Tree‐age control on reconstructed debris‐flow frequencies: examples from a regional dendrogeomorphic reconstruction in the Crimean Mountains

The Crimean Mountains (Ukraine) are renowned for the highest occurrence of debris flows along the northern coast of the Black Sea, but information on their origin, frequency and triggers is widely lacking. This study reconstructs a regional time series of debris flows in eight catchments located on the slopes above Yalta. Dendrogeomorphic analyses were performed on 1122 increment cores selected from 566 black pines (Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana) with clear signs of external damage induced by past debris‐flow activity. The trees sampled were divided into old and young trees. The sample contains 361 young trees with post‐1930 innermost rings and 205 old trees with pre‐1930 germination dates. The two groups of trees were analyzed separately to identify possible age effects in the reconstructed debris‐flow series and to assess the ability of P. nigra to record geomorphic disturbances over time. We date a total of 215 debris flows back to ad 1701 and observe a mean decadal frequency of 6.9 events, with a peak in activity during the 1940s (20 events). The young trees record an increase in debris‐flow activity over the last 70 years, whereas the frequency of events remained fairly constant in the old trees for the same period. By contrast, the formation of reaction wood became increasingly scarce with increasing tree age whereas the occurrence of abrupt growth suppression increased. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Differentiating past events on a cone influenced by debris‐flow and snow avalanche activity – a dendrogeomorphological approach

Dendrogeomorphology was used to investigate past events on a cone affected by both debris flows and snow avalanches. We report on results of 520 cores from 251 injured Larix decidua Mill. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. trees sampled on the Birchbach cone (Swiss Alps). Detailed analysis of tree‐ring sequences allowed dating of 561 growth disturbances in individual trees for a 252 yr period, extending from 1750 to 2002, which could be attributed to 30 different event years. We then localized the position of rows of traumatic resin ducts (TRDs) within the tree ring so as to assess the intra‐seasonal position of damage. In agreement with data on the local growth period, TRDs located at the beginning of the new growth ring were considered the result of avalanche impacts that occurred during the dormant season or in earliest earlywood between late October and early May. In contrast, TRD found in late earlywood or within latewood were considered the result of periglacial debris‐flow activity, as these layers of the tree ring are locally formed between July and early October. For nine out of the 30 reconstructed event years, the intra‐seasonal timing of TRDs indicated that reactions must be the result of past snow avalanche activity. In 19 other event years, TRDs showed that damage has been caused between July and early October and, thus, through debris flows in the Birchbach torrent. Finally, the spatial patterns of trees showing reactions as a result of particular events were assessed so as to approximate the extent of past debris flows and snow avalanches. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonal and annual throughfall and stemflow in Andean temperate rainforests

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

The significance of channel recharge rates for estimating debris‐flow magnitude and frequency

The quantification of debris‐flow hazard requires estimates of debris‐flow frequency and magnitude. Several methods have been proposed to determine the probable volume of future debris flows from a given basin, but most have neglected to account for debris recharge rates over time, which may lead to underestimation of debris‐flow volumes in basins with rare debris flows. This paper deals with the determination of debris recharge rates in debris‐flow channels based on knowledge of debris storage and the elapsed time since the last debris flow. Data are obtained from coastal British Columbia and a relation is obtained across a sample of basins with similar terrain and climatic conditions. For Rennell Sound on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, the power‐law relation for area‐normalized recharge rate, R_t, versus elapsed time, t_e was R_t = 0·23t_e^?0·58 with an explained variance of 75 per cent. A difference in recharge rates may exist between creeks in logged and unlogged forested terrain. The power function for undisturbed terrain was R_t = 0·20t_e^?0·49, while the function for logged areas was R_t = 0·30t_e^?0·77. This result suggests that for the same elapsed time since the last debris flow, clearcut gullies tend to recharge at a slower rate than creeks in old growth forest. This finding requires verification, particularly for longer elapsed times since debris flow, but would have important implications for forest resource management in steep coastal terrain. This study demonstrates that commonly used encounter probability equations are inappropriate for recharge‐limited debris flow channels. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dendrogeomorphic reconstruction of past debris‐flow activity using injured broad‐leaved trees

