1. Spruce Beetle Outbreak Increases Streamflow From Snow‐Dominated Basins in Southwest Colorado, USA.
- Author
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Manning, Aidan L., Harpold, Adrian, and Csank, Adam
- Subjects
MOUNTAIN pine beetle ,STREAMFLOW ,SPRUCE ,BEETLES ,COLORADO potato beetle ,MOUNTAIN forests ,STREAM measurements ,PINE - Abstract
Bark beetles have impacted over 58 million acres of coniferous forest in the Western US since 2000. Most beetle impacted forests are in snow dominated, water limited headwater basins, which generate a disproportionate fraction of water supplies. Previous studies show mixed impacts of bark beetle outbreaks on streamflow with the potential to cause increased or decreased flows, but these studies either predate long‐term snowpack data, are model‐based, or examine only mountain pine beetle outbreaks. Ours is the first study to use an empirical, climate‐normalized paired catchment approach to quantify streamflow response to spruce beetle kill. Using 27 years of climate and streamflow observations from southwest Colorado, we show that in three of the six beetle impacted study basins, annual climate‐normalized streamflow increased by 22%–37% for at least three to 6 years after the beetle outbreak. Impacted basins exhibited no decreased flows and flows in unimpacted control basins remained unchanged. Among impacted basins, no single basin characteristic clearly explained variation of streamflow response. Higher runoff ratios during snowmelt contribute anywhere from 9% to 64% of streamflow increases, implying the importance of both snow and growing season processes in driving streamflow increases. These findings show variable, sometimes substantial streamflow increases in critical water supply basins following beetle kill in subalpine spruce forests, and contrast with evidence of unchanged or decreased streamflow following beetle kill in lower elevation pine forests in colder northern Colorado basins, highlighting the importance of climate and forest composition in refining hydrologic predictions following mountain forest disturbances. Plain Language Summary: Since 2000, bark beetles have damaged over 58 million acres of conifer forest in the Western US. Forest canopy has large but complex effects on snow and water use in mountain areas, which are important sources of streamflow. Previous studies exploring how beetle kill affects streamflow show mixed results, with some suggesting that beetle kill causes increased streamflow and others finding no significant effects or decreases. We use measurements of streamflow and climate in six beetle impacted basins and two unaffected basins in southwest Colorado to determine if streamflow changed after a spruce beetle outbreak. We found that streamflow increased by 22%–37% in three out of six study basins after beetle kill, while streamflow in unaffected basins did not change. Streamflow increased both during and before/after the snowmelt season. These findings suggest that beetle kill can substantially increase streamflow in ways that are not accounted for in water resource management and planning, but variable response between basins and forest types remains challenging to predict. Key Points: Streamflow increased in three of six mountain basins after a spruce beetle outbreak, while streamflow in control basins remained unchangedAmong impacted basins, no single factor or basin characteristic fully explained variation in streamflow response to beetle killHigher streamflow after spruce beetle contrasts with reported unchanged or lower streamflow after pine beetle in other Colorado basins [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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