Seasonal snowpack dynamics and runoff in a cool temperate forest: lysimeter experiment in Niigata,Japan

Seasonal snowpack dynamics are described through field measurements under contrasting canopy conditions for a mountainous catchment in the Japan Sea region. Microclimatic data, snow accumulation, albedo and lysimeter runoff are given through the complete winter season 2002–03 in (1) a mature cedar stand, (2) a larch stand, and (3) a regenerating cedar stand or opening. The accumulation and melt of seasonal snowpack strongly influences streamflow runoff during December to May, including winter baseflow, mid‐winter melt, rain on snow, and diurnal peaks driven by radiation melt in spring. Lysimeter runoff at all sites is characterized by constant ground melt of 0·8–1·0 mm day⁻¹. Rapid response to mid‐winter melt or rainfall shows that the snowpack remains in a ripe or near‐ripe condition throughout the snow‐cover season. Hourly and daily lysimeter discharge was greatest during rain on snow (e.g. 7 mm h⁻¹ and 53 mm day⁻¹ on 17 December) with the majority of runoff due to rainfall passing through the snowpack as opposed to snowmelt. For both rain‐on‐snow and radiation melt events lysimeter discharge was generally greatest at the open site, although there were exceptions such as during interception melt events. During radiation melt instantaneous discharge was up to 4·0 times greater in the opening compared with the mature cedar, and 48 h discharge was up to 2·5 times greater. Perhaps characteristic of maritime climates, forest interception melt is shown to be important in addition to sublimation in reducing snow accumulation beneath dense canopies. While sublimation represents a loss from the catchment water balance, interception melt percolates through the snowpack and contributes to soil moisture during the winter season. Strong differences in microclimate and snowpack albedo persisted between cedar, larch and open sites, and it is suggested further work is needed to account for this in hydrological simulation models. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An experimental investigation of the effects of thawed soil depth on rill flow velocity

Water flow velocity is an important hydraulic variable in hydrological and soil erosion models, and is greatly affected by freezing and thawing of the surface soil layer in cold high-altitude regions. The accurate measurement of rill flow velocity when impacted by the thawing process is critical to simulate runoff and sediment transport processes. In this study, an electrolyte tracer modelling method was used to measure rill flow velocity along a meadow soil slope at different thaw depths under simulated rainfall. Rill flow velocity was measured using four thawed soil depths (0, 1, 2 and 10 cm), four slope gradients (5°, 10°, 15° and 20°) and four rainfall intensities (30, 60, 90 and 120 mm·h⁻¹). The results showed that the increase in thawed soil depth caused a decrease in rill flow velocity, whereby the rate of this decrease was also diminishing. Whilst the rill flow velocity was positively correlated with slope gradient and rainfall intensity, the response of rill flow velocity to these influencing factors varied with thawed soil depth. The mechanism by which thawed soil depth influenced rill flow velocity was attributed to the consumption of runoff energy, slope surface roughness, and the headcut effect. Rill flow velocity was modelled by thawed soil depth, slope gradient and rainfall intensity using an empirical function. This function predicted values that were in good agreement with the measured data. These results provide the foundation for a better understanding of the effect of thawed soil depth on slope hydrology, erosion and the parameterization scheme for hydrological and soil erosion models.     

