Predicting impacts of land use changes on catchment hydrological processes

Sites and data

Rudbäck, Siuntio, Finland

Sjökulla, Kirkkonummi, Finland

Agricultural field studies in Sjökulla were initiated in order to study the effects of controlled drainage on crop yields and leaching of nutrients. The measurements also provided information about the hydrology and nutrient cycle in clay fields. Sjökulla experimental field is located in Southern Finland about 32 km west of Helsinki. Measurements in Sjökulla were in progress from 1992 to 1999 and were concentrated on a cultivated sloping field section where depth to the groundwater table, subsurface drain flows, and surface runoff were measured at a 15-minute interval. Water samples were taken from surface water and groundwater to determine concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous fractions. Weather station recorded 15-minutely measurements of precipitation, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and downward short-wave radiation.

Tähtelä, Sodankylä (WINTEX), Finland

Meteorological and snow measurements in Sodankylä were taken as part of NOPEX -WINTEX project to study land-surface-atmosphere interactions in a wintertime boreal forest. Sodankylä Observatory is operated by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and it is located about 100 km north of the arctic circle in Finnish Lapland. The meteorological data covered the period March 12 - May 30, 1997, and included 3-hour records of downward and reflected short-wave radiation, net radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, cloud cover fraction, precipitation, and form of precipitation. Snow data included measurements of snow depth, vertical profiles of snow density and snow temperature, and snow surafce temperature.

H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, USA

Over its 15-year history the Andrews LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) program has become a major center for analysis of forest and stream ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Today, several dozen university and Federal scientists use this LTER site as a common meeting ground, working together to gain basic understanding of ecosystems and to apply this new knowledge in management policy. The Andrews LTER program has its roots in the establishment of the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest by the US Forest Service in 1948. This began two decades of predominantly Forest Service research on the management of watersheds, soils, and vegetation. With the inception of the International Biological Programme-Coniferous Forest Biome (IBP-CFB) in 1969, university scientists began to play increasingly important roles in the Andrews program. The focus shifted from single disciplines to more integrated research on forest and stream ecosystems, especially old-growth forests. IBP-CFB ended in the late 1970s and LTER commenced in 1980. The first decade of LTER work developed a backbone of long-term field experiments as well as long-term measurement programs focused on climate, streamflow and water quality, and vegetation succession. Development of data and information management systems as part of the science program has been a major accomplishment. During LTER3 (1990-1996) we continued these long-term projects, but placed increasing emphasis on integration under the central theme: Develop concepts and tools needed to predict effects of natural disturbance, land use, and climate change on ecosystem structure, function, and species composition.

Adopted from home pages of H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest .

Contents

• Overview
• Measurement sites
• Presentation
• Publications