Precipitation interception in Australian tropical rainforests: II. Altitudinal gradients of cloud interception,stemflow, throughfall and interception

This article presents a comprehensive study of canopy interception in six rainforests in Australia's Wet Tropics for periods ranging between 2 and 3·5 years. Measurements of rainfall, throughfall, stemflow and cloud interception were made at sites characterized by different forest types, canopy structure, altitude, rainfall and exposure to prevailing winds. Throughfall at these sites ranged between 64 and 83% of total precipitation inputs, while stemflow ranged between 2 and 11%. At sites higher than 1000 m, cloud interception was found to contribute up to 66% of the monthly water input to the forest, more than twice the rainfall at these times. Over the entire study period, cloud interception accounted for between 4 and 30% of total precipitation inputs, and was related more to the exposure of sites to prevailing winds than to altitudinal differences alone. Over the duration of the study period, interception losses ranged between 22 and 29% of total water input (rainfall and cloud interception) at all sites except the highest altitude site on Bellenden Ker, where interception was 6% of total water input. This smaller interception loss was the result of extremely high rainfall, prolonged immersion in cloud and a sparser canopy. On a monthly basis, interception losses from the six sites varied between 10 and 88% of rainfall. All sites had much higher interception losses during the dry season than in the wet season because of the differences in storm size and rainfall intensity. The link between rainfall conditions and interception losses has important implications for how evaporative losses from forests may respond to altered rainfall regimes under climate change and/or large‐scale atmospheric circulation variations such as El Niño. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Winter rainfall interception by two mature open‐grown trees in Davis,California

A rainfall interception measuring system was developed and tested for open‐grown trees. The system includes direct measurements of gross precipitation, throughfall and stemflow, as well as continuous collection of micrometeorological data. The data were sampled every second and collected at 30‐s time steps using pressure transducers monitoring water depth in collection containers coupled to Campbell CR10 dataloggers. The system was tested on a 9‐year‐old broadleaf deciduous tree (pear, Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’) and an 8‐year‐old broadleaf evergreen tree (cork oak, Quercus suber) representing trees having divergent canopy distributions of foliage and stems. Partitioning of gross precipitation into throughfall, stemflow and canopy interception is presented for these two mature open‐grown trees during the 1996–1998 rainy seasons. Interception losses accounted for about 15% of gross precipitation for the pear tree and 27% for the oak tree. The fraction of gross precipitation reaching the ground included 8% by stemflow and 77% by throughfall for the pear tree, as compared with 15% and 58%, respectively, for the oak tree. The analysis of temporal patterns in interception indicates that it was greatest at the beginning of each rainfall event. Rainfall frequency is more significant than rainfall rate and duration in determining interception losses. Both stemflow and throughfall varied with rainfall intensity and wind speed. Increasing precipitation rates and wind speed increased stemflow but reduced throughfall. Analysis of rainfall interception processes at different time‐scales indicates that canopy interception varied from 100% at the beginning of the rain event to about 3% at the maximum rain intensity for the oak tree. These values reflected the canopy surface water storage changes during the rain event. The winter domain precipitation at our study site in the Central Valley of California limited our opportunities to collect interception data during non‐winter seasons. This precipitation pattern makes the results more specific to the Mediterranean climate region. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Canopy interception of apple orchards should not be ignored when assessing evapotranspiration partitioning on the Loess Plateau in China