Influence of thawed soil depth on rainfall erosion of frozen bare meadow soil in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau has a vast area of approximately 70×10⁴ km² of alpine meadow under the impacts of soil freezing and thawing, thereby inducing intensive water erosion. Quantifying the rainfall erosion process of partially thawed soil provides the basis for model simulation of soil erosion on cold-region hillslopes. In this study, we conducted a laboratory experiment on rainfall-induced erosion of partially thawed soil slope under four slope gradients (5, 10, 15, and 20°), three rainfall intensities (30, 60, and 90 mm h⁻¹), and three thawed soil depths (1, 2, and 10 cm). The results indicated that shallow thawed soil depth aggravated soil erosion of partially thawed soil slopes under low hydrodynamic conditions (rainfall intensity of 30 mm h⁻¹ and slope gradient ≤ 15°), whereas it inhibited erosion under high hydrodynamic conditions (rainfall intensity ≥ 60 mm h⁻¹ or slope gradient > 15°). Soil erosion was controlled by the thawed soil depth and runoff hydrodynamic conditions. When the sediment supply was sufficient, the shallow thawed soil depth had a higher erosion potential and a larger sediment concentration. On the contrary, when the sediment supply was insufficient, the shallow thawed soil depth resulted in lower sediment erosion and a smaller sediment concentration. The hydrodynamic runoff conditions determined whether the sediment supply was sufficient. We propose a model to predict sediment delivery under different slope gradients, rainfall intensities, and thawed soil depths. The model, with a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.95, accurately predicted the sediment delivery under different conditions, which was helpful for quantification of the complex feedback of sediment delivery to the factors influencing rainfall erosion of partially thawed soil. This study provides valuable insights into the rainfall erosion mechanism of partially thawed soil slopes in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and provides a basis for further studies on soil erosion under different hydrodynamic conditions.     

Hydrological and sediment yield response to summer rainfall in a small high Arctic watershed

In cold regions, the response and related antecedent mechanisms that produce flood flows from rainfall events have received limited study. In 2007, a small watershed at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, was studied in detail during the melt season. Two rainfall events on June 30 and July 22, totalling 9·2 and 10·8 mm, respectively, represented significant contributions to seasonal discharge and sediment transport in a year with a low winter snowpack. The precipitation events elevated discharge and suspended sediment concentrations to twice the magnitude of the nival melt, and generated the only measurable downstream lacustrine turbidity current of the season. In two days, rainfall runoff transported 35% of the seasonal suspended sediment load, in contrast to 29% transported over the nival freshet. The magnitude and intensity of the rain events were not unusual in this setting, but the rainfall response was substantial in comparison with equivalent past events. Exceptional temperatures of July 2007 generated early, deep permafrost thaw, and ground ice melt. The resultant increase in soil moisture amplified the subsequent rainfall runoff and sediment transport response. These results demonstrate the importance of antecedent moisture conditions and the role of permafrost active layer development as an important factor in the rainfall runoff and sediment transport response to precipitation events. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

WINTER RUNOFF AND EROSION ON NORTHWESTERN USA CROPLAND

h200l.llNTRODUCTI0NTheNorthwesternWheatandRangeRegi0n(NWax)(Austin,l98l),whichincludesportionsofIdaho,Oregon,andWashington,isoneofthem0stuniqueagriculturalregionsoftheUSA.Winterandspringsmallgrainsand0thercropsareproukcedonl0esss0ilsdepositedoverbasalt.TheloessvariesinboththicknessandtopograPhicfeatures.Someareashavesteepanddune-likeslopes,while0thershavel0ng,gentlesl0pes.Theregion,br0kenfromnativeprairielessthanl20yearsag0(Kaise,l96l)hassufferedseriousdegradationofthesoilresourcebyw…     

Rainfall‐induced consolidation and sealing effects on soil erodibility during concentrated runoff for loess‐derived topsoils

