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Nuñez JA, Aguiar S, Jobbágy EG, Jiménez YG, Baldassini P. Climate change and land cover effects on water yield in a subtropical watershed spanning the yungas-chaco transition of Argentina. J Environ Manage 2024; 358:120808. [PMID: 38593742 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The demand for mountain water resources is increasing, and their availability is threatened by climate change, emphasizing the urgency for effective protection and management. The upper Sali-Dulce watershed holds vital significance as it contributes the majority of the Sali-Dulce water resources, supporting a densely populated dry region in Northwestern Argentina, covering an area of 24,217 km2. However, the potential impact of climate change and land use/land cover change on water yield in this watershed remains uncertain. This study employs the InVEST Annual Water Yield model to analyze the average water yield in the watershed and evaluate its potential changes under future scenarios of climate and land use/land cover change. InVEST was calibrated using data from multiple river gauges located across the watershed, indicating satisfactory performance (R2 = 0.751, p-value = 0.0054). Precipitation and evapotranspiration were the most important variables explaining water yield in the area, followed by land use. Water yield showed a notable concentration in the montane area with 40% of the watershed accounting for 80% of the water yield, underscoring the importance of conserving natural land cover in this critical zone. Climate change scenarios project an increase in water yield ranging from 21 to 75%, while the effects of land cover change scenarios on water yield vary, with reforestation scenarios leading to reductions of up to 15% and expansions in non-irrigated agriculture resulting in increases of up to 40%. Additionally, water yield distribution may become more concentrated or dispersed, largely dependent on the type of land cover. The combined scenarios highlight the pivotal role of land cover in adapting to climate change. Our findings provide valuable insights for designing future studies and developing policies aimed at implementing effective adaptation strategies to climate change within the Salí-Dulce watershed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquin A Nuñez
- Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martin 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Aguiar
- Laboratorio de Análisis Regional y Teledetección, IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cátedra de Dasonomía, Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martin 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Esteban G Jobbágy
- Grupo de Estudios Ambientales - IMASL, Universidad Nacional de San Luis & CONICET, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Yohana G Jiménez
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC. 34, 4107, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Pablo Baldassini
- Laboratorio de Análisis Regional y Teledetección, IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, INIA La Estanzuela, Ruta 50 Km 11, Colonia, Uruguay.
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Guillén LA, Brzostek E, McNeil B, Raczka N, Casey B, Zegre N. Sap flow velocities of Acer saccharum and Quercus velutina during drought: Insights and implications from a throughfall exclusion experiment in West Virginia, USA. Sci Total Environ 2022; 850:158029. [PMID: 35973544 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Forest species composition mediates evapotranspiration and the amount of water available to human-use downstream. In the last century, the heavily forested Appalachian region has been undergoing forest mesophication which is the progressive replacement of xeric species (e.g. black oak (Quercus velutina)) by mesic species (e.g. sugar maple (Acer saccharum)). Given differences between xeric and mesic species in water use efficiency and rainfall interception losses, investigating the consequences of these species shifts on water cycles is critical to improving predictions of ecosystem responses to climate change. To meet this need, we quantified the degree to which the sap velocities of two dominant broadleaved species (sugar maple and black oak) in West Virginia, responded to ambient and experimentally altered soil moisture conditions using a throughfall exclusion experiment. We then used these data to explore how predictions of future climate under two emissions scenarios could affect forest evapotranspiration rates. Overall, we found that the maples had higher sap velocity rates than the oaks. Sap velocity in maples showed a stronger sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit (VPD), particularly at high levels of VPD, than sap velocity in oaks. Experimentally induced reductions in shallow soil moisture did not have a relevant impact on sap velocity. In response to future climate scenarios of increased vapor pressure deficits in the Central Appalachian Mountains, our results highlight the different degrees to which two important tree species will increase transpiration, and potentially reduce the water available to the heavily populated areas downstream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Andrés Guillén
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Alnarp, Sweden; Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, West Virginia University, 334 Percival Hall, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
| | | | - Brenden McNeil
- Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, USA
| | | | - Brittany Casey
- Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, USA
| | - Nicolas Zegre
- Forestry & Natural Resources, West Virginia University, USA
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