Abstract

LEON PELAEZ, Juan Diego; GONZALEZ HERNANDEZ, Maria Isabel  and  GALLARDO LANCHO, Juan Fernando. RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION IN THREE HIGH ANDEAN FORESTS IN THE CENTRAL CORDILLERA OF COLOMBIA. Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín [online]. 2010, vol.63, n.1, pp.5319-5336. ISSN 0304-2847.

Rainfall distribution was assessed for three years in a mature oak forest (Quercus humboldtii), pine (Pinus patula) and cypress (Cupressus lusitanica) plantations in the northern part of the colombian Andean mountains. An annual average of 1700 mm was the main water input in the forests, which came from the bulk precipitation. The higher water flows were represented by throughfall, which showed a maximum value in the cypress (1486 mm y¹, 90%) and a minimum one in the pine (1389 mm y¹, 81%) plantations, respectively. Stemflow was very low in the three forest types (1-3 mm y¹, 0.1-0.2%). The maximum amount of water intercepted by forest crowns was found in the pine plantation (329 mm y¹), which accounted for 19% out of the total rainfall. In opposition to the patterns found for throughfall and stemflow, soil hydric flows did show significant differences among forest types (P<0.05). In the oak forest water infiltration inversely decreased with soil depth; this forest type showed the lowest water losses by deep drainage (2 mm y¹). Finally, throughfall and stemflow were significantly correlated with the amount and intensity of rainfall. In conclusion, oak forests showed the highest rainfall regulation capacity, followed by the pine plantation. In contrast, the cypress plantation had a very low rainfall regulation potential once that this forest type was characterized by high and fast water losses by deep drainage.

Keywords : throughfall; stemflow; net precipitation; deep drainage; hydrological balance; montane forests; Quercus humboldtii.

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