ABSTRACT
Watershed hydrology is determined by the local climate, land use, and pathways of water ˜ow. At the Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF), stream˜ow is dominated by spring runoff events driven by snowmelt and spring rains common to the strongly continental climate of northern Minnesota. Snowmelt and rainfall in early spring saturate both mineral and organic soils and feed water to streams and the regional groundwater aquifer. However, large rains in midsummer or late fall can cause signicant storm˜ow as well as groundwater recharge persisting into January. Dening and measuring water ˜ow in each pathway reveal its importance to evapotranspiration, stream˜ow, groundwater recharge, and to the movement of nutrients, minerals, heavy metals, and organics (Chapter 8).
