Abstract
Rainfall interception and other hydrologic processes affected by the forest litter layer are usually related to litter characteristics and rainfall conditions, with limited studies that consider the influence of slope. To simulate the hydrological functions of the litter layer at different slope gradients, artificial rainfall experiments were conducted at four rainfall intensities (from 30 to 120 mm hr−1) in horizontal and inclined trays (with the slope of 0°, 10°, 20° and 30°) with litter of Pinus tabuliformis or Quercus variabilis. The results indicated that (1) the dynamic process of litter interception had 3 phases: a rapid intercepted phase within the first 5 min, a moderate intercepted phase and a post-rainfall drainage phase; (2) the maximum interception storage (Cmax) and the minimum interception storage (Cmin) of Q. variabilis were larger than those of P. tabuliformis; (3) Cmax and Cmin were correlated with slope for both types of litter, whereas only Cmax was correlated with rainfall intensity; and (4) lateral flow amount significantly increased with both slope gradient and rainfall intensity only for Quercus variabilis, whereas drainage volume showed significant correlation with rainfall intensity. Moreover, the ratio of lateral runoff and drainage was affected by slope gradient whereas percentage of litter interception had a good relationship with rainfall intensity, rather than slope, with litter interception and drainage contributing the smallest and the largest proportions, respectively. Overall, the results demonstrate the effect of rainfall and slope factors on hydrological processes in the forest litter layer.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.