil water and heat model to fit 8 and 7 years of TDR-measurements of water content, respectively. The measurements were made between the surface and 7 m depth. For the oak stand, the estimated annual recharge for the years 1992–1999 is 390 mm, the evaporation from soil and interception is 205 mm, and the transpiration is 285 mm. For the heath area estimation was carried out for the years 1993–1999. However, the heath was struck by a heavy beetle attack in 1994, which strongly affected the vegetation and thus the water balance for the following 3 years. For years not affected, the estimated recharge is 733 mm (about 50% larger than for the oak stand for the same years), the evaporation is 316 mm, and the transpiration is 128 mm. The estimated recharge values compare fairly well to estimates obtained from bromide tracer experiments. However, the recharge estimates obtained from the tracer experiments are very uncertain. The uncertainty is mainly due to spatial heterogeneity making the three replicate samples taken here for each time and depth insufficient.

The analyses of TDR-measurements and tracer data showed that water front movement depends on the antecedent soil water content. Some layers are bypassed, especially at low water contents, and at high soil water contents preferential flow was observed at the heath site.     

Soil profile evolution following land‐use change: implications for groundwater quantity and quality

Soil and vadose zone profiles are used as an archive of changes in groundwater recharge and water quality following changes in land use in an area of the Loess Plateau of China. A typical rain‐fed loess‐terrace agriculture region in Hequan, Guyuan, is taken as an example, and multiple tracers (chloride mass balance, stable isotopes, tritium and water chemistry) are used to examine groundwater recharge mechanisms and to evaluate soil water chloride as an archive for recharge rate and water quality. Results show that groundwater recharge beneath natural uncultivated grassland, used as a baseline, is about 94–100 mm year^?1 and that the time it takes for annual precipitation to reach water table through the thick unsaturated zone is from decades to hundreds of years (tritium free). This recharge rate is 2–3 orders of magnitude more than in the other semiarid areas with similar annual rainfall but with deep‐rooted vegetation and relatively high temperature. Most of the water that eventually becomes recharge originally infiltrated in the summer months. The conversion from native grassland to winter wheat has reduced groundwater recharge by 42–50% (50–55 mm year^?1 for recharge), and the conversion from winter wheat to alfalfa resulted in a significant chloride accumulation in the upper soil zone, which terminated deep drainage. The paper also evaluates the time lag between potential recharge and actual recharge to aquifer and between increase in solute concentration in soil moisture and that in the aquifer following land‐use change due to the deep unsaturated zone. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of varied complexity models simulating recharge at the field scale

Numerical models are frequently used for the regional quantification of groundwater recharge. However there is a wide range of potential models available that represent the land surface with varying degrees of complexity, but which are rarely tested against observations at the field scale. We compared four models that simulate potential recharge at four intensively monitored sites with different vegetation and soil types in two adjacent catchments. These models were: Penman–Grindley, UN Food and Agricultural Organization, SPAtial Distributed Evaporation and Joint UK Land Environment Simulator. Standardized, unoptimized land surface datasets and pertinent literature were used for parameterization to reflect practice in regional water resource management and planning in the UK. The models were validated against soil moisture observations at all sites, as well as observed transpiration and interception and calculated total evaporation over a year at a woodland site. Soil moisture observations were generally reproduced well, but there were significant differences in how the models apportioned precipitation through the hydrological cycle. This demonstrates that soil moisture data alone are not a good diagnostic for groundwater recharge models. Significant differences in potential recharge were produced by models at both grassland sites, although simulated average annual potential recharge varied by only 15% at the grassland site on permeable soil. At the woodland sites, soil moisture contents were reproduced least accurately, and there were large differences in potential recharge at both woodland sites. This predominantly resulted from varied and inaccurate simulation of evaporation, particularly in the form of interception losses where this was explicitly represented in models. Differences in model structure, such as runoff representation, and parameter selection also influenced all results. Hydrological Processes © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of interception,forest floor evaporation and transpiration in Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus plantations

