Abstract

In snow-dominated mountain systems, a warming climate alters soil water deficit through changing the timing and magnitude of moisture inputs as precipitation and snowmelt and through changes in the timing and magnitude of evapotranspiration losses. The net effect of climate warming on soil water deficit and associated ecosystem processes ultimately depends on the interaction between changes in inputs and outputs and on vegetation, micro-climate and soil properties that control the sensitivity of soil water to changes in input/output drivers. In mountain environments, steep spatial gradients result in substantial variation in atmospheric forcing and vegetation and soil properties over relatively short spatial scales, which necessitate providing finer-scale assessment of climate change impact. Measurements of soil moisture and forest responses to climate are often made at plot scales but are limited in spatial coverage. Coupled eco-hydrologic models, applied at relatively fine (m) scales provide a method of extrapolating findings from local measurements and exploring hillslope and watershed scale impacts of climate warming on moisture deficit. In this study, we use RHESSys (Regional hydro-ecologic simulation system) combined with spatially intensive monitoring of coupled ecohydrologic variables at the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO), located in the Sierra National Forest, California. We initially use the model to identify clusters of distinctive water deficit behavior as summarized by indices of summertime soil moisture and transpiration recessions. The resulting clusters demonstrate that both elevational differences in energy availability and topographic controls on drainage are 1st order controls on spatial patterns of summertime moisture deficit and tree transpiration. We then use these initial model clusters to guide soil moisture and sapflux data collection. The collected data are used to characterize soil moisture deficit and transpiration for each cluster evaluate and improve the model predictions. Our initial results highlight the importance of adequate representation of micro-climate patterns as controls on summer moisture deficits and transpiration. We then use the model to show how spatial patterns of summertime moisture deficit and transpiration may change under future climate scenarios. We apply two approaches which are 1) using 2 and 4 C° uniform temperature adding to the historic meteorological records and 2) using a downscaled GCM climate projection.

Citation

Son, K., Tague, C. (2011): Spatial patterns of interaction among climate variability and change, soil water deficit and transpiration in small mountain catchments of Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2011. Abstract GC31A-1020. .