Tree‐ring records from conifers have been regularly used over the last few decades to date debris‐flow events. The reconstruction of past debris‐flow activity was, in contrast, only very rarely based on growth anomalies in broad‐leaved trees. Consequently, this study aimed at dating the occurrence of former debris flows from growth series of broad‐leaved trees and at determining their suitability for dendrogeomorphic research. Results were obtained from gray alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench), silver birch and pubescent birch (Betula pendula Roth and Betula pubescens Ehrh.), aspen (Populus tremula L.), white poplar, black poplar and gray poplar (Populus alba L., Populus nigra L. and Populus x canescens (Ait.) Sm.), goat willow (Salix caprea L.) and black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) injured by debris‐flow activity at Illgraben (Valais, Swiss Alps). Tree‐ring analysis of 104 increment cores, 118 wedges and 93 cross‐sections from 154 injured broad‐leaved trees allowed the reconstruction of 14 debris‐flow events between AD 1965 and 2007. These events were compared with archival records on debris‐flow activity at Illgraben. It appears that debris flows are very common at Illgraben, but only very rarely left the channel over the period AD 1965–2007. Furthermore, analysis of the spatial distribution of disturbed trees contributed to the identification of six patterns of debris‐flow routing and led to the determination of preferential breakout locations of events. The results of this study demonstrate the high potential of broad‐leaved trees for dendrogeomorphic research and for the assessment of the travel distance and lateral spread of debris‐flow surges. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GIS‐assisted modelling for debris flow hazard assessment based on the events of May 1998 in the area of Sarno,Southern Italy: Part I. Maximum run‐out

Based on the debris flow events that occurred in May 1998 in the area of Sarno, Southern Italy, this paper presents an approach to simulate debris flow maximum run‐out. On the basis of the flow source areas and an average thickness of 1·2 m of the scarps, we estimated debris flow volumes of the order of 10⁴ and 10⁵ m³. Flow mobility ratios (ΔH/L) derived from the x, y, z coordinates of the lower‐most limit of the source areas (i.e. apex of the alluvial fan) and the distal limit of the flows ranged between 0·27 and 0·09. We performed regression analyses that showed a good correlation between the estimated flow volumes and mobility ratios. This paper presents a methodology for predicting maximum run‐out of future debris flow events, based on the developed empirical relationship. We implemented the equation that resulted from the calibration as a set of GIS macros written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and running within ArcGIS. We carried out sensitivity analyses and observed that hazard mapping with this methodology should attempt to delineate hazard zones with a minimum horizontal resolution of 0·4 km. The developed procedure enables the rapid delineation of debris flow maximum extent within reasonable levels of uncertainty, it incorporates sensitivities and it facilitates hazard assessments via graphic user interfaces and with modest computing resources. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution of throughfall and stemflow in multi‐strata agroforestry,perennial monoculture,fallow and primary forest in central Amazonia,Brazil

The partitioning of rain water into throughfall, stemflow and interception loss when passing through plant canopies depends on properties of the respective plant species, such as leaf area and branch angles. In heterogeneous vegetation, such as tropical forest or polycultural systems, the presence of different plant species may consequently result in a mosaic of situations with respect to quantity and quality of water inputs into the soil. As these processes influence not only the water availability for the plants, but also water infiltration and nutrient leaching, the understanding of plant effects on the repartitioning of rain water may help in the optimization of land use systems and management practices. We measured throughfall and stemflow in a perennial polyculture (multi‐strata agroforestry), monocultures of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) for fruit and for palmito, a monoculture of cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), spontaneous fallow and primary forest during one year in central Amazonia, Brazil. The effect on rain water partitioning was measured separately for four useful tree species in the polyculture and for two tree species in the primary forest. Throughfall at two stem distances, and stemflow, differed significantly between tree species, resulting in pronounced spatial patterns of water input into the soil in the polyculture system. For two tree species, peach palm for fruit (Bactris gasipaes) and Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa), the water input into the soil near the stem was significantly higher than the open‐area rainfall. This could lead to increased nutrient leaching when fertilizer is applied close to the stem of these trees. In the primary forest, such spatial patterns could also be detected, with significantly higher water input near a palm (Oenocarpus bacaba) than near a dicotyledonous tree species (Eschweilera sp.). Interception losses were 6·4% in the polyculture, 13·9 and 12·3% in the peach palm monocultures for fruit and for palmito, respectively, 0·5% in the cupuaçu monoculture and 3·1% in the fallow. With more than 20% of the open‐area rainfall, the highest stemflow contributions to the water input into the soil were measured in the palm monocultures and in the fallow. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Role of a rheophyte in bench development on a sand‐bed river in southeast Australia