Studies of evapotranspiration (ET) processes in forests often only measure one component of total ET, most commonly interception. This study examined all three components of annual ET (interception, evaporation from the forest floor and transpiration) and the correlations between them at 18 plantation forest sites in two species. All plantations had closed canopies, and sparse or no understorey. Single‐sided leaf area index averaged 3.5 (standard deviation ±0.5) in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and 6.1 (±0.8) in Pinus radiata D.Don. Measurements included annual totals of rainfall in the open and under the canopy, stem flow (four sites only), evaporation from the forest floor and transpiration by the overstorey. Interception (I) averaged 19% (±4.9) of annual rainfall in E. globulus compared with 31% (±11.1) in P. radiata. However, higher annual interception in P. radiata did not result in higher total ET because annual evaporation from the forest floor (E) averaged 29% (±4.9) of rainfall in E. globulus but only 15% (±3.5) in P. radiata. Hence, the relative contribution of annual I plus E to ET did not differ significantly between the two species, averaging 48% (±7.3) of annual rainfall in E. globulus compared with 46% (±11.8) in P. radiata. As reported previously, transpiration did not differ significantly between the two species either, but was strongly related to depth‐to‐groundwater. In closed canopy plantations, mean annual ET did not differ between the two species. We conclude that when grown in plantations under similar soil and climatic conditions, conifer and broad‐leaved tree species can have similar annual ET, once the canopy of the plantation has closed. Lower average annual interception in broad‐leaved trees was offset by higher soil evaporation. These results highlight the importance of measuring all components of ET in studies of vegetation water use. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing impacts of agricultural water interventions in the Kothapally watershed,Southern India

The paper describes a hydrological model for agricultural water intervention in a community watershed at Kothapally in India, developed through integrated management and a consortium approach. The impacts of various soil and water management interventions in the watershed are compared to no‐intervention during a 30‐year simulation period by application of the calibrated and validated ARCSWAT 2005 (Version 2.1.4a) modelling tool. Kothapally receives, on average, 800 mm rainfall in the monsoon period. 72% of total rainfall is converted as evaporation and transpiration (ET), 20% is stored by groundwater aquifer, and 8% exported as outflow from the watershed boundary in current water interventions. ET, groundwater recharge and outflow under no‐intervention conditions are found to be 64, 9, and 19%, respectively. Check dams helped in storing water for groundwater recharge, which can be used for irrigation, as well minimising soil loss. In situ water management practices improved the infiltration capacity and water holding capacity of the soil, which resulted in increased water availability by 10–30% and better crop yields compared to no‐intervention. Water outflows from the developed watershed were more than halved compared to no‐intervention, indicating potentially large negative downstream impacts if these systems were to be implemented on a larger scale. On the other hand, in the watershed development program, sediment loads to the streams were less than one‐tenth. It can be concluded that the hydrological impacts of large‐scale implementation of agricultural water interventions are significant. They result in improved rain‐fed agriculture and improved productivity and livelihood of farmers in upland areas while also addressing the issues of poverty, equity, and gender in watersheds. There is a need for case‐specific studies of such hydrological impacts along with other impacts in terms of equity, gender, sustainability, and development at the mesoscale. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating water balance components in irrigated agriculture using a combined approach of soil moisture and energy balance monitoring,and numerical modelling

Information on water balance components such as evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge are crucial for water management. Due to differences in physical conditions, but also due to limited budgets, there is not one universal best practice, but a wide range of different methods with specific advantages and disadvantages. In this study, we propose an approach to quantify actual evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge and water inflow, i.e. precipitation and irrigation, that considers the specific conditions of irrigated agriculture in warm, arid environments. This approach does not require direct measurements of precipitation or irrigation quantities and is therefore suitable for sites with an uncertain data basis. For this purpose, we combine soil moisture and energy balance monitoring, remote sensing data analysis and numerical modelling using Hydrus. Energy balance data and routine weather data serve to estimate ET₀. Surface reflectance data from satellite images (Sentinel-2) are used to derive leaf area indices, which help to partition ET₀ into energy limited evaporation and transpiration. Subsequently, first approximations of water inflow are derived based on observed soil moisture changes. These inflow estimates are used in a series of forward simulations that produce initial estimates of drainage and ET_act, which in turn help improve the estimate of water inflow. Finally, the improved inflow estimates are incorporated into the model and then a parameter optimization is performed using the observed soil moisture as the reference figure. Forward simulations with calibrated soil parameters result in final estimates for ET_act and groundwater recharge. The presented method is applied to an agricultural test site with a crop rotation of cotton and wheat in Punjab, Pakistan. The final model results, with an RMSE of 2.2% in volumetric water content, suggest a cumulative ET_act and groundwater recharge of 769 and 297 mm over a period of 281 days, respectively. The total estimated water inflow accounts for 946 mm, of which 77% originates from irrigation.     

