CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Chin, K.S.; and Tromp-van Meerveld, H.J.
Date : 2009.
Title : The spatial distribution of surface soil moisture in a small forested watershed in British Columbia, Canada.
Publication : 2009 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. December 14-18, 2009. San Francisco, California, USA.
Issue :
Page(s) :
Abstract
Soil moisture is intimately linked to transpiration and various ecological and biological processes. Understanding soil moisture patterns will help to assess the spatial variation of these processes. Average soil moisture of the top 20 cm of the soil was measured at 116 locations in a 1-ha forested watershed in the UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest. Measurements were taken with a Hydrosense time domain reflectometer between August 2007 and May 2009. The data showed clear and distinctive wet and dry states. During and after summer storms, the transition between the wet and dry states occurred within approximately 8 days. Temporal stability analysis showed persistence in the soil moisture pattern, with topography as the key control on the soil moisture distribution. The wetter regions were located in areas close to the stream, and in areas of topographic convergence. Detailed moisture pattern analysis showed that in response to summer storms soil moisture increased at a faster rate on upper slope areas than at lower elevations. Similarly, soil moisture at the upper slope areas decreased faster afterwards. Soil moisture measurements on the hillslopes showed a lower correlation between slope position and soil moisture. The soil moisture pattern at the hillslopes was also less persistent than the pattern for the whole watershed. This suggests that the topographic control on soil moisture may be influenced by scale
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology