Understanding how water behaves in a semi-arid environment could lead to better water retention management for very dry conditions, a U.S. scientist says.
In semi-arid environments, humidity is so low that water is hard to hold on to when there is a cloudburst, said Constance Brown, a micrometeorologist in Indiana University's Geography Department. Maintaining an adequate supply of water is a challenge and water management is a top priority.
Brown, originally from Arizona, studied how water behaved in a semi-arid environment and monitored surface exchanges of water and carbon dioxide in am Arizona mountain top forest.
"This research seeks to characterize the explicit relationship between water availability and photosynthetic activities of the vegetation," she said.
Brown said her findings demonstrate seasonal characteristics of the relationship between forest growth and precipitation.
Trees essentially shut down during dry periods before the monsoon season, indicating "the mountain forest must have evolved the capability to survive it," Brown said.
"The semi-arid forest ecosystem adapts to the extremes in the annual cycle of water," Brown said. "Water stress, rather than temperature, is the primary control on the forest's behavior."United Press International