Simulated water budget of a small forested watershed in the continental/maritime hydroclimatic region of the United States

Annual streamflows have decreased across mountain watersheds in the Pacific Northwest of the United States over the last ~70 years; however, in some watersheds, observed annual flows have increased. Physically based models are useful tools to reveal the combined effects of climate and vegetation on long‐term water balances by explicitly simulating the internal watershed hydrological fluxes that affect discharge. We used the physically based Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model to simulate the inter‐annual hydrological dynamics of a 4 km² watershed in northern Idaho. The model simulates seasonal and annual water balance components including evaporation, transpiration, storage changes, deep drainage, and trends in streamflow. Independent measurements were used to parameterize the model, including forest transpiration, stomatal feedback to vapour pressure, forest properties (height, leaf area index, and biomass), soil properties, soil moisture, snow depth, and snow water equivalent. No calibrations were applied to fit the simulated streamflow to observations. The model reasonably simulated the annual runoff variations during the evaluation period from water year 2004 to 2009, which verified the ability of SHAW to simulate the water budget in this small watershed. The simulations indicated that inter‐annual variations in streamflow were driven by variations in precipitation and soil water storage. One key parameterization issue was leaf area index, which strongly influenced interception across the catchment. This approach appears promising to help elucidate the mechanisms responsible for hydrological trends and variations resulting from climate and vegetation changes on small watersheds in the region. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Remote sensing and ground‐based measurements of evapotranspiration in an extreme cold Patagonian desert

Accurate estimates of seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) at different temporal and spatial scales are essential for understanding the biological and environmental determinants of ecosystem water balance in arid regions and the patterns of water utilization by the vegetation. For this purpose, remote sensing ET estimates of a Patagonian desert in Southern Argentina were verified with field measurements of soil evaporation and plant transpiration using an open top chamber. Root distribution and seasonal variation in soil volumetric water content were also analysed. There was a high correlation between remote sensing and field measurements of ecosystem water fluxes. A substantial amount of the annual ET occurred in spring and early summer (73.4 mm) using winter rain stored in the soil profile and resulting in water content depletion of the upper soil layers. A smaller amount of annual ET was derived from few rainfall events occurring during the mid or late summer (41.4 mm). According to remote sensing, the 92.9% of the mean annual precipitation returns to the atmosphere by transpiration or evaporation from the bare soil and by canopy interception. Only 7.1% infiltrates to soil layers deeper than 200 cm contributing to the water table recharge. Fourier time series analysis, cross‐correlation methods and multiple linear regression models were used to analyse 11 years of remote sensing data to assess determinants of water fluxes. A linear model predicts well the variables that drive complex ecosystem processes such as ET. Leaf area index and air temperature were not linearly correlated to ET because of the multiple interaction among variables resulting in time lags with ET variations and thus these two variables were not included in the linear model. Soil water content, the fraction of photosynthetic active radiation and precipitation explained 86% of the ET monthly variations. The high volumetric water content and the small seasonal variations at 200‐cm depth were probably the result of little water uptake from deeper soil horizons by roots with low hydraulic conductivity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological responses to defoliation and drought of an upland oak/pine forest

Hydrologic variability during 2005–2011 was observed and analyzed at an upland oak/pine forest in the New Jersey Pinelands. The forest experienced defoliation by Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) in 2007, drought conditions in 2006 and a more severe drought in 2010. By using sap flux and eddy covariance measurements, stream discharge data from USGS, soil water changes, precipitation (P) and precipitation throughfall, a local water balance was derived. Average annual canopy transpiration (E_C) during 2005–2011 was 201 mm a^?1 ± 47 mm a^?1. A defoliation event reduced E_C by 20% in 2007 compared with the 2005–2011 mean. During drought years in 2006 and 2010, stand transpiration was reduced by 8% in July 2006 and by 18% in 2010, respectively, compared with the overall July average. During July 2007, after the defoliation and subsequent reflushing of half of the leaves, E_C was reduced by 25%. This stand may experience higher sensitivity to drought when recovering from a defoliation event as evidenced by the higher reduction of E_C in 2010 (post‐defoliation) compared with 2006 (pre‐defoliation). Stream water discharge was normalized to the watershed area by dividing outflow with the watershed area. It showed the greatest correlation with transpiration for time lags of 24 days and 219 days, suggesting hydrological connectivity on the watershed scale; stream water discharge increases when transpiration decreases, coinciding with leaf‐on and leaf‐off conditions. Thus, any changes in transpiration or precipitation will also alter stream water discharge and therefore water availability. Under future climate change, frequency and intensity of precipitation and episodic defoliation events may alter local water balance components in this upland oak/pine forest. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Storage,mixing, and fluxes of water in the critical zone across northern environments inferred by stable isotopes of soil water

