Characterizing the Interception Capacity of Floor Litter with Rainfall Simulation Experiments

Qiwen Li,Ye Eun Lee,Sangjun Im

doi:10.3390/w12113145

Abstract

Floor litter can reduce the amount of water reaching the soil layer through rainfall interception. The rainfall interception capacity of floor litter varies with the physical features of the litter and rainfall characteristics. This study aimed to define the maximum and minimum interception storages (Cmx, Cmn) of litter layers using rainfall simulation experiments, and examine the effects of litter type and rainfall characteristics on rainfall retention and drainage processes that occur in the litter layer. Different types of needle-leaf and broadleaf litters were used: Abies holophylla, Pinus strobus, Pinus rigida, Quercus acutissima, Quercus variabilis, and Sorbus alnifolia. Our results indicate a wide variation in interception storage values of needle leaf litter, regardless of the rainfall intensity and duration. The A. holophylla needle-leaf litter showed the highest Cmx and Cmn values owing to its short length and low porosity. Conversely, the lowest interception storage values were determined for the P. strobus needle leaf litter. No significant differences in interception storage were established for the broadleaf litter. Moreover, except for A. holophylla litter, the broadleaf litter retained more water than the needle leaf litter. An increase in the intensity or duration of rainfall events leads to an increase in the water retention storage of litter. However, these factors do not influence the litter’s drainage capacity, which depends primarily on the force of gravity.

Highlights

Rainfall interception is recognized at present as one of the most underrated and underpriced processes in forest hydrology
Litter Physical Characteristics of Q. variabilis and Q. acutissima were characterized by a longer length and narrower width than the oval-shaped litter of S. alnifolia
The current study demonstrated that a higher intensity or longer duration of rainfall leads to an increase in the interception storage of the litter layer, which is similar to the findings of Sato et al [14], Putuhena and Cordery [15], and others [16,25]

Summary

Introduction

Rainfall interception is recognized at present as one of the most underrated and underpriced processes in forest hydrology. In places where floor litter has developed on a near-ground surface, rainfall that falls on forest cover is intercepted by the litter layer and subsequently evaporates back into the atmosphere [1,2,3]. This retention and redistribution process profoundly influences the water budget of forest areas, altering the amount of water available to percolate into the uppermost layer of forest soils [4,5,6]. It forms a porous barrier that retains a small portion of the incident rainfall

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