Flume experiments simulating concentrated runoff were carried out on remolded silt loam soil samples (0·36 × 0·09 × 0·09 m³) to measure the effect of rainfall‐induced soil consolidation and soil surface sealing on soil erosion by concentrated flow for loess‐derived soils and to establish a relationship between soil erodibility and soil bulk density. Soil consolidation and sealing were simulated by successive simulated rainfall events (0–600 mm of cumulative rainfall) alternated by periods of drying. Soil detachment measurements were repeated for four different soil moisture contents (0·04, 0·14, 0·20 and 0·31 g g^?1). Whereas no effect of soil consolidation and sealing is observed for critical flow shear stress (τ_cr), soil erodibility (Kc) decreases exponentially with increasing cumulative rainfall depth. The erosion‐reducing effect of soil consolidation and sealing decreases with a decreasing soil moisture content prior to erosion due to slaking effects occurring during rapid wetting of the dry topsoil. After about 100 mm of rainfall, Kc attains its minimum value for all moisture conditions, corresponding to a reduction of about 70% compared with the initial Kc value for the moist soil samples and only a 10% reduction for the driest soil samples. The relationship estimating relative Kc values from soil moisture content and cumulative rainfall depth predicts Kc values measured on a gradually consolidating cropland field in the Belgian Loess Belt reasonably well (MEF = 0·54). Kc is also shown to decrease linearly with increasing soil bulk density for all moisture treatments, suggesting that the compaction of thalwegs where concentrated flow erosion often occurs might be an alternative soil erosion control measure in addition to grassed waterways and double drilling. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct and indirect effects of rainfall and vegetation coverage on runoff,soil loss,and nutrient loss in a semi-humid climate

Soil and nutrient loss play a vital role in eutrophication of water bodies. Several simulated rainfall experiments have been conducted to investigate the effects of a single controlling factor on soil and nutrient loss. However, the role of precipitation and vegetation coverage in quantifying soil and nutrient loss is still unclear. We monitored runoff, soil loss, and soil nutrient loss under natural rainfall conditions from 2004 to 2015 for 50–100 m² runoff plots around Beijing. Results showed that soil erosion was significantly reduced when vegetation coverage reached 20% and 60%. At levels below 30%, nutrient loss did not differ among different vegetation cover levels. Minimum soil N and P losses were observed at cover levels above 60%. Irrespective of the management measure, soil nutrient losses were higher at high-intensity rainfall (Imax30>15 mm/h) events compared to low-intensity events (p < 0.05). We applied structural equation modelling (SEM) to systematically analyze the relative effects of rainfall characteristics and environmental factors on runoff, soil loss, and soil nutrient loss. At high-intensity rainfall events, neither vegetation cover nor antecedent soil moisture content (ASMC) affected runoff and soil loss. After log-transformation, soil nutrient loss was significantly linearly correlated with runoff and soil loss (p < 0.01). In addition, we identified the direct and indirect relationships among the influencing factors of soil nutrient loss on runoff plots and constructed a structural diagram of these relationships. The factors positively impacting soil nutrient loss were runoff (44%–48%), maximum rainfall intensity over a 30-min period (18%–29%), rainfall depth (20%–27%), and soil loss (10%–14%). Studying the effects of rainfall and vegetation coverage factors on runoff, soil loss, and nutrient loss can improve our understanding of the underlying mechanism of slope non-point source pollution.     

Hydrological responses to climatic variability in a cold agricultural region

Extended severe dry and wet periods are frequently observed in the northern continental climate of the Canadian Prairies. Prairie streamflow is mainly driven by spring snowmelt of the winter snowpack, whilst summer rainfall is an important control on evapotranspiration and thus seasonality affects the hydrological response to drought and wet periods in complex ways. A field‐tested physically based model was used to investigate the influences of climatic variability on hydrological processes in this region. The model was set up to resolve agricultural fields and to include key cold regions processes. It was parameterized from local and regional measurements without calibration and run for the South Tobacco Creek basin in southern Manitoba, Canada. The model was tested against snow depth and streamflow observations at multiple scales and performed well enough to explore the impacts of wet and dry periods on hydrological processes governing the basin scale hydrological response. Four hydro‐climatic patterns with distinctive climatic seasonality and runoff responses were identified from differing combinations of wet/dry winter and summer seasons. Water balance analyses of these patterns identified substantive multiyear subsurface soil moisture storage depletion during drought (2001–2005) and recharge during a subsequent wet period (2009–2011). The fractional percentage of heavy rainfall days was a useful metric to explain the contrasting runoff volumes between dry and wet summers. Finally, a comparison of modeling approaches highlights the importance of antecedent fall soil moisture, ice lens formation during the snowmelt period, and peak snow water equivalent in simulating snowmelt runoff.     

