Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1029/2020WR029094 |
Licence ![]() |
|
| Title (Primary) | Catchment functioning under prolonged drought stress: tracer‐aided ecohydrological modelling in an intensively managed agricultural catchment |
| Author | Yang, X.; Tetzlaff, D.; Soulsby, C.; Smith, A.; Borchardt, D. |
| Source Titel | Water Resources Research |
| Year | 2021 |
| Department | ASAM |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Page From | e2020WR029094 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes T4 Coastal System |
| Supplements | https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1029%2F2020WR029094&file=2020WR029094-sup-0001-Supporting+Information+SI-S01.docx https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1029%2F2020WR029094&file=2020WR029094-sup-0002-Data+Set+SI-S01.txt https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1029%2F2020WR029094&file=2020WR029094-sup-0003-Data+Set+SI-S02.csv |
| Keywords | Ecohydrological functioning; drought stress; tile drainage; Tracer‐aided modelling; stable isotopes of water and water ages; multi‐criteria calibration |
| Abstract | High spatial heterogeneity of catchment properties enhances the
variability of ecohydrological responses to changing natural and
anthropogenic conditions, like the European‐wide droughts in 2018‐2019.
Based on new adaptations of a tracer‐aided, process‐based
ecohydrological model (EcH2O‐iso), we investigated
drought‐induced nonstationary ecohydrological behaviour in a small
agricultural headwater catchment (1.44 km2) in central
Germany. Multiple environmental time‐series helped inform various
aspects of catchment functioning that have been impacted by agricultural
activity and changing climate conditions, and helped to further
constrain model calibration. Multi‐criteria calibration showed that data
collected during drought years were highly informative in reproducing
the changes in stream water dynamics. Further, inclusion of 2H and 18O
data were valuable for reducing model uncertainty and increasing
confidence in simulations of green‐ and blue‐water flux partitioning and
storage‐flux‐age interactions. Using the best‐performing calibrations,
we further analyzed the high spatiotemporal variability of internal
ecohydrological processes and the varying responses of fluxes and
associated water ages to prolonged drought stress. Under drought
conditions, modelled stream runoff contributed from deeper, older
storages increased significantly after a particularly wet season,
resulting in a sharp increase in stream water age. Unlike relatively
minor changes in soil evaporation, seasonally typical transpiration
fluxes were initially maintained in April‐June but dramatically
decreased as the drought further developed in July‐September.
Importantly, the tracer‐based transpired water age was much older after
April, providing a potential indicator of drought impacts and the need
for precautionary management responses. Our findings are important for
similar agricultural headwater ecosystems in other drought‐sensitive
regions. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=24380 |
| Yang, X., Tetzlaff, D., Soulsby, C., Smith, A., Borchardt, D. (2021): Catchment functioning under prolonged drought stress: tracer‐aided ecohydrological modelling in an intensively managed agricultural catchment Water Resour. Res. 57 (3), e2020WR029094 10.1029/2020WR029094 |
|

2H and
18O
data were valuable for reducing model uncertainty and increasing
confidence in simulations of green‐ and blue‐water flux partitioning and
storage‐flux‐age interactions. Using the best‐performing calibrations,
we further analyzed the high spatiotemporal variability of internal
ecohydrological processes and the varying responses of fluxes and
associated water ages to prolonged drought stress. Under drought
conditions, modelled stream runoff contributed from deeper, older
storages increased significantly after a particularly wet season,
resulting in a sharp increase in stream water age. Unlike relatively
minor changes in soil evaporation, seasonally typical transpiration
fluxes were initially maintained in April‐June but dramatically
decreased as the drought further developed in July‐September.
Importantly, the tracer‐based transpired water age was much older after
April, providing a potential indicator of drought impacts and the need
for precautionary management responses. Our findings are important for
similar agricultural headwater ecosystems in other drought‐sensitive
regions.