Quantifying soil water storage, mixing, and release via recharge, transpiration, and evaporation is essential for a better understanding of critical zone processes. Here, we integrate stable isotope (²H and ¹⁸O of soil water, precipitation, and groundwater) and hydrometric (soil moisture) data from 5 long‐term experimental catchments along a hydroclimatic gradient across northern latitudes: Dry Creek (USA), Bruntland Burn (Scotland), Dorset (Canada), Krycklan (Sweden), and Wolf Creek (Canada). Within each catchment, 6 to 11 isotope sampling campaigns occurred at 2 to 4 sampling locations over at least 1 year. Analysis for ²H and ¹⁸O in the bulk pore water was done for >2,500 soil samples either by cryogenic extraction (Dry Creek) or by direct equilibration (other sites). The results showed a similar general pattern that soil water isotope variability reflected the seasonality of the precipitation input signal. However, pronounced differences among sampling locations occurred regarding the isotopic fractionation due to evaporation. We found that antecedent precipitation volumes mainly governed the fractionation signal, temperature and evaporation rates were of secondary importance, and soil moisture played only a minor role in the variability of soil water evaporation fractionation across the hydroclimatic gradient. We further observed that soil waters beneath conifer trees were more fractionated than beneath heather shrubs or red oak trees, indicating higher soil evaporation rates in coniferous forests. Sampling locations closer to streams were more damped and depleted in their stable isotopic composition than hillslope sites, revealing increased subsurface mixing towards the saturated zone and a preferential recharge of winter precipitation. Bulk soil waters generally comprised a high share of waters older than 14 days, which indicates that the water in soil pores are usually not fully replaced by recent infiltration events. The presented stable isotope data of soil water were, thus, a useful tool to track the spatial variability of water fluxes within and from the critical zone. Such data provide invaluable information to improve the representation of critical zone processes in spatially distributed hydrological models.     

Using bromide data tracer and HYDRUS-1D to estimate groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration under film-mulched drip irrigation in an arid Inland Basin,Northwest China

Accurate estimation of groundwater recharge (GR) and evapotranspiration (ET) are essential for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In the Manas River Basin (MRB), water shortage is the main factor restricting sustainable development of irrigated agriculture, which relies heavily on groundwater. Film-mulched drip irrigation significantly changes the pattern and dominant processes of water flow in the unsaturated zone, which increases the difficulty of GR and ET estimation. To better estimate GR and ET under film-mulched drip irrigation in the MRB, bromide tracer tests and soil lithologic investigation were conducted at 12 representative sites. A one-dimensional variably saturated flow model (HYDRUS-1D) was calibrated at each site using soil evaporation data inferred from the bromide tracer tests. The results showed that average annual soil evaporation in uncultivated lands calculated from bromide trace tests was 25.55 mm. The annual GR ranged from 5.5 to 37.0 mm under film-mulched drip irrigation. The annual ET ranged from 507.0 to 747.1 mm, with soil evaporation between 35.7 and 117.0 mm and transpiration between 460.9 and 642.3 mm. Soil evaporation represented 7% to 16% of the total ET and more than 70% of precipitation and irrigation water was used by cotton plants. Spatial variations of soil lithology, water table depth and initial soil water content led to the spatial differences of GR and ET in the MRB. Our study indicated that bromide tracer tests are useful for inferring ET in the arid and semi-arid oases. The combination of bromide tracer tests and HYDRUS-1D enhances reliability for estimation of GR and ET under film-mulched drip irrigation in the MRB and shows promise for other similar arid inland basins around the world.     

