The impact of vegetation and soil on runoff regulation in headwater streams on the east Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Vegetation type is one of many factors that affect watershed hydrology and is an especially important influence on surface hydrological processes. Canopy and ground cover vegetation provide a natural cushion against the impact energy of rainfall in headwater portions of a stream basin, increasing water filtration into the soil and reducing surface runoff, but effects of different vegetation types are not fully understood. We sought to evaluate the capacity of different vegetation communities to regulate surface runoff in an alpine landscape. We collected water samples for stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic analyses from precipitation, throughfall, soils, streams, and rivers and compared their isotopic signatures. Results indicated that different vegetation types had different capacities for water conservation. Forested vegetation types were best able to regulate surface runoff. Land use changes have dramatically affected water conservation in the study area in the past several decades; if forested land cover existed at the levels present in 1986 or 1974, the ability of the watershed to intercept surface runoff would increase by about 7% and 3%, respectively, over its capacity in 2000.

Research highlights
► Vegetation type is an important factor that affects watershed hydrology.
► Different vegetation types had different capacities for water conservation.
► Forested vegetation types were best able to regulate surface runoff.
► Land use changes have dramatically affected water conservation in the past several decades.