Canopy interception is one of the most important processes in an ecosystem, but it is still neglected when assessing evapotranspiration (ET) partitioning in apple orchards on the Loess Plateau in China. To explore the importance of canopy interception, we monitored two neighbouring apple orchards on the Loess Plateau in China, one 8‐year‐old and the other 18‐years old at the start of the study, from May to September for four consecutive years (2013–2016). We measured parameters of canopy interception (I) including precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, leaf area index, transpiration (T), and soil evaporation (S) to quantify ET. The importance of canopy interception was then assessed by comparing the relationship between water supply (precipitation) and water demand (ET), calculated with and without considering canopy interception (T + S and T + S + I, respectively). Tree age clearly influenced canopy interception, as estimates of annual canopy interception during the study years in the younger and older orchards amounted to 22.2–29.4 mm and 26.8–39.9 mm, respectively. Daily incident rainfall and rainfall intensity in both orchards were significantly positively correlated with daily canopy interception in each year. The relationship between annual precipitation and annual ET (calculated with and without consideration of canopy interception) in the younger orchard differed during 2015 and 2016. Ignoring canopy interception would result in underestimation of annual ET in both apple orchards and hence incorrect evaluation of the relationship between water supply and water demand, particularly for the younger orchard during 2015 and 2016. Thus, for a complete understanding of water consumption in apple orchards in this and similar regions, canopy interception should not be ignored when assessing ET partitioning.     

Modeling rainfall interception loss by two xerophytic shrubs in the Loess Plateau

Rainfall interception loss plays an important role in ecohydrological processes in dryland shrub ecosystems, but its drivers still remain poorly understood. In this study, a statistical model was developed to simulate interception loss based on the mass balance measurements arising from the partitioning of rainfall in 2 dominant xerophytic shrub (Hippophae rhamnoides and Spiraea pubescens) communities in the Loess Plateau. We measured throughfall and stemflow in the field under natural rainfall, calculated the canopy storage capacity in the laboratory, and identified key factors controlling these components for the 2 shrubs. We quantified and scaled up the stemflow and the canopy storage capacity measurements from the branches and/or leaves to stand level. The average interception loss, throughfall, and stemflow fluxes account for 24.9%, 72.2%, and 2.9% of the gross rainfall for H. rhamnoides, and 19.2%, 70.7%, and 10.1% for S. pubescens, respectively. Throughfall increased with increasing rainfall for both shrubs; however, it was only correlated with the leaf area index for S. pubescens. For stemflow measured from individual branches, we found that the rainfall amount and basal diameter are the best predictors for H. rhamnoides, whereas rainfall amount and branch biomass appear to be the best predictors for S. pubescens. At the stand level, stemflow production is affected by the rainfall amount for H. rhamnoides, and it is affected by both the rainfall amount and the leaf area index for S. pubescens. The canopy storage capacity of H. rhamnoides (1.07–1.28 mm) was larger than S. pubescens (0.88–1.07 mm), and it is mainly determined by the branches and stems of H. rhamnoides and the leaves of S. pubescens. The differences in interception loss between the 2 shrub stands are mainly attributed to different canopy structures that induced differences in stemflow production and canopy storage. We evaluated the effects of canopy structure on rainfall interception loss, and our developed model provides a better understanding of the effects of the canopy structure on the water cycles in dryland shrub ecosystems.     

Partitioning of rainfall in a eucalypt forest and pine plantation in southeastern australia: IV the relationship of interception and canopy storage capacity,the interception of these forests,and the effect on interception of thinning the pine plantation

A study of partitioning of rainfall into throughfall, stemflow, and interception was conducted in a dry sclerophyll eucalypt forest and an adjacent pine plantation over a period of seven years, on a rainfall event basis. The following three issues are discussed: (1) the relationship between canopy storage capacity and interception of continuous events, (2) interception, throughfall, and stemflow, and (3) the effect on interception of thinning the pine plantation.

• 1 The canopy storage capacity/interception interaction for the eucalypt forest was assessed by comparing a gravimetric estimate of canopy storage capacity with interception. The maximum possible value for canopy storage capacity was found to be a small proportion of interception for events of all sizes. This suggests that evaporation of intercepted water during the continuous events was responsible for most of the interception. This ‘within event’ evaporation appears to be responsible also for the net rainfall/gross rainfall estimate of canopy storage capacity being four times the gravimetric value. For the pines the regression estimate was more closely related to interception.
• 2 Interception, throughfall, and stemflow of these forests were measured for four years. Data are presented for each year with overall average interception being 11-4 per cent of precipitation for the eucalypt forest and 18-3 per cent for the pine plantation. Topography and rainfall event type are considered in the comparison.