The influence of geomorphological position and vegetation cover on the erosional and hydrological processes on a Mediterranean hillslope

Soil erosion and runoff rates are assumed to be highly dependent on slope position. However, little knowledge exists about the hydrogeomorphological processes at the pedon scale that support this idea. In order to assess the hydrological and erosional behaviour of soils at different slope positions, simulated rainfall experiments (55 mm was applied during one hour) were carried out on a south-facing slope with underlying limestone in south-east Spain. In the mean terms, the erosion rates (9 g m² hr⁻¹) and the runoff coefficients (12%) were very low at the scale of measurement (0·25 m²). The slope position does not affect erosion rates when the measurements are carried out under extreme dry conditions during summer. The low runoff rates found in summer under thunderstorms of high intensity (5 year return period) and the runon into surfaces with higher infiltration rates resulted in no detectable direct surface runoff (Hortonian) at the slope scale. This implies that erosion as a consequence of surface overland flow will only take place during events of high magnitude (55 mm hr⁻¹) and low frequency (>5 years). Vegetation is the most important factor determining the soil erosion and runoff rates within the slope. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil temperature and soil moisture dynamics in winter and spring under heavy snowfall conditions in North-Eastern Japan

Warm winters and high precipitation in north-eastern Japan generate snow covers of more than three meters depth and densities of up to 0.55 g cm⁻³. Under these conditions, rain/snow ratio and snowmelt have increased significantly in the last decade under increasing warm winters. This study aims at understanding the effect of rain-on-snow and snowmelt on soil moisture under thick snow covers in mid-winter, taking into account that snowmelt in spring is an important source of water for forests and agriculture. The study combines three components of the Hydrosphere (precipitation, snow cover and soil moisture) in order to trace water mobility in winter, since soil temperatures remained positive in winter at nearly 0.3°C. The results showed that soil moisture increased after snowmelt and especially after rain-on-snow events in mid-winter 2018/2019. Rain-on-snow events were firstly buffered by fresh snow, increasing the snow water equivalent (SWE), followed by water soil infiltration once the water storage capacity of the snowpack was reached. The largest increase of soil moisture was 2.35 vol%. Early snowmelt increased soil moisture with rates between 0.02 and 0.035 vol% hr⁻¹ while, rain-on-snow events infiltrated snow and soil faster than snowmelt and resulted in rates of up to 1.06 vol% hr⁻¹. These results showed the strong connection of rain, snow and soil in winter and introduce possible hydrological scenarios in the forest ecosystems of the heavy snowfall regions of north-eastern Japan. Effects of rain-on-snow events and snowmelt on soil moisture were estimated for the period 2012–2018. Rain/snow ratio showed that only 30% of the total precipitation in the winter season 2011/2012 was rain events while it was 50% for the winter 2018/2019. Increasing climate warming and weakening of the Siberian winter monsoons will probably increase rain/snow ratio and the number of rain-on-snow events in the near future.     

Sediment and solute transport on soil slope under simultaneous influence of rainfall impact and scouring flow

