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MID‐WINTER STEMFLOW DRAINAGE FROM BIGTOOTH ASPEN ( POPULUS GRANDIDENTATA MICHX.) IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS
Author(s) -
HERWITZ STANLEY R.,
LEVIA JR. DELPHIS F.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1085(199702)11:2<169::aid-hyp428>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - stemflow , snowmelt , environmental science , precipitation , interception , basal area , hydrology (agriculture) , snow , canopy , canopy interception , drainage , bark (sound) , forestry , soil water , throughfall , ecology , geology , soil science , geography , biology , geotechnical engineering , geomorphology , meteorology
Under winter conditions, stemflow drainage in forested ecosystems is often assumed to be a negligible component of the hydrological cycle. This paper reports on mid‐winter stemflow drainage from the broadleaved deciduous tree species Populus grandidentata . Stemflow volumes from this species at air temperatures of < 0°C were found to be comparable to rainfall‐generated stemflow during summer. Over the three‐month period January–March 1993, stemflow ranged from 5.4 to 9.9% of the incident gross precipitation. Expressed as depth equivalents per unit trunk basal area, these stemflow inputs ranged from 1.8 to 4.9 m. These concentrated mid‐winter inputs of liquid water to the bases of canopy trees were attributable to: (1) snow interception by the leafless woody frame of each tree; (2) snow retention by glazed ice precipitation associated with the snowfall event; (3) increased temperature at the bark/snow interface caused by the low albedo of the bark tissue; and (4) convergence of snowmelt drainage from steeply inclined upthrust primary branches. The hydrological and ecological significance of liquid water inputs to the forest floor under sub‐zero conditions are discussed. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.