Articles | Volume 28, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2081-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2081-2024
Research article
 | 
08 May 2024
Research article |  | 08 May 2024

Broadleaf afforestation impacts on terrestrial hydrology insignificant compared to climate change in Great Britain

Marcus Buechel, Louise Slater, and Simon Dadson

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Cited articles

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Bathurst, J., Birkinshaw, S., Johnson, H., Kenny, A., Napier, A., Raven, S., Robinson, J., and Stroud, R.: Runoff, flood peaks and proportional response in a combined nested and paired forest plantation/peat grassland catchment, J. Hydrol., 564, 916–927, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.07.039, 2018. 
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Short summary
Afforestation has been proposed internationally, but the hydrological implications of such large increases in the spatial extent of woodland are not fully understood. In this study, we use a land surface model to simulate hydrology across Great Britain with realistic afforestation scenarios and potential climate changes. Countrywide afforestation minimally influences hydrology, when compared to climate change, and reduces low streamflow whilst not lowering the highest flows.
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