Bedrock Vadose Zone Storage Dynamics Under Extreme Drought: Consequences for Plant Water Availability, Recharge, and Runoff
Abstract
Abstract Bedrock vadose zone water storage (i.e., rock moisture) dynamics are rarely observed but potentially key to understanding drought responses. Exploiting a borehole network at a Mediterranean blue oak savanna site—Rancho Venada—we document how water storage capacity in deeply weathered bedrock profiles regulates woody plant water availability and groundwater recharge. The site is in the Northern California Coast Range within steeply dipping turbidites. In a wet year (water year 2019; 647 mm of precipitation), rock moisture was quickly replenished to a characteristic storage capacity, recharging groundwater that emerged at springs to generate streamflow. In the subsequent rainless summer growing season, rock moisture was depleted by about 93 mm. In two drought years that followed (212 and 121 mm of precipitation) the total amount of rock moisture gained each winter was about 54 and 20 mm, respectively, and declines were documented exceeding these amounts, resulting in progressively lower rock moisture content. Oaks, which are rooted into bedrock, demonstrated signs of water stress in drought, including reduced transpiration rates and extremely low water potentials. In the 2020–2021 drought, precipitation did not exceed storage capacity, resulting in variable belowground water storage, increased plant water stress, and no recharge or runoff. Rock moisture deficits (rather than soil moisturemore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[3];
[4];
[5];
[6];
[7];
[7];
[7];
- Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (Canada)
- USDA Forest Service, Albany, CA (United States). Pacific Southwest Research Station
- University of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)
- University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States)
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
- University of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Simon Fraser Univ., Burnaby, BC (Canada)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Simon Fraser University; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Canadian Foundation for Innovation; British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund; National Science Foundation (NSF); Carol Baird Graduate Student Award; University of California; Northern California Geological Society
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1978572
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1870533
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0018039; EAR 1331940; EAR 2141763
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 58; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Citation Formats
Hahm, W. J., Dralle, D. N., Sanders, M., Bryk, A. B., Fauria, K. E., Huang, M. H., Hudson‐Rasmussen, B., Nelson, M. D., Pedrazas, M. A., Schmidt, L., Whiting, J., Dietrich, W. E., and Rempe, D. M. Bedrock Vadose Zone Storage Dynamics Under Extreme Drought: Consequences for Plant Water Availability, Recharge, and Runoff. United States: N. p., 2022.
Web. doi:10.1029/2021wr031781.
Hahm, W. J., Dralle, D. N., Sanders, M., Bryk, A. B., Fauria, K. E., Huang, M. H., Hudson‐Rasmussen, B., Nelson, M. D., Pedrazas, M. A., Schmidt, L., Whiting, J., Dietrich, W. E., & Rempe, D. M. Bedrock Vadose Zone Storage Dynamics Under Extreme Drought: Consequences for Plant Water Availability, Recharge, and Runoff. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021wr031781
Hahm, W. J., Dralle, D. N., Sanders, M., Bryk, A. B., Fauria, K. E., Huang, M. H., Hudson‐Rasmussen, B., Nelson, M. D., Pedrazas, M. A., Schmidt, L., Whiting, J., Dietrich, W. E., and Rempe, D. M. Fri .
"Bedrock Vadose Zone Storage Dynamics Under Extreme Drought: Consequences for Plant Water Availability, Recharge, and Runoff". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021wr031781. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1978572.
@article{osti_1978572,
title = {Bedrock Vadose Zone Storage Dynamics Under Extreme Drought: Consequences for Plant Water Availability, Recharge, and Runoff},
author = {Hahm, W. J. and Dralle, D. N. and Sanders, M. and Bryk, A. B. and Fauria, K. E. and Huang, M. H. and Hudson‐Rasmussen, B. and Nelson, M. D. and Pedrazas, M. A. and Schmidt, L. and Whiting, J. and Dietrich, W. E. and Rempe, D. M.},
abstractNote = {Abstract Bedrock vadose zone water storage (i.e., rock moisture) dynamics are rarely observed but potentially key to understanding drought responses. Exploiting a borehole network at a Mediterranean blue oak savanna site—Rancho Venada—we document how water storage capacity in deeply weathered bedrock profiles regulates woody plant water availability and groundwater recharge. The site is in the Northern California Coast Range within steeply dipping turbidites. In a wet year (water year 2019; 647 mm of precipitation), rock moisture was quickly replenished to a characteristic storage capacity, recharging groundwater that emerged at springs to generate streamflow. In the subsequent rainless summer growing season, rock moisture was depleted by about 93 mm. In two drought years that followed (212 and 121 mm of precipitation) the total amount of rock moisture gained each winter was about 54 and 20 mm, respectively, and declines were documented exceeding these amounts, resulting in progressively lower rock moisture content. Oaks, which are rooted into bedrock, demonstrated signs of water stress in drought, including reduced transpiration rates and extremely low water potentials. In the 2020–2021 drought, precipitation did not exceed storage capacity, resulting in variable belowground water storage, increased plant water stress, and no recharge or runoff. Rock moisture deficits (rather than soil moisture deficits) explain these responses.},
doi = {10.1029/2021wr031781},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
number = 4,
volume = 58,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Apr 08 00:00:00 EDT 2022},
month = {Fri Apr 08 00:00:00 EDT 2022}
}
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