Natural variability in soil and runoff from small headwater catchments at Storgama, Norway.
To provide baseline data for climate manipulation experiments in 11 small (30-268 m2) headwater catchments at Storgama, Telemark County, Southern Norway, we assessed the natural variability in site characteristics and runoff quality. Annual average concentrations in runoff at the sites have coefficients of variation between 26-61%, with the smallest values for total organic carbon (TOC) and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios and the largest for inorganic nitrogen (N). The catchments have between two and five times higher concentrations of inorganic N, TOC, and total phosphorus than the larger (0.6 km2) Storgama watershed nearby. Concentrations of TOC and TON in runoff tend to increase with soil C and N content and with the volume of soil in the catchment. For nitrate (NO3) and ammonium in runoff, the reverse is true. In wet years the proportion of bare rock is a major predictor for the annual average NO3 concentration in runoff.
Strand
Line Tau
LT
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Aas, Norway. line.strand@umb.no
Haaland
Ståle
S
Kaste
Oyvind
O
Stuanes
Arne O
AO
D000397:Air Pollution; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D017753:Ecosystem; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D009664:Norway; D012621:Seasons; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D009566:Nitrates; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen