Relationships between a catchment-scale forest disturbance index, time delays, and chemical properties of surface water.

0553033 - BC 2022 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Schmidt, Susanne Isabel - Hejzlar, Josef - Kopáček, Jiří - Mercado, Ma. Cristina Paule - Porcal, Petr - Vystavna, Yuliya
Relationships between a catchment-scale forest disturbance index, time delays, and chemical properties of surface water.
Ecological Indicators. Roč. 125, Jun (2021), č. článku 107558. ISSN 1470-160X. E-ISSN 1872-7034
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-16605S; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_025/0007417; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_027/0008357; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_013/0001782; GA TA ČR(CZ) TO01000202
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : Forest disturbance * Water chemical properties * Tree counts * Infrared remote sensing analysis
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 6.263, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107558

Forest disturbances influence water quantities and qualities in catchments, but these disturbances cannot be easily measured and quantified directly. The two main options are direct tree counting and the use of satellite images, from which forest disturbance indices are calculated. The problem with the first option is that it is time consuming. To overcome this problem, we used a catchment-scale infrared (IR) index for a Picea abies mountain forest catchment, validated by tree counting, as a predictor in regression modeling to assess the water chemical property response to disturbances. This enabled us to quantify the time delay with which chemical compounds in surface waters reacted to disturbances. The results showed that there was an insignificant correlation between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and the disturbance index from the same year that the disturbance occurred (R-2 = 0.02., p = 0.27), but correlations gradually improved and became more significant, with correlations after a 6-year delay being strongest (R-2 = 0.69., p = 0.001). The significant time delays with which other compounds responded to the disturbance ranged from 0 years (NO3-N, total nitrogen, Ca2+, Mg2+, labile aluminium) to 5 years (total organic nitrogen). Our results suggest the potential use of such an index for predicting water quality changes in disturbed areas of Picea abies mountain forests.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0328693