Papers by Miriam Coenders
Water, 2019
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Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 2012
ABSTRACT Interception is an important process that influences antecedent soil moisture conditions... more ABSTRACT Interception is an important process that influences antecedent soil moisture conditions that are important for flood generation. It is however, one of the most underestimated processes of the hydrological cycle. Most investigations on interception have been carried out in Europe and America but little is known about interception measurements in Africa. A study was carried out to measure forest floor and canopy interception in a savannah ecosystem (Harare, Zimbabwe) and to analyse the influence of meteorological factors and vegetation characteristics. The water storage capacities of different vegetation types were determined. Results indicate that interception is a threshold process which is affected by both meteorological factors and vegetation characteristics. The water storage capacity of the forest floor depends on the Leaf Area Index with more storage for a higher Leaf Area Index. The water storage capacity depends on the storm intensity with high intensity storms having less static storage capacity and less intense storms having a higher static storage capacity. The static storage represents the amount of water detained in the forest floor when free drainage ceased after rain. This amount can only be removed by evaporation. Of most importance, the study revealed that combining canopy and forest floor interception yields a value of approximately half the amount of precipitation received thus interception should be given greater consideration in rainfall-runoff studies.
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Hydrological Processes, 2010
ABSTRACT Depending on season, rainfall characteristics and tree species, interception amounts to ... more ABSTRACT Depending on season, rainfall characteristics and tree species, interception amounts to 15â50% of total precipitation in a forest under temperate climates. Many studies have investigated the importance of interception of different tree species in all kinds of different climates. Often authors merely determine interception storage capacity of that specific species and the considered event, and only sometimes a distinction is made between foliated and non-foliated trees. However, interception is highly variable in time and space. First, since potential evaporation is higher in summer, but secondly because the storage capacity has a seasonal pattern. Besides weather characteristics, such as wind and rain intensity, snow causes large variations in the maximum storage capacity. In an experimental beech plot in Luxembourg, we found storage capacity of canopy interception to show a clear seasonal pattern varying from 0·1 mm in winter to 1·2 mm in summer. The capacity of the forest floor appears to be rath
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Global Change Biology, 2012
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Papers by Miriam Coenders