Land cover controls on depression‐focused recharge on the Oak Ridges Moraine,southern Ontario,Canada

The Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) is a key hydrogeologic feature in southern Ontario. Previous research has emphasized the importance of depression‐focused recharge (DFR) for the timing and location of water recharge to the ORM's aquifers. However, the significance of DFR has not been empirically demonstrated, and the ORM's permeable surficial deposits imply that rainfall and snowmelt will largely recharge vertically rather than move laterally to topographic depressions. The exception may be during winter and spring, when concrete soil frost limits infiltration and encourages overland flow. The potential for DFR was examined for closed depressions under forest and agricultural land covers with similar soils and surficial geology. Air temperatures, precipitation, snow depth and water equivalent, soil water contents, soil freezing, and depression surface‐water levels were monitored during the winter and spring of 2012–2013 and 2013–2014. Recharge (R) was estimated at the crest and base of each depression using a 1‐dimensional water balance approach and surface‐applied Br^? tracing. Both forest and agricultural land covers experienced soil freezing; however, forest soils did not develop concrete frost. Conversely, agricultural fields saw concrete frost, overland flow, episodic ponding, and subsequent drainage of rain‐on‐snow and snowmelt inputs in open depressions. Recharge at the base of open depressions exceeded that in surrounding areas by an order of magnitude, suggesting that DFR is a significant hydrologic process during winter and spring under agricultural land cover on the ORM. Closed topographic depressions under agricultural land cover on the ORM crest may serve as critical recharge “hot spots” during winter and spring, and the ability of the unsaturated zone beneath these depressions to modify the chemistry of recharging water deserves further attention.     

A hydropedological approach to quantifying groundwater recharge in various glacial settings of the mid‐continental USA

Data from six monitoring stations were combined with a soil‐water dynamics model (HYDRUS 1D) to achieve physically‐based estimates of shallow water‐table recharge in representative hydropedological settings of the glaciated midwestern U.S.A. Calibration involved inverse modeling that yielded optimized hydraulic parameters. Root mean square errors for modeled versus measured soil moisture contents were generally within 3% for all soil layers at the six study sites. The optimized models also accurately simulated recharge values that corresponded to observed water‐table fluctuations. Optimized parameter values were consistent with estimates from a pedotransfer function, lab analyses, and field experiments. Forward modeling indicated that shallow water‐table recharge in mid‐continent glacial settings is approximately 35% of precipitation, but interannual and monthly variability is significant. Soil parent materials and horizon characteristics influence recharge primarily through their control on K_s with clay‐rich till parent materials producing values as low as 16% and coarse‐grained outwash parent materials producing values as high as 58% of precipitation. During the three‐year study period, distinct seasonality of recharge was observed with most recharge occurring in the winter (seasonal mean of all sites was 66% of precipitation) and lesser but interannually stable amounts in the spring (44%), summer (13%), and autumn (16%). This research underscores the importance of incorporating pedological information into models of soil‐water dynamics and groundwater recharge. © 2015 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Comparison of tree transpiration under wet and dry canopy conditions in a Costa Rican premontane tropical forest

Spatial and temporal variation in wet canopy conditions following precipitation events can influence processes such as transpiration and photosynthesis, which can be further enhanced as upper canopy leaves dry more rapidly than the understory following each event. As part of a larger study aimed at improving land surface modelling of evapotranspiration processes in wet tropical forests, we compared transpiration among trees with exposed and shaded crowns under both wet and dry canopy conditions in central Costa Rica, which has an average 4200 mm annual rainfall. Transpiration was estimated for 5 months using 43 sap flux sensors in eight dominant, ten midstory and eight suppressed trees in a mature forest stand surrounding a 40‐m tower equipped with micrometeorological sensors. Dominant trees were 13% of the plot's trees and contributed around 76% to total transpiration at this site, whereas midstory and suppressed trees contributed 18 and 5%, respectively. After accounting for vapour pressure deficit and solar radiation, leaf wetness was a significant driver of sap flux, reducing it by as much as 28%. Under dry conditions, sap flux rates (J_s) of dominant trees were similar to midstory trees and were almost double that of suppressed trees. On wet days, all trees had similarly low J_s. As expected, semi‐dry conditions (dry upper canopy) led to higher J_s in dominant trees than midstory, which had wetter leaves, but semi‐dry conditions only reduced total stand transpiration slightly and did not change the relative proportion of transpiration from dominant and midstory. Therefore, models that better capture forest stand wet–dry canopy dynamics and individual tree water use strategies are needed to improve accuracy of predictions of water recycling over tropical forests. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.