Soil erosion and nutrient losses with surface runoff in the loess plateau in China cause severe soil quality degradation and water pollution. It is driven by both rainfall impact and runoff flow that usually take place simultaneously during a rainfall event. However, the interactive effect of these two processes on soil erosion has received limited attention. The objectives of this study were to better understand the mechanism of soil erosion, solute transport in runoff, and hydraulic characteristics of flow under the simultaneous influence of rainfall and shallow clear‐water flow scouring. Laboratory flume experiments with three rainfall intensities (0, 60, and 120 mm h⁻¹) and four scouring inflow rates (10, 20, 30, and 40 l min⁻¹) were conducted to evaluate their interactive effect on runoff. Results indicate that both rainfall intensity and scouring inflow rate play important roles on runoff formation, soil erosion, and solute transport in the surface runoff. A rainfall splash and water scouring interactive effect on the transport of sediment and solute in runoff were observed at the rainfall intensity of 60 mm h⁻¹ and scouring inflow rates of 20 l min⁻¹. Cumulative sediment mass loss (Ms) was found to be a linear function of cumulative runoff volume (Wr) for each treatment. Solute transport was also affected by both rainfall intensity and scouring inflow rate, and the decrease in bromide concentration in the runoff with time fitted to a power function well. Reynolds number (Re) was a key hydraulic parameter to determine erodability on loess slopes. The Darcy–Weisbach friction coefficients (f) decreased with the Reynolds numbers (Re), and the average soil and water loss rate (M_l) increased with the Reynolds numbers (Re) on loess slope for both scenarios with or without rainfall impact. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A modelling framework to simulate field‐scale nitrate response and transport during snowmelt: The WINTRA model

Modelling nutrient transport during snowmelt in cold regions remains a major scientific challenge. A key limitation of existing nutrient models for application in cold regions is the inadequate representation of snowmelt, including hydrological and biogeochemical processes. This brief period can account for more than 80% of the total annual surface runoff in the Canadian Prairies and Northern Canada and processes such as atmospheric deposition, overwinter redistribution of snow, ion exclusion from snow crystals, frozen soils, and snow‐covered area depletion during melt influence the distribution and release of snow and soil nutrients, thus affecting the timing and magnitude of snowmelt runoff nutrient concentrations. Research in cold regions suggests that nitrate (NO₃) runoff at the field‐scale can be divided into 5 phases during snowmelt. In the first phase, water and ions originating from ion‐rich snow layers travel and diffuse through the snowpack. This process causes ion concentrations in runoff to gradually increase. The second phase occurs when this snow ion meltwater front has reached the bottom of the snowpack and forms runoff to the edge‐of‐the‐field. During the third and fourth phases, the main source of NO₃ transitions from the snowpack to the soil. Finally, the fifth and last phase occurs when the snow has completely melted, and the thawing soil becomes the main source of NO₃ to the stream. In this research, a process‐based model was developed to simulate hourly export based on this 5‐phase approach. Results from an application in the Red River Basin of southern Manitoba, Canada, shows that the model can adequately capture the dynamics and rapid changes of NO₃ concentrations during this period at relevant temporal resolutions. This is a significant achievement to advance the current nutrient modelling paradigm in cold climates, which is generally limited to satisfactory results at monthly or annual resolutions. The approach can inform catchment‐scale nutrient models to improve simulation of this critical snowmelt period.     

Hydrological and erosional response to natural rainfall in a semi‐arid area of south‐east Spain

A better knowledge of soil erosion by water is essential for planning effective soil and water conservation practices in semi‐arid Mediterranean environments. The special climatic and hydrological characteristics of these areas, however, make accurate soil loss predictions difficult, particularly in the absence of minimal data. Two zero‐order experimental microcatchments (328–759 m²), representative of an extensive semi‐arid watershed with a high potential erosion risk in the south‐east of Spain, were selected and monitored for 3 years (1991–93) in order to provide information on the hydrological and erosional response. A pluviogram and hydrograph recorded data at 1‐min intervals during each storm, after which the soil loss was collected and the particle size of the sediment was analysed. Runoff coefficients of about 9% and soil losses of between 84·83 and 298·9 g m^?2 year^?1 were observed in the area. Rapid response times (geometric mean values lower than 2 h) and low runoff thresholds (mean values between 3·5 to 5·9 mm) were the norm in the experimental areas. A rain intensity of over 15 mm h^?1 was considered as ‘erosive rainfall’ in these areas because of the total soil loss and the transport capacity of the overland flow. Differences in pore‐size distribution explained the different hydrological responses observed between areas. The erosional response was more complex and basically seemed to be determined by soil aggregate stability and topographical properties. A greater proportion of finer particles in the eroded material than in the soil matrix indicated selective erosion and the transport of finer material. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compaction and cover effects on runoff and erosion in post-fire salvage logged areas in the Valley Fire,California