Casuarina cunninghamiana Miq. is an important rheophytic tree in New South Wales, Australia because it is fast growing and can tolerate flood disturbance. Widden Brook is an active sand‐bed stream that has widened substantially since initial European settlement in the early 1800s and is characterized by high flood variability and multi‐decadal periods of alternating high and low flood frequency, called flood‐ and drought‐dominated regimes. Channel contraction by bench formation is currently occurring. Conversion of coarse‐grained point bars to benches is an important process of channel contraction. When point bars grow to a height where suspended sediment is first deposited to thicknesses of at least 50 mm by sub‐bankfull floods, rapid establishment of C. cunninghamiana occurs. As the trees grow they partially block bankside flows, thereby locally reducing flow velocity and inducing further deposition on the benches. Such synergistic relationships between bar height and inundation, fine‐grained sediment deposition, tree establishment and the development of a bankside low current velocity zone are fundamental for bench development. Size‐class frequency data demonstrate that C. cunninghamiana on the benches consists of pure even‐aged stands with most trees clustering near the average diameter. Two benches have similar size class frequency distributions but a third has significantly smaller trees. Recruitment on benches is episodic, may occur in areas open to grazing and is dependent on favourable conditions that allow tree survival. These favourable conditions include high seed availability, low levels of competition, deposition of fine sediments and adequate moisture for tree growth. Although C. cunninghamiana germinates on bars, seedlings are eliminated by prolonged inundation or flood scour and do not reach maturity. Recurring catastrophic floods or a sequence of large floods in rapid succession episodically destroy benches by substantial channel widening and initiate a new phase of bar and bench development. A conceptual model of the conversion of point bars to benches by thick mud deposition and C. cunninghamiana recruitment has been developed for sand‐bed streams draining similar sandstone catchments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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

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

Sediment transport due to tree root throw: integrating tree population dynamics,wildfire and geomorphic response

A field study was conducted to analyze root throw and associated sediment transport in Hawk Creek Watershed, Canadian Rockies. A large crown fire in 2003 allowed the opportunity to study pre‐fire and post‐fire root throw. Based on field data, a significant relation was found between gradient and root plate volume, as well as individual root plate dimensions. Given that tree diameters increase as trees age and that a relation in the field data was found between tree diameter and root plate volumes, sediment transport due to root throw is expected to change in response to forest disturbance and stand age. Sediment disturbance, which is the amount of sediment upheaved during tree topple and does not take into account transport distance, shows higher values on steeper gradients. Sediment transport was notable for the steepest plots, with pre‐fire values of 0·016 cm³ cm^–1 a^–1 and post‐fire values of 0·18 cm³ cm^–1 a^–1. A tree population dynamics model is then integrated with a root throw transport model calibrated for the Canadian Rockies to examine the temporal dynamics of sediment transport. Fire is incorporated as a disturbance that initiates development of a new forest, with the model cycling through generations of forest. Trees fall according to an exponential rate that is based on time since death, resulting in a time lag between tree mortality and sediment transport. When values of time‐since‐previous‐fire are short, trees are generally <13 cm, and minimal sediment is upheaved during toppling. If trees reach a critical diameter at breast height (dbh) at time of fire, a pulse of sediment occurs in the immediate post‐fire years due to falling of killed trees, with tree fall rates decreasing exponentially with time‐since‐fire. A second pulse of root throw begins at about 50 years after the previous fire, once new recruits reach a critical dbh and with initiation of competition‐induced mortality. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Runoff and peak flow responses to timber harvest and forest age in southern Chile

