Abstract
Soil moisture temporal variability is an important concept in understanding forest management. The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of planting density on soil profile moisture in a clonal Eucalyptus plantation. Soil moisture was observed every 15 days at 25 points distributed throughout the eucalyptus stand between November 2013 and October 2015 to characterize the moisture according to the following three types of spacings: 3 x 2, 3 x 3, and 3 x 5 m. At each point, the 0 - 10, 10 - 20, 20 - 30, 30 – 40, and 60 - 100 cm layers were evaluated using a Profile Probe PR2 model. Soil moisture showed high spatial variability in the 0 - 10 cm layer, whereas from 30 to 100 cm deep, the moisture tended to become more homogeneous throughout the area. The dry periods presented greater temporal soil moisture stability when compared to the rainy seasons. The 3 x 2 m spacing has greater temporal soil moisture stability when compared to the others, while the 3 x 3 m spacing presented greater temporal variability.
Highlights
After interacting with the forest canopy and individual tree trunks, the throughfall and stemflows reach the forest floor
The infiltration and redistribution processes of water in the soil profile are affected by variability in the volume of water that interacts with the soil surface and the effects of vegetation cover
Understanding the variability of soil moisture, using both spatial and temporal scales, is essential in quantifying water storage variation in the soil profile; this information is fundamental in flood prediction and forecasting studies and agro-climatic modelling, especially in eucalyptus plantations
Summary
After interacting with the forest canopy and individual tree trunks, the throughfall and stemflows reach the forest floor. From this moment on, two important processes of the hydrological cycle occur, namely the direct runoff and infiltration of water into the soil profile. The infiltration and redistribution processes of water in the soil profile are affected by variability in the volume of water that interacts with the soil surface and the effects of vegetation cover. Understanding the variability of soil moisture, using both spatial and temporal scales, is essential in quantifying water storage variation in the soil profile; this information is fundamental in flood prediction and forecasting studies and agro-climatic modelling, especially in eucalyptus plantations
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