Species composition and tree type are considered when comparing these results with published studies from similar forest types in southeastern Australia. The periodic (annual) variations of interception in this and the other studies makes comparison difficult.

• 3 The effect of thinning on the throughfall, stemflow, and interception in a Pinus radiata plantation is examined. Throughfall increased, interception decreased but not in proportion to the removed biomass; stemflow decreased on an area basis, but increased on a per tree basis. A positive relationshiip is established between interception and stemflow on the thinned plantation but not in the unthinned. Reasons for this are suggested. The results are compared to those reported from similar experiments in other forests.
• 4 The periodic variations in interception and errors inherent in its estimation suggest that caution should be exercised when using average interception figures in water balance studies.

     

Rainfall interception from a lowland tropical rainforest in Brunei

Results from a programme of throughfall measurements in a lowland tropical rainforest in Brunei, northwest Borneo, indicate that interception losses amount to 18% of the gross incident rainfall. The high annual rainfall experienced by the study area results in annual interception losses of around 800 mm, which may result in total annual evapotranspiration losses significantly higher than in other rainforest locations. An improved version of Gash's analytical interception model is tested on the available data using assumed values for the “forest” parameters, and is found to predict interception losses extremely well. The model predictions are based on an estimated evaporation rate during rainfall of 0.71 mm h⁻¹. This is significantly higher than has been reported in other tropical studies. It is concluded that these results are distinctive when compared with previous results from rainforests, and that further, detailed work is required to establish whether the enhanced evaporation rate is due to advective effects associated with the maritime setting of the study area.     

An evaluation of the Gash interception model in a northern hardwood stand

During the growing season of 1995, canopy water fluxes were measured within a northern hardwood stand in southern Ontario, Canada. Observed canopy interception loss, throughfall, and stemflow fluxes from the stand were 19.3±3.5%, 76.4±2.9%, and 4.3±2.0% of incident precipitation, respectively. Both the original and revised Gash analytical rainfall interception loss models simulated these fluxes within the standard error of the observed estimates, suggesting that the analytical model may be appropriate for further applications within this forest type. The revised Gash model is recommended for further applications as it is better physically based. Both the original and revised models suggest that ∼60% of interception loss during the study period was evaporation from the canopy once rainfall has ceased while evaporation from the saturated canopy during rainfall accounted for ∼27%–33% of interception loss. Additional components of interception (e.g., evaporation from trunks) were computed to be minor contributors to total canopy interception loss.     

Rainfall interception by a young Acacia auriculiformis (a. cunn) plantation forest in West Java,Indonesia: Application of Gash's analytical model

Measurements are reported of rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, and derived interception losses made on a daily basis during two consecutive rainy seasons in a 4–5 year old and rapidly growing plantation forest of Acacia auriculiformis in a humid tropical environment. During the first observation period throughfall, stemflow, and interception loss amounted to respectively 81, 8, and 11 per cent of gross precipitation, whilst corresponding values for the second observation period were 75, 7, and 18 per cent. All three components correlated strongly with amounts of daily rainfall, but slopes of linear regression equations differed significantly between seasons for each component. Such differences are thought to reflect a 20 per cent increase in foliar mass as well as a certain instrumental bias introduced by the use of a fixed grid of throughfall troughs that differed between seasons. Tests did not reveal any effects of differences in rainfall characteristics although the two observation periods differed markedly in this respect. Although the present results fell within the (lower part of the) range reported for other sites in Southeast Asia application of Gash's analytical model suggested the results obtained during the second observation period to be anomalous. The model was tested with data from the second halves of the two observation periods, using parameters derived from the corresponding first halves. Discrepancies between estimated and observed losses were +9·4 and ?14·3 per cent for the two periods respectively. The bulk of the interception loss consisted of evaporation from a saturated canopy (69–80 per cent) and of evaporation after rainfall had ceased (25 and 15 per cent for the two periods respectively). Although the results were encouraging it would seem that a major difficulty in applying the analytical model to the humid tropics lies in obtaining a reliable estimate of the evaporation rate from a saturated canopy.     