Runoff and peak flows in three experimental catchments with different forest conditions were analysed in a rainy temperate climate in southern Chile. The hydrological effects of clearcutting a Pinus radiata plantation covering 79·4% of the La Reina catchment were studied by analysing runoff and peak flows in the pre‐ and post‐harvesting periods. Mean annual runoff increased 110% after timber harvesting. Clearcutting generated a 32% mean increase in peak flows. Peak flow and runoff were examined in two adjacent catchments with different forest conditions. The older plantation in Los Ulmos 1 increasingly consumed more water than the younger plantation established at Los Ulmos 2, whereas differences in peak flows between these two catchments were not significant. Runoff and peak flows comparisons not only reflected changes in forest cover, but also the effect of rainfall characteristics during the study periods and the basins' morphologies. Comparisons between pre‐ and post‐harvesting peak discharges must be undertaken with caution, because a previous analysis at La Reina using a partial set of data overestimated changes in peak flows after timber harvesting. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The stemflow of trees in a Bornean lowland tropical forest

Stemflow volume generation in lowland tropical forests was measured over a 1‐year period in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The stemflow volume generated by 66 free‐standing trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) over 1 cm and a tree height over 1 m were measured daily in a representative 10 m × 10 m plot of the forest. Throughfall in the plot was also measured using 20 gauges in a fixed position. Of the 2292 mm of total rainfall observed during the year‐long period, stemflow accounted for 3·5%, throughfall for 82% and there was an interception loss of 14·5%. Understory trees (DBH < 10 cm) played an important role in stemflow generation, producing 77% of the overall stemflow volume and 90% during storms with less than 20 mm of rainfall. Also, owing to their efficiency at funneling rainfall or throughfall water received by their crowns, some understory trees noticeably reduced the catches of the throughfall gauges situated under the reach of their crown areas. During storms producing greater than 20 mm of rainfall, 80% of the total stemflow occurred; trees with a large DBH or height and for which the ratio between crown's diameter and depth is less than 1, tended to generate more stemflow volume in these storms. Mean areal stemflow as a fraction of rainfall in this lowland tropical forest was 3·4%, but may range from 1–10% depending upon the proportion of trees that are high or poor stemflow yielders. Trees with DBH greater than 10 cm were likely to contribute less than 1% of the 3·4% mean areal stemflow in the forest. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hortonian overland flow from Japanese forest plantations—an aberration,the real thing,or something in between?

There is a growing opinion that poorly managed plantation forests in Japan are contributing to increased storm runoff and erosion. Here we present evidence to the contrary from runoff plots at two scales (hillslope and 0·5 × 2 m plots) for several forest conditions in the Mie and Nariki catchments. Runoff coefficients from small plots in untended hinoki forests were variable but typically higher than from better managed or deciduous forests during small storms at Nariki; at Mie, runoff during small events was highly variable from all small plots but runoff coefficients were similar for hinoki plots with and without understory vegetation, while the deciduous plot had lower runoff coefficients. Storm runoff was less at the hillslope scale than the plot scale in Mie; these results were more evident at sites with better ground cover. During the largest storms at both sites, differences in runoff due to forest condition were not evident regardless of scale. Dynamic soil moisture tension measurements at Nariki indicated that during a large storm, flow in the upper organic‐rich and root‐permeated soil horizons was 3·2 times higher than measured overland runoff from a small hinoki plot with poor ground cover and 8·3 times higher than runoff from a deciduous forest plot. On the basis of field observations during storms, at least a portion of the monitored ‘Hortonian overland flow’ was actually occurring in this near‐surface ‘biomat’. Therefore our field measurements in both small and large plots potentially included biomat flow in addition to short‐lived Hortonian runoff. Because overland flow decreased with increasing scale, rill erosion did not occur on hillslopes. Additionally, runoff coefficients were not significantly different among cover conditions during large storms; thus, the ‘degraded’ forest conditions appear not to greatly enhance peak flows or erosion potential at larger scales, especially when biomat flow is significant. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mean and turbulent flow fields in a simulated ice‐covered channel with a gravel bed: some laboratory observations

