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| Home > Publications database > Deforestation Effects on Soil Moisture Patterns and Water Fluxes in a Headwater Catchment |
| Home > Publications database > Deforestation Effects on Soil Moisture Patterns and Water Fluxes in a Headwater Catchment |
| Poster (After Call) | FZJ-2015-07244 |
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2015
Abstract: Although the hydrological effects of deforestation have been studied since the beginning of the 20th century, little is known about its effect on soil moisture variability and water movement through the vadose zone. Analyzing the changes in patterns of soil moisture content can assist in identifying changes in short-term catchment dynamics. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in spatial-temporal soil moisture patterns and water movement caused by partial deforestation in the small headwater catchment Wüstebach (Germany). In this catchment, soil moisture has been measured since July 2009 at more than 100 locations using a wireless soil moisture sensor network with a 15 minute resolution. Additionally, discharge, precipitation, and evapotranspiration data have been used to better interpret temporal soil moisture fluctuations and to put these into a broader hydrologic perspective. In August 2013, spruce trees within an area of 9 ha were almost completely removed. To identify the effects of this deforestation, the relationship between the soil moisture in the control area (remaining forest) and the deforested area were studied before and after the deforestation. Changes in preferential flow occurrence were identified using a sensor response time analysis of soil moisture measurements before and after the deforestation where preferential flow was identified as a non-sequential sequence of sensor response times within the soil. Using this approach, spatial and temporal changes in preferential flow occurrence and changes in factors that affected preferential flow occurrence were identified. Results of our study reveal an increased wetness of the deforested area, with the most significant changes in the upper soil (5 cm). Nonetheless, the relationship between the mean soil moisture and its standard deviation remained similar before and after deforestation, which might indicate that the deforestation measures have not yet caused a significant change in soil properties at the sensor locations.
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