In:
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 24, No. 3 ( 2020-03-13), p. 1211-1225
Abstract:
Abstract. Future crop production will be affected by climatic
changes. In several regions, the projected changes in total rainfall and
seasonal rainfall patterns will lead to lower soil water storage (SWS), which
in turn affects crop water uptake, crop yield, water use efficiency (WUE), grain
quality and groundwater recharge. Effects of climate change on those
variables depend on the soil properties and were often estimated based on
model simulations. The objective of this study was to investigate the
response of key variables in four different soils and for two different
climates in Germany with a different aridity index (AI): 1.09 for the wetter
(range: 0.82 to 1.29) and 1.57 for the drier (range: 1.19 to 1.77) climate. This is done
by using high-precision weighable lysimeters. According to a
“space-for-time” (SFT) concept, intact soil monoliths that were moved to sites
with contrasting climatic conditions have been monitored from April 2011
until December 2017. Evapotranspiration (ET) was lower for the same soil under the relatively drier
climate, whereas crop yield was significantly higher, without affecting grain
quality. Especially “non-productive” water losses (evapotranspiration out of
the main growing period) were lower, which led to a more efficient crop water
use in the drier climate. A characteristic decrease of the SWS for soils
with a finer texture was observed after a longer drought period under a
drier climate. The reduced SWS after the drought remained until the end of
the observation period which demonstrates carry-over of drought from one
growing season to another and the overall long-term effects of single
drought events. In the relatively drier climate, water flow at the soil
profile bottom showed a small net upward flux over the entire monitoring
period as compared to downward fluxes (groundwater recharge) or drainage in
the relatively wetter climate and larger recharge rates in the coarser- as
compared to finer-textured soils. The large variability of recharge from
year to year and the long-lasting effects of drought periods on the SWS imply
that long-term monitoring of soil water balance components is necessary to
obtain representative estimates. Results confirmed a more efficient crop
water use under less-plant-available soil moisture conditions. Long-term effects of
changing climatic conditions on the SWS and ecosystem productivity should be
considered when trying to develop adaptation strategies in the agricultural
sector.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1607-7938
DOI:
10.5194/hess-24-1211-2020
DOI:
10.5194/hess-24-1211-2020-supplement
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2020
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2100610-6
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