Fu et al. (2026) Estimation of the monthly change in soil water storage in two watersheds of contrasting vegetation cover

Identification

• Journal: CATENA
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-19
• Authors: Chong Fu, Lu Xia, Huaiyou Li
• DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2026.109925

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Eco–hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China (Xi'an University of Technology), Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
• Xifeng Experiment Station of Soil and Water Conservation, Yellow River Conservancy Committee, Qingyang, Gansu, China

Short Summary

This study evaluated the impact of different vegetation restoration types (plantation and grassland) on actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and monthly changes in soil water storage (ΔW) by integrating the Generalized Complementary Relationship (GCR) into a water balance model. The findings suggest that natural grassland restoration offers a more balanced approach to soil moisture management compared to artificial plantations, emphasizing the need for rational soil moisture regulation in the first half of the year.

Objective

• To evaluate the impact of different vegetation restoration types (plantation vs. grassland) on actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and monthly changes in soil water storage (ΔW) at the catchment scale.
• To expand the application of the Generalized Complementary Relationship (GCR) by integrating it into a water balance model for acquiring ΔW, particularly in watersheds undergoing vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Two watersheds with contrasting vegetation cover (plantation and natural grassland) in the Loess Plateau, China.
• Temporal Scale: Monthly changes over multi-year scales, analyzing annual cycles, growing seasons, and non-growing seasons.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Generalized Complementary Relationship (GCR) of evapotranspiration, Water balance model.
• Data sources: Meteorological data.

Main Results

• The GCR, when integrated into the water balance model, accurately estimated ΔW, with Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) values ≥ 0.62.
• Over multi-year scales, plantations exhibited higher ETa than grasslands and were more sensitive to soil moisture conditions.
• Increasing plantation age appeared to enhance ETa, reduce its fluctuation, and strengthen its regulatory effect on ΔW.
• Monthly ΔW followed a sine-like curve, with the maximum soil moisture deficit occurring in May, and a transition from negative to positive ΔW typically observed between June and July.
• During the growing season, grasslands demonstrated greater water retention capabilities (larger ΔW) compared to plantations, while the opposite was true during the non-growing season.
• Precipitation showed positive linear feedback relationships with ΔW (average R² = 0.78) and the GCR's parameter α (R² > 0.71).
• Natural grassland restoration is suggested as a more balanced option for soil moisture intake and expenditure than artificial plantations, highlighting an urgent need for rational soil moisture regulation in the first half of the year for future restoration efforts.

Contributions

• Expands the application of the Generalized Complementary Relationship (GCR) by integrating it into water budget calculations for estimating monthly changes in soil water storage (ΔW).
• Provides new insights into acquiring ΔW under different vegetation restoration approaches (plantation vs. natural grassland) in the Loess Plateau.
• Offers specific suggestions for improved future vegetation restoration strategies, particularly regarding soil moisture regulation in the first half of the year.

Funding

Not available in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Fu2026Estimation,
  author = {Fu, Chong and Xia, Lu and Li, Huaiyou},
  title = {Estimation of the monthly change in soil water storage in two watersheds of contrasting vegetation cover},
  journal = {CATENA},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.catena.2026.109925},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.109925}
}