Articles | Volume 28, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2683-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2683-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
26 Jun 2024
Research article |
| 26 Jun 2024
| 26 Jun 2024
The influence of hillslope topography on beech water use: a comparative study in two different climates
Ginevra Fabiani
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Catchment and Eco-Hydrology Group, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Belvaux, Luxembourg
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Julian Klaus
Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Daniele Penna
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Forest Engineering Resources and Management Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-159, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-159, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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Dams and reservoirs are crucial for water supply, energy, and farming in West Africa, but information about them is often inaccessible, incomplete, or inconsistent. We combined existing records with field observations to create the a harmonized dataset to date, with quality verified at the watershed scale. This work improves access to dam and reservoir information in West Africa, supporting research and investment planning for climate adaptation across the region.
Han Fu, Ming Gao, Huijie Li, Daniele Penna, Junming Liu, Bingcheng Si, and Wenxiu Zou
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 1951–1968, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1951-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1951-2026, 2026
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We present ISONEVA, a new isotope-based framework for estimating soil water evaporation that explicitly accounts for dynamic soil water storage and non-evaporative fluxes. Numerical and field validations demonstrate that ISONEVA substantially improves evaporation estimates compared to traditional steady-state and non-steady-state approaches, and provides a robust basis for assessing long-term average evaporation to precipitation (E/P) ratios.
Sofia Ortenzi, Lucio Di Matteo, Daniela Valigi, Marco Donnini, Marco Dionigi, Davide Fronzi, Josie Geris, Fabio Guadagnano, Ivan Marchesini, Paolo Filippucci, Francesco Avanzi, Daniele Penna, and Christian Massari
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 1755–1778, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1755-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1755-2026, 2026
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The study presents an integrated approach to analyze groundwater–surface water interactions in a Central Italy catchment, combining hydrological, hydrochemical–isotopic, thermal drone, and satellite data. Results indicate that fractured limestone aquifers sustain streamflow, with snowmelt accounting for about 18 % of recharge. The workflow is transferable and suitable for similar data-scarce Mediterranean basins.
Youri Rothfuss, Samuel Le Gall, Nicolas Brüggemann, Sharmin Jahan, Mathieu Javaux, Julian Klaus, Harry Vereecken, and Dagmar van Dusschoten
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1518, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1518, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
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How plants cope with water stress is relevant when studying plant water sources in soil. We associated two techniques for measuring the content in water stable isotopes in the stem of sunflower plants and for locating where they take up water in a non-destructive manner. We highlight the role of stem water as a source of water to transpiration flux.
Johanna Bacher, Julian Klaus, Adam S. Ward, Jasmine Krause, Catalina Segura, and Clarissa Glaser
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 1523–1541, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1523-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1523-2026, 2026
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Understanding solute transport often relies on slug tracer experiments. These experiments are biassed toward capturing faster flow paths and miss longer timescales. We explore integrating a slug-injected tracer with naturally occurring radon to quantify flow paths across different timescales at the reach scale. We show that jointly calibrating a transient storage model with both tracers strengthens parameter constraints and improves solute transport estimates in future studies.
