PhD research Cathelijne Stoof

Burning a catchment to understand flooding and erosion processes after fire

Wildfires can considerably increase a landscape's vulnerability for flooding and erosion. Fires remove vegetation and litter cover, removing protection against rainsplash erosion, and removing the natural buffer that delays and reduces the amount of rain turning into runoff or streamflow. Fire effects are often more pronounced when fires are intense, and when severe soil heating changes soil properties, consume organic matter, induce soil water repellency and reduce infiltration rates.
In my project, I study the main drivers behind the increased land degradation and flooding risks: soil or cover changes. Since it is hard to study fire effects without knowing the initial (pre-fire) conditions, main focus is on a small catchment that was burned by experimental fire after a detailed survey of initial conditions regarding soils, hydrology and erosion.
I study the effect of fire on soil temperatures, soil properties and hydrology at different scales using field, lab and modelling techniques. I examine the effect of fire on spatial patterns of soil moisture and water repellency and study the consequent changes in catchment hydrology. I will use the results of these field and lab studies to model catchment hydrology after fire. The model may reveal a fire-induced change in driving factors of catchment hydrology, and can give insight into the effect of strategies to reduce or prevent land degradation after fires.

Selected publications
Effects of fire and ash on soil water retention. Stoof et al. (2010), Geoderma 159 (3-4), p 276-285
The effect of soil surfactants on soil hydrological behavior, the plant growth environment, irrigation efficiency and water conservation. Moore, Stoof et al. (2010), J Hydrol. Hydromech 58 (3), p 142-148.
The effect of soil texture and organic amendment on the hydrological behavior of coarse-textured soils. Wesseling, Stoof et al. (2009), Soil Use & Management 25 (3), p. 274-283,

In the media: Quest: Bewust in brand (Deliberately on fire, magazine), Netwerk (TV) Science Flash experimental fire (TV), Science Daily (news), VPRO radio, NWT: Fikkie stoken voor de wetenschap (magazine)

Further interests
Besides my particular interest in safeguarding natural resources in burned areas and the effect of fire on soil and hydrological processes, I am interested in sustainable water management of soil and water resources in general. How can we manage soils ensuring sustainable use of the available rain and irrigation water, also in periods of drought and limited water availability? Given the expected climate change scenarios, this will become increasingly important in the future. 
One aspect of my work that recently gained much interest in the media are the recent wildfires in the Netherlands. Wildfire risk is expected to increase in the future, and The Netherlands should be prepared. Human lives and property can be protected by investing in good fire prevention (landscape and ignition management) and combat (fire fighting). Consequently, there should be a good balance between nature conservation and fire prevention, and Dutch fire services should have sufficient training and material to adequately fight wildfires. Much can be learned from our European neighbours to tackle this issue.

In the media-selection: EenVandaag (TV, april'10), Trouw (newspaper), Fight fire with fire (news paper), Short story on the Portuguese fire problem, EenVandaag (TV, june'10)