The role of landscape morphology on soil moisture variability in semi-arid ecosystems

Ankur Srivastava; Patricia M. Saco; Jose F. Rodriguez; Nikul Kumari; Kwok Pan Chun; Omer Yetemen

doi:10.1002/hyp.13990

The role of landscape morphology on soil moisture variability in semi-arid ecosystems

Ankur Srivastava, Patricia M. Saco, Jose F. Rodriguez, Nikul Kumari, Kwok Pan Chun, Omer Yetemen^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

52 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Previous studies on semi-arid ecosystems have shown high values of soil moisture variability (SMV) primarily induced by the combined effects of non-uniform precipitation, incoming solar radiation, and soil and vegetation properties. However, the relative impact of these various factors on SMV has been difficult to evaluate due to limited availability of field data. In addition, only a limited number of studies have analysed the role of landscape morphology on SMV. Here we use numerical simulations of a simple hydrological model, the Bucket Grassland Model, to systematically analyse the effect of each contributing factor on SMV on two different landscape morphologies. The two different landform morphologies represent landscapes dominated respectively by either diffusive erosion or fluvial erosion processes. We conducted various simulations driven by a stochastically generated 100-year climate time series, which is long enough to capture climatic fluctuations, in order to understand the effect of various soil moisture controlling factors on the spatiotemporal SMV. Our modelling results show that the fluvial dominated landscapes promote higher spatial SMV than the diffusive dominated ones. Further, the role of landform morphology on SMV is more pronounced in regions where the spatial variability of incoming solar radiation and precipitation is high.

Original language	English
Article number	e13990
Journal	Hydrological Processes
Volume	35
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13990
Publication status	Published - Jan 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Funding

We thank the editor, John L. Nieber, and two anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions which improved the content of this paper. P. M. Saco acknowledges support from the Australian Research Council through grants FT140100610 and DP140104178. O. Yetemen acknowledges support from the 2232 International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers Program of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) through grant 118C329. The financial support received from TUBITAK does not mean that the content of the publication is approved in a scientific sense by TUBITAK. Australian Research Council, Grant/Award Numbers: DP140104178, FT140100610; Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu, Grant/Award Number: 118C329 Funding information

Funders	Funder number
TUBITAK
Australian Research Council	DP140104178, FT140100610
Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu	118C329

Keywords

landscape morphology
latitudinal variations
soil moisture variability
solar radiation

Access to Document

10.1002/hyp.13990

Cite this

@article{e90682d2769b427c98c8b416d9112fd5,

title = "The role of landscape morphology on soil moisture variability in semi-arid ecosystems",

abstract = "Previous studies on semi-arid ecosystems have shown high values of soil moisture variability (SMV) primarily induced by the combined effects of non-uniform precipitation, incoming solar radiation, and soil and vegetation properties. However, the relative impact of these various factors on SMV has been difficult to evaluate due to limited availability of field data. In addition, only a limited number of studies have analysed the role of landscape morphology on SMV. Here we use numerical simulations of a simple hydrological model, the Bucket Grassland Model, to systematically analyse the effect of each contributing factor on SMV on two different landscape morphologies. The two different landform morphologies represent landscapes dominated respectively by either diffusive erosion or fluvial erosion processes. We conducted various simulations driven by a stochastically generated 100-year climate time series, which is long enough to capture climatic fluctuations, in order to understand the effect of various soil moisture controlling factors on the spatiotemporal SMV. Our modelling results show that the fluvial dominated landscapes promote higher spatial SMV than the diffusive dominated ones. Further, the role of landform morphology on SMV is more pronounced in regions where the spatial variability of incoming solar radiation and precipitation is high.",

keywords = "landscape morphology, latitudinal variations, soil moisture variability, solar radiation",

author = "Ankur Srivastava and Saco, {Patricia M.} and Rodriguez, {Jose F.} and Nikul Kumari and Chun, {Kwok Pan} and Omer Yetemen",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd",

year = "2021",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1002/hyp.13990",

language = "English",

volume = "35",

journal = "Hydrological Processes",

issn = "0885-6087",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of landscape morphology on soil moisture variability in semi-arid ecosystems

AU - Srivastava, Ankur

AU - Saco, Patricia M.

AU - Rodriguez, Jose F.

AU - Kumari, Nikul

AU - Chun, Kwok Pan

AU - Yetemen, Omer

PY - 2021/1

Y1 - 2021/1

N2 - Previous studies on semi-arid ecosystems have shown high values of soil moisture variability (SMV) primarily induced by the combined effects of non-uniform precipitation, incoming solar radiation, and soil and vegetation properties. However, the relative impact of these various factors on SMV has been difficult to evaluate due to limited availability of field data. In addition, only a limited number of studies have analysed the role of landscape morphology on SMV. Here we use numerical simulations of a simple hydrological model, the Bucket Grassland Model, to systematically analyse the effect of each contributing factor on SMV on two different landscape morphologies. The two different landform morphologies represent landscapes dominated respectively by either diffusive erosion or fluvial erosion processes. We conducted various simulations driven by a stochastically generated 100-year climate time series, which is long enough to capture climatic fluctuations, in order to understand the effect of various soil moisture controlling factors on the spatiotemporal SMV. Our modelling results show that the fluvial dominated landscapes promote higher spatial SMV than the diffusive dominated ones. Further, the role of landform morphology on SMV is more pronounced in regions where the spatial variability of incoming solar radiation and precipitation is high.

AB - Previous studies on semi-arid ecosystems have shown high values of soil moisture variability (SMV) primarily induced by the combined effects of non-uniform precipitation, incoming solar radiation, and soil and vegetation properties. However, the relative impact of these various factors on SMV has been difficult to evaluate due to limited availability of field data. In addition, only a limited number of studies have analysed the role of landscape morphology on SMV. Here we use numerical simulations of a simple hydrological model, the Bucket Grassland Model, to systematically analyse the effect of each contributing factor on SMV on two different landscape morphologies. The two different landform morphologies represent landscapes dominated respectively by either diffusive erosion or fluvial erosion processes. We conducted various simulations driven by a stochastically generated 100-year climate time series, which is long enough to capture climatic fluctuations, in order to understand the effect of various soil moisture controlling factors on the spatiotemporal SMV. Our modelling results show that the fluvial dominated landscapes promote higher spatial SMV than the diffusive dominated ones. Further, the role of landform morphology on SMV is more pronounced in regions where the spatial variability of incoming solar radiation and precipitation is high.

KW - landscape morphology

KW - latitudinal variations

KW - soil moisture variability

KW - solar radiation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85097219095&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/hyp.13990

DO - 10.1002/hyp.13990

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85097219095

SN - 0885-6087

VL - 35

JO - Hydrological Processes

JF - Hydrological Processes

IS - 1

M1 - e13990

ER -

The role of landscape morphology on soil moisture variability in semi-arid ecosystems

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this