The article explores the impacts of climate change and forest disturbances on hydrology in mid-latitude mountain basins in Central Europe, including the Šumava Mts. (Vydra, Blanice), Krkonoše (Mumlava, Úpa), Orlické Mts. (Zdobnice), Jeseníky Mts. (Branná), and Beskydy Mts. (Čeladenka, Vsetínská Bečva). Using the MIKE SHE distributed hydrological model, combined with hydrological alteration indicators, the study disentangles the individual and combined effects of climate warming and forest disturbances. This innovative approach provides a comprehensive analysis of how these factors influence runoff seasonality, streamflow variability, and baseflow contributions.
The findings emphasize that while climate change is the primary driver of hydrological shifts, forest disturbances significantly amplify these changes, particularly during extreme wet and dry conditions. Under wet conditions, forest disturbances increase runoff and peak flows, disrupt soil infiltration, and reduce baseflow contributions.
Climate change alters hydrology by increasing temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns, resulting in greater variability and reduced water availability. Forest disturbances, such as deforestation or bark beetle outbreaks, amplify these effects by modifying vegetation and soil properties, leading to higher runoff and altered infiltration rates. The study underscores the need for integrated management strategies addressing both climatic and land-use factors to mitigate hydrological changes in sensitive montane ecosystems. Future research should explore the long-term interactions between forest regeneration, hydrology, and climate variability, with expanded applications of modeling techniques to develop adaptive strategies for diverse environments.
The article Attributing the effects of climate change and forest disturbance on runoff using distributed modeling and indicators of hydrological alteration in Central European montane basins was published in Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Volume 57, February 2025, 102101 by Jakub Langhammer and Jana Bernsteinová (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.102101).