Marco M. Lehmann, Josie Geris, Ilja van Meerveld, Daniele Penna, Youri Rothfuss, Matteo Verdone, Pertti Ala-Aho, Matyas Arvai, Alise Babre, Philippe Balandier, Fabian Bernhard, Lukrecija Butorac, Simon D. Carrière, Natalie C. Ceperley, Zuosinan Chen, Alicia Correa, Haoyu Diao, David Dubbert, Maren Dubbert, Fabio Ercoli, Marius G. Floriancic, Alligin Ghazoul, Teresa E. Gimeno, Damien Gounelle, Frank Hagedorn, Christophe Hissler, Frédéric Huneau, Alberto Iraheta, Tamara Jakovljević, Nerantzis Kazakis, Zoltan Kern, Laura Kinzinger, Karl Knaebel, Johannes Kobler, Jiri Kocum, Charlotte Koeber, Gerbrand Koren, Angelika Kübert, Dawid Kupka, Samuel Le Gall, Aleksi Lehtonen, Thomas Leydier, Philippe Malagoli, Francesca Sofia Manca di Villahermosa, Chiara Marchina, Núria Martínez-Carreras, Nicolas Martin-StPaul, Hannu Marttila, Aline Meyer Oliveira, Gael Monvoisin, Natalie Orlowski, Kadi Palmik-Das, Aurel Persoiu, Andrei Popa, Egor Prikaziuk, Cécile Quantin, Katja T. Rinne-Garmston, Clara Rohde, Martin Sanda, Matthias Saurer, Daniel Schulz, Michael P. Stockinger, Christine Stumpp, Jean-Stéphane Vénisse, Lukas Vlcek, Stylianos Voudouris, Björn Weeser, Mark E. Wilkinson, Giulia Zuecco, and Katrin Meusburger
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 6129–6147, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6129-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6129-2025, 2025
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This study describes a unique large-scale isotope dataset to study water dynamics in European forests. Researchers collected data from 40 beech and spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023, using a standardized method to ensure consistency. The results show that water sources for trees change between seasons and vary by tree species. This large dataset offers valuable information for understanding plant water use, improving ecohydrological models, and mapping water cycles across Europe.
Samuele Ceolin, Stanislaus J. Schymanski, Dagmar van Dusschoten, Robert Koller, and Julian Klaus
Biogeosciences, 22, 691–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-691-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-691-2025, 2025
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We investigated if and how roots of maize plants respond to multiple abrupt changes in soil moisture. We measured root lengths using a magnetic resonance imaging technique and calculated changes in growth rates after applying water pulses. The root growth rates increased in wetted soil layers within 48 hours and decreased in non-wetted layers, indicating fast adaptation of the root systems to moisture changes. Our findings could improve irrigation management and vegetation models.
Enrico Bonanno, Günter Blöschl, and Julian Klaus
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6003–6028, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6003-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6003-2022, 2022
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There is an unclear understanding of which processes regulate the transport of water, solutes, and pollutants in streams. This is crucial since these processes control water quality in river networks. Compared to other approaches, we obtained clearer insights into the processes controlling solute transport in the investigated reach. This work highlights the risks of using uncertain results for interpreting the processes controlling water movement in streams.
Giulia Zuecco, Anam Amin, Jay Frentress, Michael Engel, Chiara Marchina, Tommaso Anfodillo, Marco Borga, Vinicio Carraro, Francesca Scandellari, Massimo Tagliavini, Damiano Zanotelli, Francesco Comiti, and Daniele Penna
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3673–3689, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3673-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3673-2022, 2022
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We analyzed the variability in the isotopic composition of plant water extracted by two different methods, i.e., cryogenic vacuum distillation (CVD) and Scholander-type pressure chamber (SPC). Our results indicated that the isotopic composition of plant water extracted by CVD and SPC was significantly different. We concluded that plant water extraction by SPC is not an alternative for CVD as SPC mostly extracts the mobile plant water whereas CVD retrieves all water stored in the sampled tissue.
Christian Massari, Francesco Avanzi, Giulia Bruno, Simone Gabellani, Daniele Penna, and Stefania Camici
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1527–1543, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1527-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1527-2022, 2022
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Droughts are a creeping disaster, meaning that their onset, duration and recovery are challenging to monitor and forecast. Here, we provide further evidence of an additional challenge of droughts, i.e. the fact that the deficit in water supply during droughts is generally much more than expected based on the observed decline in precipitation. At a European scale we explain this with enhanced evapotranspiration, sustained by higher atmospheric demand for moisture during such dry periods.
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Short summary
There is a limited understanding of the role that topography and climate play in tree water use. Through a cross-site comparison in Luxembourg and Italy, we investigated beech water use along slopes in different climates. Our findings indicate that in landscapes characterized by stronger hydraulic and climatic gradients there is greater spatial variation in tree physiological responses. This highlights how differing growing conditions across landscapes can lead to contrasting tree performances.
There is a limited understanding of the role that topography and climate play in tree water use....
