1994 Volume 38 Pages 57-62
The effect of vegetation on the physical and chemical characteristics of rainwater that is delivered to the soil is investigated through observations of 13 rainfall events for a watershed with deciduous and coniferous vegetation. Lumped characteristics of the resulting throughfall (ThF) and stemflow (SF) are analyzed in comparison to rainfall characteristics. Certain factors, such as the kinds and size of trees for stemflow and the distance from the stem for throughfall, were also investigated to determine their relationship to the quantity and quality of SF and ThF. To check the observed data, a tank model is used to model SF and ThF rate and concentration. Results shows that 71% of the rainfall becomes ThF and that the SF rate is 22 times that of the rainfall rate. It was also found that SF is highly dependent on the tree both for the rate and the quality. Due to the characteristics of the basin, ThF is found to be independent of tree characteristics. Finally the tank model is found to be sufficiently capable of modeling SF and ThF rate and quality.
