Depletion and recharge of soil water in two stands of norway spruce (picea abies (l.) karst)

Abstract

Depletion and recharge dynamics of soil water were studied at two forest sites in Northern and Southern Sweden during three growing seasons. At each site, having a stand of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst), soil water potential was measured with 90 gypsum blocks in 30 profiles at depths of 6, 20, and 50 cm from the soil surface. The size of the rectangular plots was 250 m2. The large variation in soil water potential during desiccation periods extended throughout the measuring range of the gypsum blocks. The soil water potentials, at different times and depths, were log-normally distributed during only parts of the desiccation periods. Due to the large variation and skewed distribution of soil water potentials the nonparametric Spearman rank correlation statistics was used to analyse the pattern of desiccation and rewetting of the soil. In the beginning of a dry period the topsoil was more efficiently desiccated than the subsoil at both sites. This difference lasted throughout all droughts at the southern site and was explained by a higher root density in the topsoil. At the northern site, however, there was no difference in the degree of desiccation at different soil depths during an extended desiccation period. While certain microsites tended to be more depleted than others during desiccation periods, this did not prove to be significantly correlated to the rewetting of the soil after the different droughts. There was a vertical relationship in soil water desiccation in which an accentuated water depletion at the 6 cm soil depth was followed by a similar strong depletion 14 cm lower in the same observation profile. Strongly desiccated observation profiles were not necessarily situated close to each other but seemed randomly spread over the site. There was no relationship between extracted water at any of the three soil depths in the different observation profiles and proximity to trees or tree size.