Runoff and erosion processes can increase after wildfire and post-fire salvage logging, but little is known about the specific effects of soil compaction and surface cover after post-fire salvage logging activities on these processes. We carried out rainfall simulations after a high-severity wildfire and post-fire salvage logging to assess the effect of compaction (uncompacted or compacted by skid traffic during post-fire salvage logging) and surface cover (bare or covered with logging slash). Runoff after 71 mm of rainfall across two 30-min simulations was similar for the bare plots regardless of the compaction status (mean 33 mm). In comparison, runoff in the slash-covered plots averaged only 22 mm. Rainsplash in the downslope direction averaged 30 g for the bare plots across compaction levels and decreased significantly by 70% on the slash-covered plots. Sediment yield totalled 460 and 818 g m⁻² for the uncompacted and compacted bare plots, respectively, and slash significantly reduced these amounts by an average rate of 71%. Our results showed that soil erosion was still high two years after the high severity burning and the effect of soil compaction nearly doubled soil erosion via nonsignificant increases in runoff and sediment concentration. Antecedent soil moisture (dry or wet) was the dominant factor controlling runoff, while surface cover was the dominant factor for rainsplash and sediment yield. Saturated hydraulic conductivity and interrill erodibility calculated from these rainfall simulations confirmed previous laboratory research and will support hydrologic and erosion modelling efforts related to wildfire and post-fire salvage logging. Covering the soil with slash mitigated runoff and significantly reduced soil erosion, demonstrating the potential of this practise to reduce sediment yield and soil degradation from burned and logged areas.     

Assessing the impacts of microtopography on soil erosion under simulated rainfall,using a multifractal approach

This study aimed to investigate the changing characteristics of microrelief of purple soil and its erosional response during successive stages of water erosion, including splash erosion, sheet erosion, and rill erosion. Methods employed included a rainfall simulator and the use of a laser scanner to generate a digital elevation model. Three artificial tillage practices, including conventional tillage (CT), artificial digging (AD), and ridge tillage (RT), were used to simulate different microrelief patterns. Eighteen artificial rainfall experiments were conducted using three 2 × 1 m boxes with a rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm min^?1 on a 15° slope. The results showed that the soil roughness (SR) index values for the tillage slopes were RT > AD > CT. The combined effects of detachment by raindrop impact and transport by run‐off decreased the SR index, whereas rill erosion increased the SR index during rainfall event. Microtopography and drainage networks have strong multifractal behaviours. The multifractal parameters of microtopography reflect the overall characteristics as well as the characteristics of the local soil surface. Within a certain range of threshold values, higher microrelief causes less soil erosion. However, when the parameters of spatial heterogeneity of microtopography exceed the threshold values, a higher degree of microrelief can increase soil erosion. These results help clarify the effect of microtopography on soil erosion and provide a theoretical foundation to guide future tillage practices on sloping farmland of purple soil.     

Effects of physical soil crusts on infiltration and splash erosion in three typical Chinese soils

Physical soil crusts likely have significant effects on infiltration and soil erosion, however, little is known on whether the effects of the crusts change during a rainfall event. Further, there is a lack of discussions on the differences among the crusting effects of different soil types. The objectives of this study are as follows： （i） to study the effects of soil crusts on infiltration, runoff, and splash erosion using three typical soils in China, （ii） to distinguish the different effects on hydrology and erosion of the three soils and discuss the primary reasons for these differences, and （iii） to understand the variations in real soil shear strength of the three soils during rainfall events and mathematically model the effects of the crusts on soil erosion. This study showed that the soil crusts delayed the onset of infiltration by 5 to 15 min and reduced the total amount of infiltration by 42.9 to 53.4% during rainfall events. For a purple soil and a loess soil, the initial crust increased the runoff by 2.8% and 3.4%, respectively, and reduced the splash erosion by 3.1% and 8.9%, respectively. For a black soil, the soil crust increased the runoff by 42.9% and unexpectedly increased the splash erosion by 95.2%. In general, the effects of crusts on the purple and loess soils were similar and negligible, but the effects were significant for the black soil. The soil shear strength decreased dynamically and gradually during the rainfall events, and the values of crusted soils were higher than those of incrusted soils, especially during the early stage of the rainfall. Mathematical models were developed to describe the effects of soil crusts on the splash erosion for the three soils as follows： purple soil, Fc= 0.002t- 0.384 ; black soil, Fc. =-0.022t ＋ 3.060 ; and loess soil, Fc = 0.233 In t- 1.239 . Combined with the equation Rc= Fc （Ruc - 1）, the splash erosion of the crusted soil can be predicted over time.     