Northern rivers experience freeze‐up over the winter, creating asymmetric under‐ice flows. Field and laboratory measurements of under‐ice flows typically exhibit flow asymmetry and its characteristics depend on the presence of roughness elements on the ice cover underside. In this study, flume experiments of flows under a simulated ice cover are presented. Open water conditions and simulated rough ice‐covered flows are discussed. Mean flow and turbulent flow statistics were obtained from an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) above a gravel‐bed surface. A central region of faster flow develops in the middle portion of the flow with the addition of a rough cover. The turbulent flow characteristics are unambiguously different when simulated ice covered conditions are used. Two distinct boundary layers (near the bed and in the vicinity of the ice cover, near the water surface) are clearly identified, each being characterized by high turbulent intensity levels. Detailed profile measurements of Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy indicate that the turbulence structure is strongly influenced by the presence of an ice cover and its roughness characteristics. In general, for y/d > 0·4 (where y is height above bed and d is local flow depth), the addition of cover and its roughening tends to generate higher turbulent kinetic energy values in comparison to open water flows and Reynolds stresses become increasingly negative due to increased turbulence levels in the vicinity of the rough ice cover. The high negative Reynolds stresses not only indicate high turbulence levels created by the rough ice cover but also coherent flow structures where quadrants one and three dominate. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnitude–frequency relationship for debris flows on the fan of the Chalance torrent,Valgaudemar (French Alps)

In 1996 a large debris flow occurred on the fan of the Chalance torrent system, a tributary of the Séveraisse river, French Alps. To investigate the magnitude and frequency of such debris flows on this fan, fieldwork was carried out in the summer of 1998. Detailed investigation revealed that several debris flows have occurred in the past 200 years. Lichenometry was used as a dating technique to obtain the frequency of these debris‐flow events. Also the volume of these flows was estimated. With these data a magnitude–frequency relationship was constructed. This relationship shows a maximum magnitude of at least 50 × 10³ m³. Based on data for the past c. 150 years, a debris flow of such a volume appears to have a recurrence interval of approximately 34 years. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An empirical model of event scale cohesive bank profile evolution

The highly stochastic nature of riverbank erosion has driven the need for spatially explicit empirical models. Detailed bank profile surveys along a meander bend of the Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania, USA, before and after 28 high flow events over a 2·5 year period are used to develop an empirical model of cohesive bank profile erosion. Two hundred and thirty‐six bank erosion observations are classified as hydraulic erosion or subaerial erosion. Threshold conditions required to initiate bank erosion cannot be defined based on field measurements. Using the near‐bank velocity and the number of freeze–thaw cycles as predictors, regression equations are derived for hydraulic erosion that specify the length, thickness, and location on the bank face of eroded blocks. An empirical discriminant function defines the critical geometry of overhang failures, and the volumes removed by overhang failures are computed using another regression equation. All the regression equations are significant, but have low correlation coefficients, suggesting that cohesive bank erosion has a strong stochastic component. Individual events typically remove small masses of soil (average volume 0·084 m³/m) a few centimeters thick (median = 0·057 m) and a few decimeters in length (median = 0·50 m) from the lower third of the bank. Hydraulic erosion is responsible for 87% of all erosion. When applied to three survey sites not used in its development, the profile model predicts the total volume of erosion with errors of 23%, 5% and 1%. Twenty‐four percent of computed erosion volumes for single events are within 50% of observed volumes at these three sites. Extending the approach to decadal timescales and to entire bends will require three‐dimensional observations of bank failure, and spatially and temporally explicit methods to account for the influence of individual large trees on bank failures and near‐bank hydraulic processes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate change and soil erosion in a small alpine lake basin on the Loess Plateau,China

