Measurements of biophysical tree properties and hydrologic fluxes are necessary for improving models and monitoring the impact of disturbances. Prior research has demonstrated that measurements of tree sway frequency can be used to quantify important ecohydrologic processes, such as drought stress and snow interception, that otherwise require expensive measurement techniques. However, existing instruments used to measure tree sway lack spatial scalability. We investigate whether the virtual vision sensor and multilevel binary thresholding video processing algorithms can be used to accurately extract tree sway frequency at multiple points in a video camera field of view and enable scalable measurements of ecohydrologic processes. Comparing sway frequencies extracted from video and accelerometer data at two sites, we show that for 30-60 s videos, the video processing algorithms can reproduce accelerometer sway frequencies with ±0.03 Hz accuracy. The results suggest that video processing algorithms may be suitable for applications where changes in sway frequency are on the order of tenths of hertz or larger, for example the measurement of snow in trees. Further work is needed to clarify the accuracy of the algorithms when applied to longer videos, which may be required to monitor processes with more subtle changes in sway frequency, such as diurnal changes in tree water content.

Rock moisture can be an important contributor to forest transpiration and growth. Limited work has been done studying the effects of rock moisture (subsurface water stored in fractured, weathered rock) on transpiration rates — especially in water-limited environments. Semi-arid forests like the Gordon Gulch catchment (west of Boulder, CO) exhibit complex water budget systems where water sources are not completely understood. Here, we compare transpiration rates from plots on opposing aspects with regard to soil moisture and potential rock moisture storage as inferred from shallow seismic refraction surveys. We calculated the transpiration rates of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine trees with sap flow data collected from June to September 2014. Potential storage for rock moisture is estimated based on qualitative analysis of shallow seismic refraction line data. While one would expect areas with higher soil moisture on average to have higher transpiration rates, our results showed the contrary: the plot with less soil moisture on average exhibited 25% higher transpiration rates. By qualitatively analyzing the seismic line images, we found that this phenomenon could possibly be explained by rock moisture. The plot with higher transpiration also had more fractured, weathered bedrock below that could potentially store more water in rock moisture. Rock moisture is an important component of the complex water budget system in Gordon Gulch. Further imaging of the subsurface is key to advance our understanding on how water is being used and moved in similar environments. Our research provides insight into rock moisture’s potential effects on water usage via transpiration in water-limited environments.

Climate projections suggest that snowfall-dominated areas will decline substantially in the coming decades. Such climate impacts are already being observed in Colorado where the dominant source of annual peak discharge is shifting from snowmelt to rainfall, altering the paths by which water flows through a landscape and is ultimately delivered to streams. Observed climate driven shifts in stream flow dynamics and permanence highlight the increasing importance of understanding the hydrologic connectivity of uplands to streams in lower elevation, montane ecoregions. We collected geochemical and hydrometric data over three years to quantify hydrologic connectivity of uplands to a montane headwater stream at the Manitou Experimental Forest in central Colorado. We use a combined approach of concentration-discharge relationships and end-member mixing analysis, paired with high resolution measurements of soil moisture, precipitation, and groundwater levels to characterize source areas to the stream in 3-dimensions: longitudinal, lateral, and vertical. Samples were collected and measurements were recorded along the stream profile (longitudinal), from groundwater wells and soil lysimeters installed with increasing distance from the stream (lateral), and from shallow versus deep groundwater wells and soil moisture measured at different depths (vertical). Results indicate distinct differences in stream chemistry along the longitudinal stream profile, with highest concentrations at the most upstream sites and lowest concentrations at the most downstream sites. Stream solute concentrations increased with decreasing stream discharge values from spring to late summer. However, the stream remained chemostatic during all recorded rain storms, suggesting a difference in flow pathways during individual summer storm pulses. End member mixing analysis suggests spatiotemporal differences in shallow and deep vertical source areas, and between riparian and upland sources to the stream. These results provide a promising step towards quantifying the expansion and contraction of runoff source areas to a montane headwater stream.