Importance of rainfall partitioning in a northern mixed forest canopy for soil water isotopic signatures in ecohydrological studies

The forest canopy can play a significant role in modifying the amount and isotopic composition of water during its passage throughout the near-surface critical zone. Here, partitioning of gross rainfall into interception, throughfall, and stemflow and its implications for the amount and isotopic composition of soil water was studied for red oak, eastern white pine, and eastern hemlock trees in a northern hardwood-conifer forest in south central Ontario, Canada. Stemflow production was greatest for red oak as a result of its upward-projecting branches and least for eastern white pine due to its horizontal branches and rougher bark. These stemflow contributions to the near-bole soil surface failed to produce consistently wetter soils relative to distal locations from the bole for all tree species. There was also no consistent evidence of isotopic enrichment of throughfall and stemflow relative to gross rainfall or of stemflow relative to throughfall for red oak or eastern hemlock. However, there was isotopic enrichment of both throughfall and stemflow for eastern white pine with increasing maximum atmospheric vapour pressure deficit, which may reflect the potential for evaporative fractionation as a result of retention and detention of water moving through the canopy by the rougher bark of this species. Dry soil conditions limited sampling of mobile soil water during the study, and there was no consistent evidence that either throughfall or stemflow fluxes controlled temporal changes in the isotopic signature of soil water beneath the tree. Thus, the potential for throughfall and stemflow fluxes in northern hardwood-conifer forests to modify the isotopic composition of water taken up by the tree via transpiration remains an open question.     

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.     

Rainfall interception in three contrasting lowland rain forest types in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Rainfall interception was quantified and modeled for a Lowland Evergreen Rain Forest (LERF) and two Heath Forests (HF) of contrasting stature during a one-year period at a remote site in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Throughfall was measured using a roving gauge approach using 18–20 gauges per forest type. Throughfall was 82.8% of incident rainfall in the LERF vs. 89.1% in tall HF and 76.7% in stunted HF. Corresponding stemflow fractions were 0.8%, 1.3% and 2.0% of rainfall, respectively. Interception losses derived for the LERF (16.4%) and the tall HF (9.6%) were close to findings obtained for similar forest types elsewhere but the high interception loss for the stunted HF (21.3%) was unexpected. On the basis of canopy structural characteristics and wet canopy evaporation modeling it is concluded that throughfall in the stunted HF was underestimated and that the specific nature of the HF required a more intensive sampling arrangement. Throughfall sampling schemes in tropical forests, associated errors and hydrological implications are discussed.     