Multi‐proxy indices retrieved from sediments in Lake Chaonaqiu, an alpine lake on the western Loess Plateau (LP) of China, were used to reconstruct a precipitation history over the last ~300 years. The results correlate well with records from tree rings and historical documents in neighboring regions. We show that the lake oscillated between two states, i.e. wetter climatic conditions, which favored denser vegetation cover, and promoted weaker catchment soil erosion; and drier climatic conditions, which lead to less vegetation coverage, correlate with stronger surface soil erosion. Several intensive soil erosion events were identified in the sediment cores, and most of these occurred during decadal/multi‐decadal dry periods, and correlate well with flood events documented in historical literature. The results of this study show that soil erosion by flood events is particularly intense during dry periods, and further highlights the role of vegetation cover in the conservation of water and soil in small lake basins on the Chinese LP. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Belowground carbon balance and carbon accumulation rate in the successional series of monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest

The belowground part of terrestrial ecosystem is a huge carbon pool. It is believed that of the total 2500Gt carbon stored in global terrestrial ecosystem, soil carbon storage within the 1 m surface layer ac- counts for 2000Gt, which is 4-fold of vegetation car- bon storage[1,2]. Compared with the carbon in the vegetation, carbon in the deep soil layers is much more stable, and it will stay in soil profile permanentlyunless geological vicissitude occurs. Essentially, forest restoration is the…     

Estimation of vertical profiles of leaf drying times after daytime rainfall within a Bornean tropical rainforest

South‐east Asian Bornean tropical rainforests have large and complex canopy structures. To clarify how forest structure affects wet‐canopy evaporation, it is necessary to consider wet‐canopy evaporation processes within the forest canopy, such as vertical profiles of canopy drying time. In a previous study a method was proposed that utilizes sap flow measurements to estimate canopy drying time after rainfall (CDTobs) during daytime. In this present study, the method was applied to estimations of the vertical variations in CDTobs in 11 individual trees of various heights, ranging from 2·7 m to 53 m. The study derived vertical profiles and showed that the lengths of CDTobs in lower canopy trees were 2–4 h longer than those in the upper canopy trees. The new method for CDTobs profiles presented in this study, which is available for validation of multi‐layer biosphere‐atmospheric models, is a useful illustration for clarifying wet‐canopy evaporation processes in tropical rainforests. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Erosion and deposition by debris flows at Mt Thomas,North Canterbury,New Zealand

The grass-covered slopes on the southern flank of Mt Thomas, an upfaulted block of highly sheared sandstone and argillite 40 km NW of Christchurch, New Zealand, are presently undergoing severe erosion by a combination of mass-wasting processes. Gully erosion, soil slips, and debris flows have carved out a number of steep, deeply incised ravines, from which coarse debris is transported (primarily by debris flows) to alluvial fans below. Geologic and historical evidence indicates that debris flows have been episodically active here for at least the last 20,000 years and have been the dominant process in fan building. This demonstrates that catastrophic geomorphic processes, rather than processes acting at relatively uniform rates, can be dominant in humid-temperate areas as well as in arid and semi-arid regions. In April 1978, debris flows were triggered in one of two unstable ravines in the Bullock Creek catchment by a moderate intensity, long duration rainstorm with a return period in excess of 20 years. Surges of fluid debris, moving at velocities up to 5 m/s, transported a dense slurry of gravel, sand, and mud up to 3·5 km over a vertical fall of 600 m. Deposition on the alluvial fan occurred when the flows left the confines of an entrenched fan-head channel and spread out as a 0·16 km² sheet averaging 1·2 m thick. In all, 195,000 m³ were deposited, roughly a third of that being reworked sediments from the head of the fan. Sediment yield from this one event would be equivalent to several thousand years worth of erosion at average sediment discharge rates for small South Island mountain catchments. Samples of viscous fluid debris during surges contained up to 84 per cent solids, composed of 70 per cent gravel, 20 per cent silt, and 4 per cent clay. Fluid density of the material ranged between 1·95 and 2·13 g/cm³, and it was extremely poorly sorted. Between surges the fluid was less viscous, less dense, and unable to carry gravel in suspension. Severe fan-head entrenchment of the stream channel (approximately 10 m in less than 24 hours) was accomplished by the erosive action of the surges. Tectonic uplift of the Mt Thomas block and the weak, crushed condition of the bedrock appear to be ultimately responsible for the catastropic erosion of slopes in the Bullock Creek catchment. However, forest clearing within the last few centuries appears to have greatly increased the rate of mass wasting and gully erosion on these slopes.