The Relative Influence of Storm and Landscape Characteristics on Shallow Groundwater Responses in Forested Headwater Catchments

DOI Web Site Web Site Web Site Web Site View 1 Remaining Hide 1 Citations
  • Nitin K. Singh
    Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA
  • Ryan E. Emanuel
    Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
  • Fabian Nippgen
    Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming USA
  • Brian L. McGlynn
    Division of Earth and Ocean Science, Nicholas School of Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USA
  • Chelcy F. Miniat
    USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory Otto North Carolina USA

Search this article

Description

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Shallow groundwater responses to rainfall in forested headwaters can be highly variable, but their relative strengths of influences remain poorly understood. We investigated the roles of storms and landscape characteristics on short‐term, shallow groundwater responses to rainfall in forested headwater catchments. We used field observations of shallow groundwater combined with random forest modeling to identify the factors that affect shallow groundwater responses and the relative influences of key response drivers. We found that the rainfall thresholds required for groundwater responses were only met by the largest quartile of events, suggesting that most events contributed to unsaturated soil storage or were lost to evaporation. Significantly higher rainfall thresholds and longer response times for south facing catchments as opposed to north facing catchments highlighted the role of insolation in setting antecedent conditions that influenced the groundwater response. During storms, there were significantly larger increases in water table height in catchments dominated by coniferous forests compared to deciduous forests, indicating that local spatial characteristics of hillslopes could be more important factors for groundwater response than catchment wetness. The random‐forest analysis revealed that total rainfall amount had the greatest influence on most groundwater responses, but the relative influence of topography and local antecedent wetness was more pronounced as events progressed, indicating a shift in hydrological processes during different stages of the groundwater response. These results have implications for our understanding of runoff generation processes, including processes that determine hydrologic connectivity between stream and hillslopes.</jats:p>

Journal

Citations (1)*help

See more

Report a problem

Back to top