Modelling rainfall interception losses of three plantations in the Loess Plateau

The forest canopy affects the water entering the forest ecosystem by intercepting rainfall. This is especially pertinent in forests that depend on rainfall for their ecological water needs, quantifying and simulating interception losses provide critical insights into their ecological hydrological processes. In the semi-arid areas of the Loess Plateau, afforestation has become an effective ecological restoration measure. However, the rainfall interception process of these plantations is still unclear. To quantify and model the canopy interception of these plantations, we conducted a two-year rainfall redistribution measurement experiment in three typical plantations, including a deciduous broadleaf plantation (Robinia pseudoacacia) and two evergreen coniferous plantations (Platycladus orientalis and Pinus tabuliformis). Based on this, the revised Gash model was used to simulate their interception losses, and the model applicability across varying rainfall types was further compared and verified. The experiment clarified the rainfall redistribution in the three plantations, and the proportions of throughfall to gross rainfall in Robinia pseudoacacia, Platycladus orientalis, and Pinus tabuliformis were 84.8%, 70.4%, and 75.6%; corresponding, the stemflow proportions were 2.0%, 2.2%, and 1.8%; the interception losses were 13.2%, 27.4%, and 22.6%, respectively. The dominant rainfall pattern during the experiment was characterized by low-amounts, moderate-intensity, and short-duration, during which the highest interception proportions across the three plantations were observed. We used the Penman-Monteith equation and the regression method, respectively, to estimate the canopy average evaporation rate of the revised Gash model, finding that the latter provides a closer match to the measured cumulative interception (NSE >0.7). When simulating interception under the three rainfall patterns, the model with the regression method better simulated the cumulative interception and event-scale interception for Platycladus orientalis and Pinus tabuliformis plantations under the dominant rainfall pattern. The results contribute valuable information to assess the impact of forest rainfall interception on regional hydrologic processes.     

Temporal variability of throughfall as a function of the canopy development stage: from seasonal to intra-event scale

ABSTRACT

The interception process impacts rainfall magnitude and intensity under the canopy. In this study, the effect of plant interception on throughfall characteristics was assessed in the deciduous Caatinga vegetation, at different canopy development stages and for temporal scales ranging from seasonal to the intra-event scale. Throughfall and stemflow percentages were slightly higher at the onset of the rainy season, when leaf area density is low, with resulting lower interception losses. However, there was no statistical difference among the variables at the seasonal scale. At the intra-event scale, average and maximum throughfall intensity at different time intervals showed statistical difference between the stages of canopy development. Regardless of leaf area density and rainfall depth, vegetation is able to retain all the water up to 2 min in the beginning of each rainfall event with accumulated rainfall smaller than 0.6 mm. Furthermore, the Caatinga vegetation attenuates the rainfall intensity by 30–40%.     

The design of large plastic-sheet net-rainfall gauges

A novel design of gauge for measuring net rainfall beneath a forest canopy is described. The advantages of this system, based on the use of a large plastic sheet, over conventional throughfall and stemflow measuring systems is discussed.     

Rainfall interception in a lower montane forest in Ecuador: effects of canopy properties

Rainfall interception in forests is influenced by properties of the canopy that tend to vary over small distances. Our objectives were: (i) to determine the variables needed to model the interception loss of the canopy of a lower montane forest in south Ecuador, i.e. the storage capacity of the leaves S and of the trunks and branches S_t, and the fractions of direct throughfall p and stemflow p_t; (ii) to assess the influence of canopy density and epiphyte coverage of trees on the interception of rainfall and subsequent evaporation losses. The study site was located on the eastern slope of the eastern cordillera in the south Ecuadorian Andes at 1900–2000 m above sea level. We monitored incident rainfall, throughfall, and stemflow between April 1998 and April 2001. In 2001, the leaf area index (LAI), inferred from light transmission, and epiphyte coverage was determined. The mean annual incident rainfall at three gauging stations ranged between 2319 and 2561 mm. The mean annual interception loss at five study transects in the forest varied between 591 and 1321 mm, i.e. between 25 and 52% of the incident rainfall. Mean S was estimated at 1·91 mm for relatively dry weeks with a regression model and at 2·46 mm for all weeks with the analytical Gash model; the respective estimates of mean S_t were 0·04 mm and 0·09 mm, of mean p were 0·42 and 0·63, and of mean p_t were 0·003 and 0·012. The LAI ranged from 5·19 to 9·32. Epiphytes, mostly bryophytes, covered up to 80% of the trunk and branch surfaces. The fraction of direct throughfall p and the LAI correlated significantly with interception loss (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = −0·77 and 0·35 respectively, n = 40). Bryophyte and lichen coverage tended to decrease S_t and vascular epiphytes tended to increase it, although there was no significant correlation between epiphyte coverage and interception loss. Our results demonstrate that canopy density influences interception loss but only explains part of the total variation in interception loss. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of interception losses in a broadleaved native forest and a Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) plantation in the Andes Mountains of southern Chile

