Snowfall interception in a deciduous Nothofagus forest and implications for spatial snowpack distribution

Native Nothofagus forests in the midlatitude region of the Andes Cordillera are notorious biodiversity hot spots, uniquely situated in the Southern Hemisphere such that they develop in snow-dominated reaches of this mountain range. Spanning a smaller surface area than similar ecosystems, where forests and snow coexist in the Northern Hemisphere, the interaction between vegetation and snow processes in this ecotone has received lesser attention. We present the first systematic study of snow-vegetation interactions in the Nothofagus forests of the Southern Andes, focusing on how the interplay between interception and climate determines patterns of snow water equivalent (SWE) variability. The Valle Hermoso experimental catchment, located in the Nevados de Chillan vicinity, was fitted with eight snow depth sensors that provided continuous measurements at varying elevations, aspect, and forest cover. Also, manual measurements of snow properties were obtained during snow surveys conducted during end of winter and spring seasons for 3 years, between 2015 and 2017. Each year was characterized by distinct climatological conditions, with 2016 representing one of the driest winters on record in this region. Distance to canopy, leaf area index, and total gap area were measured at each observational site. A regression model was built on the basis of statistical analysis of local parameters to model snow interception in this kind of forest. We find that interception implied a 23.2% reduction in snow accumulation in forested sites compared with clearings. The interception in these deciduous trees represents, on average, 23.6% of total annual snowfall, reaching a maximum measured interception value of 13.8-mm SWE for all snowfall events analysed in this research.