| Vegetation affects water balance of the land surface by e.g. storage of
precipitation water in the canopy and soil water extraction by
transpiration. Therefore, it is essential to consider the role of vegetation
in affecting water balance by taking into account the temporal dynamics of
e.g. leaf area index, rooting depth and stomatal conductance in hydrological
models. However until now, most conceptual hydrological models do not treat
vegetation as a dynamic component. This paper presents an analysis of the
effects of the application of two different complex vegetation models
combined with a hydrological model on the model outputs evapotranspiration
and groundwater recharge. Both model combinations were used for the
assessment of the effects of climate change on water balance in a mesoscale
catchment loctated in the Northeastern German Lowlands. One vegetation model
assumes a static vegetation development independent from environmental
conditions. The other vegetation model calculates dynamic development of
vegetation based on photosynthesis, respiration, allocation, and phenology.
The analysis of the results obtained from both model combinations indicated
the importance of taking into account vegetation dynamics in hydrological
models especially if such models are used for the assessment of the impacts
of climate change on water balance components. |