Evaluating the hydrological and hydrochemical responses of a High Arctic catchment during an exceptionally warm summer

The Arctic has experienced substantial warming during the past century with models projecting continued warming accompanied by increases in summer precipitation for most regions. A key impact of increasing air surface temperatures is the deepening of the active layer, which is expected to alter hydrological processes and pathways. The aim of this study was to determine how one of the warmest and wettest summers in the past decade at a High Arctic watershed impacted water infiltration and storage in deeply thawed soil and solute concentrations in stream runoff during the thaw period. In June and July 2012 at the Cape Bounty Watershed Observatory, we combined active layer measurements with major ion concentrations and stable isotopes in surface waters to characterize the movement of different runoff sources: snowmelt, rainfall, and soil water. Results indicate that deep ground thaw enhanced the storage of infiltrated water following rainfall. Soil water from infiltrated rainfall flowed through the thawed transient layer and upper permafrost, which likely solubilized ions previously stored at depth. Subsequent rainfall events acted as a hydrological flushing mechanism, mobilizing solutes from the subsurface to the surface. This solute flushing substantially increased ion concentrations in stream runoff throughout mid to late July. Results further suggest the importance of rainfall and soil water as sources of runoff in a High Arctic catchment during mid to late summer as infiltrated snowmelt is drained from soil following baseflow. Although there was some evaporation of surface water, our study indicates that flushing from solute stores in the transient layer was the primary driver of increased ion concentrations in stream runoff and not evaporative concentration of surface water. With warmer and wetter summers projected for the Arctic, ion concentrations in runoff (especially in the late thaw season), will likely increase due to the deep storage and subsurface flow of infiltrated water and subsequent flushing of previously frozen solutes to the surface.     

Impacts of annual precipitation extremes on soil and nutrient losses in vineyards of NE Spain

The objective of this research was to characterise annual precipitation extremes in a Mediterranean vineyard region. The number of exceptional events (P > 95th percentile) and annual extreme events (P > 99th percentile), as well as their strength, erosive character and return period were analysed for 2000–2004. The erosive character was evaluated according to the R‐factor (kinetic energy × maximum intensity in 30‐min periods). Soil and nutrient losses caused by these events were evaluated by combining field sampling and a hydrological model to estimate total runoff in a vineyard plot. The results show a clear increase in the number of very wet days and extreme events (P > 95th percentile), which represented up to 88% of annual rainfall. The severity of the extreme events (TS = precipitation event P > 99th percentile) reached values higher than 50 mm almost every year. These values were far exceeded in 2000, when one extraordinary event recorded 50% of the annual rainfall, with TS of 189 mm, about 80% of total rainfall being lost as runoff. Annual erosivity was driven not only by extreme events, but also by short events of less depth but high intensity. During some of the years analysed, rainfall erosivity was two or three times the average in the area. Most soil and nutrient losses occurred in a small number of events: one or two events every year were responsible for more than 75% of the annual soil and nutrient losses on average. Antecedent soil moisture conditions, runoff rates, and events with a return period higher than two years were responsible for the higher erosion rates. Apart from an exceptional event recorded in 2000, which produced more than 200 Mg ha^?1 soil losses, annual soil losses up to 25 Mg ha^?1 were recorded, which are much higher than the soil loss tolerance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological and hydrochemical response of a small canadian shield catchment to late winter rain-on-snow events

