| | |
| Semiarid
Grassland-Forest Gradients |
| | |
Semiarid grassland-to-forest gradients are studied as two-phase mosaics, comprised
of the canopy patches of woody plants and the intercanopy patches that separate
them. Along
these gradients, the proportions of the two patch types and their spatial patterns
change in ways that fundamentally affect ecological and hydrological processes.
Field studies and models evaluate soil moisture, runoff, erosion, plant water
potential, transpiration, near-ground solar radiation, and spatial patterns of
trees and soils with respect to the two patch types. |
| | |
| |
| Understanding
Basic Processes: Solving Diverse
Applied Problems Studies
provide a quantitative and robust basis for coupling ecological and hydrological
processes along semiarid grassland-to-forest gradients. The results are
being used to address problems of: •
Vegetation response to climatic variations
• Contaminant transport and risk assessment
• Long-term stability of landfill covers
• Stability of archeological sites |
| | |
| Collaborations
|
| | |
•
| Bandelier
National Monument, National Park Service |  |
•
| Colorado
State University |
•
| Jemez
Mountains Field Station, U.S. Geological Survey |
•
| Inter-American
Institute for Global Change |
•
| New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology |
| • | Pennsylvania
State University |
•
| University
of California at Davis |
| • | University
of Colorado |
| • | University
of Kansas |
| • | University
of New Mexico |
| |
|
| Unique
Opportunities for Future Work |
|
Studies
include the most intensive set of instrumented semiarid woodland sites worldwide.
Future
work can apply the results to determine: |
| | |
| • | How
land use, climate variations, and vegetation dynamics can initiate high erosion
rates. | | • | How
vegetation dynamics influence the long-term performance of landfill covers. |
| • | How
small-scale heterogeneity at the scales of canopy and intercanopy patches
influence larger scale water and energy fluxes relevant to global change. |
|
