Topographic indices and ERA5-Land data to describe soil moisture variability in a Central European beech forest
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43410%2F25%3A43927036" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43410/25:43927036 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102456" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102456</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102456" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102456</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Topographic indices and ERA5-Land data to describe soil moisture variability in a Central European beech forest
Original language description
Study region: Temperate beech forest in central Germany's low mountain range. Study focus: Soil moisture is essential for ecosystem functioning, influencing hydrological, biological, and biogeochemical processes. It regulates water, energy, and carbon cycles, supporting ecosystem organization, biodiversity, and vegetation resilience. However, climate change and human activities increasingly disrupt soil moisture dynamics, altering spatio-temporal variability due to altered precipitation, rising temperatures, and droughts, making prediction attempts a challenge. This study examines a temperate beech forest in central Germany's low mountain range, aiming to: (1) analyse spatio-temporal variations in soil moisture and temperature, (2) assess correlations with topographic indices across seasons, and (3) validate ERA5-Land retrievals. We employed 62 automatic sensors and manual measurements at 236 sites within a 900 x 600 m area. Field data were merged with ERA5-Land reanalysis and topographic indices, including depth-to-water and topographic position indices, to assess their performance in predicting soil water content spatial patterns. New hydrological insights for the region: Temporal variation exceeded spatial variation by 3.60-3.68 times. While soil moisture was associated with mesorelief (topographic position index), the correlation was weak. Flow accumulation-based indices were ineffective in capturing spatial soil moisture variation and failed to model spatio-temporal variability. This suggests that model results need to be reconsidered, and suitable indices developed. Insights from this study contribute to improving soil-vegetation-atmosphere models and support sustainable forest management in a changing climate.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
40102 - Forestry
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
O - Projekt operacniho programu
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
ISSN
2214-5818
e-ISSN
2214-5818
Volume of the periodical
59
Issue of the periodical within the volume
June
Country of publishing house
NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
Number of pages
13
Pages from-to
102456
UT code for WoS article
001492259100001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105004945085