Abstract
A complex multilayer crop model coupled with a simple hydrological description is used to simulate the hydrological cycle in coniferous forest (pine), deciduous forest (oak), arable land (wheat) and grassland. The model is used with hourly data from a typical site in lowland Britain for 1977. Over this annual period the model simulates least runoff from pine and greatest from wheat. Oak and grassland have similar annual runoff totals, with grassland being slightly larger. These changes are due to differences in the interception and evaporation properties of the canopies. The interception loss from coniferous forest is particularly high. The clearance of forest leads to a generally wetter soil moisture regime and higher runoff under constant climatic conditions. Experimental evidence from a number of humid and semi-humid river basins supports these conclusions.
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Sellers, P.J., Lockwood, J.G. A numerical simulation of the effects of changing vegetation type on surface hydroclimatology. Climatic Change 3, 121–136 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02423175
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02423175