In northwestern Italy, overall drought conditions appear to have worsened over the last 60 years due to both precipitation deficits and increased evapotranspiration caused by temperature increases. In addition to changes in drought conditions, changes in the characteristics of drought periods, both at a local and at a region-wide level, are found. Links between all the aforementioned changes and terrain characteristics are highlighted, finding generally worse conditions in lower-lying areas.

This study investigates stormflow patterns in a forested watershed in north China, highlighting the fact that delayed stormflow is governed by soil water content (SWC) and groundwater level (GWL). When SWC exceeds its storage capacity, excess water infiltrates, recharging groundwater and gradually elevating GWL. Rising GWL enhances subsurface connectivity and lateral flow, synchronizing watershed responses and, in extreme cases, causing a delayed stormflow peak to merge with the direct stormflow peak.

Root-zone water storage capacity (S_r) helps plants survive droughts and influences water and climate systems. Using GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data, we estimated S_r globally and found that it exceeds 2 m soil storage in nearly half of the vegetated areas, far more than previously thought. Incorporating our S_r estimates into a global hydrological model improves evapotranspiration simulations, particularly during droughts, highlighting the value of our approach for advancing water resource and ecosystem modeling.

This technical note describes the development of a weighing forest floor grid lysimeter. The device is needed to investigate the dynamics of the water balance components of the organic layer in forests, quantifying precipitation, drainage, evaporation, and storage. We designed a setup that can be easily rebuilt and that is cost-effective, which allows for customized applications. Performance metrics from laboratory results and initial field data are presented.