For a 26 month period, between 1 February 1998 and 31 March 2000, total precipitation, throughfall, stemflow and interception losses were measured for two different forest covers, one a managed broadleaved native forest and the other a Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco (Douglas fir) plantation. Regressions between throughfall and stemflow and total precipitation (P) for individual storms and forest covers were computed and also for values of interception losses (expressed as a percentage of P) and P for each forest cover and period of development of the forest vegetation. Results obtained demonstrate the importance of forest canopies in rainfall distribution processes and for the availability of water resources. Also, that these forests generate particular interception patterns not strongly associated with the variation in crown cover throughout the year. These patterns are more closely related to the characteristics of rainfall and meteorological conditions during the growing and dormant periods. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rainfall interception by an isolated evergreen oak tree in a Mediterranean savannah

Redistribution of ground‐level rainfall and interception loss by an isolated Quercus ilex tree were measured over 2 years in a Mediterranean oak savannah. Stemflow, meteorological variables and sap flow were also monitored. Rainfall at ground level was measured by a set of rain‐gauges located in a radial layout centred on the tree trunk and extending beyond the crown limits. Interception loss was computed as the difference between the volume of rainwater that would reach the ground in the absence of the tree and the volume of water that actually fell on the ground sampling area (stemflow included). This procedure provided correct interception loss estimates, irrespective of rainfall inclination. Results have shown a clear non‐random spatial distribution of ground‐level rainfall, with rainwater concentrations upwind beneath the crown and rain‐shadows downwind. Interception loss amounted to 22% of gross rainfall, per unit of crown‐projected area. Stand interception loss, per unit of ground area, was only 8% of gross rainfall and 28% of tree evapotranspiration. These values reflect the low crown cover fraction of the stand (0·39) and the specific features of the Mediterranean rainfall regime (predominantly with few large storms). Nevertheless, it still is an important component of the water balance of these Mediterranean ecosystems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of cloud water interception in the canopy vegetation from fog gauge measurements

With changes in climate looming, quantifying often‐overlooked components of the canopy water budget, such as cloud water interception (CWI), is increasingly important. Commonly, CWI quantification requires detailed continuous measurements, which is extremely challenging, especially when throughfall is included. In this study, we propose a simplified approach to estimate CWI using the Rutter‐type interception model, where CWI inputs in the canopy vegetation are proportional to fog interception measured by an artificial fog gauge. The model requires the continuous acquisition of meteorological variables as input and calibration datasets. Throughfall measurements below the forest are used only for calibration and validation of the model; thus, CWI estimates can be provided even after the cessation of throughfall monitoring. This approach provides an indirect and undemanding way to quantify CWI by vegetation and allows the identification of its controlling factors, which could be useful to the comparison of CWI in contrasting land covers. The method is applied on a 2‐year dataset collected in an endemic highland forest of San Cristobal Island (Galapagos). Our results show that CWI reaches 21% ± 6% of the total water input during the first year, and 9% ± 2% during the second one. These values represent 32% ± 10% and 17% ± 5% of water inputs during the cool foggy season of the first and second year, respectively. The difference between seasons is attributed to a lower fog liquid water during the second season.     

A simple technique for measuring rainfall interception by small shrub: “interception flow collection box”

In this paper a simple technique for field measurement of rain water loss arising from interception and water flows associated with species of small Mediterranean shrub is described: the ‘interception flow collection box’. This technique solves the problem of installing devices to control stemflow in species with a multiple trunk and demonstrates its efficiency through the results obtained from the data observed for three species of semi-arid Mediterranean shrub: Juniperus oxycedrus, Rosmarinus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris. Finally, the empirical equations for the prediction of throughfall, stemflow and rain water loss through interception are presented for the three selected species and the validity of the technique employed is established. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.