A study was undertaken during the winter of 1990–1991 in a small (3.7 ha) Canadian Shield catchment to examine the hydrological and hydrochemical response during rain-on-snow events. The results are presented of two large (37.9 and 34.6 mm) rain-on-snow events occurring in early and late March 1991. Peak and total runoff and the groundwater response from the two events are significantly different. Hydrological data indicate that these differences can be attributed to a combination of meteorological (temperature) and physical conditions (antecedent snowpack ripeness, soil moisture and groundwater levels). An immature snowpack (low temperature and density) combined with low antecedent soil moisture conditions significantly reduced the magnitude of the net hydrological input and runoff from the catchment during the early March event, whereas a more mature snowpack and high antecedent soil moisture conditions led to a large runoff event during late March. During both rain-on-snow events a significant portion of the pre-event snowpack chemical load was lost. Based on the maximum snowpack chemical load measured before the events, the two large rain-on-snow events and a brief mid-March warm period during which there were two much smaller rain-on-snow events removed 78% of the hydrogen ion and 63% of the sulphate and nitrate load from the snowpack, while only reducing snowpack water equivalence by 7%. A two-component (rain and snowmelt) isotopic (δ¹⁸O SMOW %₀) separation of snowmelt lysimeter water during the two events indicated that snowmelt was an important (50 and 65%, respectively) water source available for infiltration and runoff at the snow-soil interface. Considering the high hydrogen ion loadings to the catchment during these two events (3.3 and 3.0 mequiv.m^?2, respectively) streamflow pH was not significantly reduced due to an increase in the discharge of well-buffered groundwater. A two-component isotopic hydrograph separation of peak stream discharge during the 2–3 March event indicated that 75% of the total flow was groundwater. In mid-latitude acid-sensitive catchments, winter rain-on-snow events are an important hydrological occurrence due to their ability to elute much of the chemical load (H⁺, SO₄, NO₃) from the snowpack before the onset of spring melt when the maximum annual hydrological input typically occurs.     

Stochastic processes of soil production and transport: erosion rates,topographic variation and cosmogenic nuclides in the Oregon Coast Range

Landscapes in areas of active uplift and erosion can only remain soil‐mantled if the local production of soil equals or exceeds the local erosion rate. The soil production rate varies with soil depth, hence local variation in soil depth may provide clues about spatial variation in erosion rates. If uplift and the consequent erosion rates are sufficiently uniform in space and time, then there will be tendency toward equilibrium landforms shaped by the erosional processes. Soil mantle thickness would adjust such that soil production matched the erosion. Previous work in the Oregon Coast Range suggested that there may be a tendency locally toward equilibrium between hillslope erosion and sediment yield. Here results from a new methodology based on cosmogenic radionuclide accumulation in bedrock minerals at the base of the soil column are reported. We quantify how soil production varies with soil thickness in the southern Oregon Coast Range and explore further the issue of landscape equilibrium. Apparent soil production is determined to be an inverse exponential function of soil depth, with a maximum inferred production rate of 268 m Ma^?1 occurring under zero soil depth. This rate depends, however, on the degree of weathering of the underlying bedrock. The stochastic and large‐scale nature of soil production by biogenic processes leads to large temporal and spatial variations in soil depth; the spatial variation of soil depth neither supports nor rejects equilibrium morphology. Our observed catchment‐averaged erosion rate of 117 m Ma^?1 is, however, similar to that estimated for the region by others, and to soil production rates under thin and intermediate soils typical for the steep ridges. We suggest that portions of the Oregon Coast Range may be eroding at roughly the same rate, but that local competition between drainage networks and episodic erosional events leads to landforms that are out of equilibrium locally and have a spatially varying soil mantle. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.