Articles | Volume 28, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3037-2024
© 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-28-3037-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regional patterns and drivers of modelled water flows along environmental, functional, and stand structure gradients in Spanish forests
Jesús Sánchez-Dávila
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain
Miquel De Cáceres
Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain
Jordi Vayreda
Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain
Javier Retana
Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain
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María González-Sanchis, Miquel De Cáceres, Paula Martín, Gemma Piqué, Pau García Iñurria, and Susan Manrique
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3106, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3106, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
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Mediterranean forests are growing denser, consuming more water and raising wildfire risk. Here we present for the first time MEDFATELAND, a spatially distributed model simulating forest–water interactions across landscapes. Applied to two Spanish catchments, results show that forest densification reduces river flow even without changes in rainfall. Tree thinning can restore water availability and lower severe crown fire risk, offering a practical tool for forest and water managers.
Écio Souza Diniz, Eladio Rodríguez-Penedo, Roger Grau-Andrés, Jordi Vayreda, and Marcos Fernández-Martínez
Biogeosciences, 22, 2115–2132, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2115-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2115-2025, 2025
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In this study, we found that the accumulation of nutrients (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium) in leaves is an important factor in explaining tree growth in forest ecosystems. This result provides evidence for forest growth studies aimed at forest conservation and restoration to better direct their resources to data collection and measurement. Collecting data on nutrient stocks in tree leaves can also provide valuable information to broaden our understanding of forest functioning.
Albert Alvarez, Judit Lecina-Diaz, Miquel De Càceres, Jordi Vayreda, and Javier Retana
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1355, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1355, 2024
Preprint archived
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We have combined field and forest inventory data from a large Mediterranean wildfire to analyse the distribution of the available biomass, fire severity and fuel consumption, to quantify the impact of forest structure and forest type on total pollutant emissions. Pre-fire biomass was different in oak and pine forests, but fire severity was the main factor influencing atmospheric pollutant emissions, with shrub and litter fuel layers being essential to accurately estimate wildfire emissions.
Miquel De Cáceres, Roberto Molowny-Horas, Antoine Cabon, Jordi Martínez-Vilalta, Maurizio Mencuccini, Raúl García-Valdés, Daniel Nadal-Sala, Santiago Sabaté, Nicolas Martin-StPaul, Xavier Morin, Francesco D'Adamo, Enric Batllori, and Aitor Améztegui
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 3165–3201, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3165-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3165-2023, 2023
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Regional-level applications of dynamic vegetation models are challenging because they need to accommodate the variation in plant functional diversity. This can be done by estimating parameters from available plant trait databases while adopting alternative solutions for missing data. Here we present the design, parameterization and evaluation of MEDFATE (version 2.9.3), a novel model of forest dynamics for its application over a region in the western Mediterranean Basin.
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Short summary
Forest blue water is determined by the climate, functional traits, and stand structure variables. The leaf area index (LAI) is the main driver of the trade-off between the blue and green water. Blue water is concentrated in the autumn–winter season, and deciduous trees can increase the relative blue water. The leaf phenology and seasonal distribution are determinants for the relative blue water.
Forest blue water is determined by the climate, functional traits, and stand structure...