中文 |

Newsroom

Researchers Find Large Spatial Variations in Forest Water Retention Capacity in China

Mar 04, 2020

Under a scenario of global climate change and terrestrial water storage depletion, forest water retention, including the interception and storage of precipitation, regulation of runoff and purification of water, has become a hot topic in studies of ecosystem services.   

A research team led by SHI Wenjiao and TAO Fulu from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found large spatial variations in the canopy interception capacity (CIC), litter maximum water-holding capacity (LWHC), soil water storage capacity (SSC) and forest water retention capacity (WRC) in different forest types and soil types at the national and basin scales in China.

Moreover, the effects of some factors such as location, terrain and canopy structure on the CIC, LWHC, SSC and WRC values were significant in only certain basins, but these effects were not significant throughout China. This work was published in Ecological Indicators.  

Besides reviewing previous studies, the team collected the parameters of canopy interception, litter water-holding, soil storage and water retention and their influencing factors at multiple observation sites throughout China. They applied a relatively comprehensive method - an empirical model of WRC, to estimate water retention based on observation data and the water retention capacity.   

The results showed that the CIC, SSC and WRC decreased from south to north in China, which was opposite to the trend of LWHC.

Graduate student WU Xi from IGSNRR found that the average CIC (LWHC) values of different forest types (tropical monsoon rainforest, subtropical needleleaf forest, subtropical deciduous broadleaf forest) and soil types (ferralsol, anthrosol and primarosols) distributed in southern China were approximately two (1/2) times higher (lower) than those of the forest types (cold and temperate mountainous needleleaf forest, temperate deciduous broadleaf forest) and soil types (semi-alfisol, pedocal and semi-hydromorphic soil) in northern China.

The SSC values contributed approximately 60 - 85% to the WRC values in the different basins, soil types and forest types in China.  

"The Pearson correlation coefficient (R) and path analysis were used to assess the impacts of climatic factors, terrain factors, location factors, forest types, and soil types, as well as canopy, litter and soil characteristics on the CIC, LWHC, SSC and WRC, and to determine the direct and indirect influence pathways," said SHI.  

The researchers found that the indirect effects of some climatic, location and terrain factors on the CIC, LWHC, SSC and WRC values determined the total effects.   

The work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China. 

Contact

ZHANG Yan

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research

E-mail:

Large spatial variations in the distributions of and factors affecting forest water retention capacity in China

Related Articles
Contact Us
  • 86-10-68597521 (day)

    86-10-68597289 (night)

  • 86-10-68511095 (day)

    86-10-68512458 (night)

  • cas_en@cas.cn

  • 52 Sanlihe Rd., Xicheng District,

    Beijing, China (100864)

Copyright © 2002 - Chinese Academy of Sciences