Deep Subsurface Water Stores Sustain Giant Sequoias

Deep Subsurface Water Stores Sustain Giant Sequoias | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Deep Subsurface Water Stores Sustain Giant Sequoias Benjamin Eppinger, W. Holbrook, Dario Grana, Clifford Riebe, Claire Lukens, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8060016/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) are adapted to a narrow ecological niche where they endure long, dry summers, during which their water use may exceed ~2 m3/day. To meet this demand, sequoias rely on subsurface water stores, the volume and distribution of which remains uncharacterized. Here we use hydrogeophysics to quantify subsurface water content in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park. We use elastic full-waveform inversion to constrain P- and S-wave velocities, then apply a geostatistical rock physics inversion to estimate porosity and water saturation. Our results show broad zones of high water content within the upper 2 m of the subsurface near drainages, whereas on hillslopes and ridges, areas of high water content tend occur in deeper or in more isolated zones. Additional analysis of the water content models shows that in order to avoid water stress throughout the summer, hillslope and ridgetop sequoias probably access substantial volumes of deep (> 2 m) rock moisture from weathered bedrock, implying that the extensive rooting systems of giant sequoias probe deeper into the subsurface than previously thought. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Seismology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Forest ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files DeepSubsurfaceWaterStoresSustainGiantSequoiasSupplementalinfo.pdf Supplemental Info for Deep Subsurface Water Stores SustainGiant Sequoias Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8060016","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":544043717,"identity":"99f6bd3d-f9d3-4e0d-a927-69d90c6f4b01","order_by":0,"name":"Benjamin Eppinger","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAxklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAxCRACLYG0AkMylaeA4wNhCvBQwkEojUYs7ee+zBwx21cuYz35g/YKiwTmwgpMWy51y6QeKZ48Yyt3MMGxjOpBPWYnAjx0wise1Y4gzptMQGxrbDRGi5/waspX6G5DGgln/EaLnBA9JSkyAhwXywgbGBCC2WPXlAv7QdMJzBk3xwRsKxdGOCWszZzx57+LOtTl6C/WDDhw811rIEtQCjkA1IHIawEwgrh2upI07tKBgFo2AUjEwAAMpkQThxfmvNAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Virginia Tech","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Benjamin","middleName":"","lastName":"Eppinger","suffix":""},{"id":544043718,"identity":"afbb8b06-0349-4aa4-974c-9bad2a518929","order_by":1,"name":"W. 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To meet this demand, sequoias rely on subsurface water stores, the volume and distribution of which remains uncharacterized. Here we use hydrogeophysics to quantify subsurface water content in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park. We use elastic full-waveform inversion to constrain P- and S-wave velocities, then apply a geostatistical rock physics inversion to estimate porosity and water saturation. Our results show broad zones of high water content within the upper 2 m of the subsurface near drainages, whereas on hillslopes and ridges, areas of high water content tend occur in deeper or in more isolated zones. 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