Precipitation partitioning in a temperate forest watershed affected by anthropogenic disturbances and climate change

Abstract:

Hydrological fluxes and storages, determining the annual water balance of temperate montane forest watersheds of Central Europe, are studied. The research focuses on processes which are sensitive to changes in long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation, and at the same time are difficult to quantify, thus complicating the predictions of hydrological responses of forest watersheds to changing climate. Specific attention is paid to the processes accompanied by phase transitions, for which the expected changes in thermal regime are of key importance, namely: (i) soil freezing–thawing phenomena and snowmelt, (ii) evapotranspiration, (iii) interception and occult precipitation. In terms of methodology, the research combines hydro-climatological monitoring and physically-based numerical modeling. The main objective of the research is improved understanding of the impacts of climate change on the water balance of forest watersheds of temperate zone. The research is supported by the Czech Science Foundation, project No. 20-00788S.