Hemuqiao Experimental Station

The Hemuqiao Hydrological Experimental Station (119°47′05″-119°48′20″, 30°34′05″-30°34′55″, 135ha) located in the upstream of Taihu Basin, China. The catchment is characterized by steep slopes of 25º-45º. Being elevated at 600 m asl in the southwest region, the elevation is decreasing to 160 m asl at the outlet of the catchment. The average annual precipitation is about 1580 mm, and the average annual evaporation and temperature are 805 mm and 14.6ºC, respectively. The underlain bed rocks at catchment mainly consist of sandstone and rhyolitic welded crystal tuff. The vegetation is dominated by Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), covering about 68% of the whole area. Precipitation during the summer months (June–August) usually produces high-intensity short-duration storm events, while low-intensity rainfall events are more common during the winter months (December–February).  The soil texture in the catchment varies from silt in the topsoil (e.g., 0–40 cm) to silt loam in the subsoil according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) classification system. The soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks ) declines exponentially with depth, especially at sites with thick soils (e.g., valley floor).