CENTRE ON THE PROBLEMS OF ECOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF FORESTS
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CENTRE ON THE PROBLEMS OF ECOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF FORESTS |
RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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L. S. Kuchment, A. N. Gelfan, V. N. Demidov A Model for the Hydrological Cycle of a Forested Catchment and Assessment of Changes in the Water Balance in Cuttings // Forest Science (Lesovedenie). 2012. No 6. С.3-13. A physico-mathematical model of the hydrological cycle of a forested catchment has been elaborated. This model includes a description of interception of liquid and solid precipitation by tree crowns, snow accumulation and thawing, vertical transfer of moisture in soil and its evaporation, surface, subsurface, and channeled runoff. The calibration and verification of the model were carried out using the data of experimental observations on a completely forested catchment in the territory of the Taiga Valdai Water-Balance Station. Later on, this model was used for the assessment of possible changes in the hydrological cycle after clear cuttings on the same catchment. The values of the model parameters were compared to the corresponding soil characteristics in the adjacent treeless (field) territory of the Usadievskii catchment. According to the modeling results, after cutting on the catchment investigated, the mean water reserves in the snow cover before thawing could increase by 15%. Losses for snow sublimation are reduced almost by two times. The intensity of thawing increases by 30%, and the duration of snow thawing decreases by 10 days. The annual runoff after cutting increases by 7-10%; the seasonal distribution of the runoff and constituents of the water balance changes to a great extent. On the forested catchment, during spring high water, the maximal water discharge becomes 50% lower than that after forest cutting. The duration of spring high water after cutting is reduced by 5-7 days. Changes in the hydrological cycles depending on changes in the leaf index related to the age of stands were also studied. Hydrological cycle, river runoff, runoff modeling, forest watershed, impact of forest cutting upon runoff.. |
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