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Environmental Sciences
Seminar Abstract
Coupling
Hydrological Patterns and Processes in Semi-arid Landscapes
The challenge of understanding the mechanisms by which the spatial pattern of hydrological fluxes arise within the dynamics of surface hydrological processes is central to the practice of hydrology. Similarly, the interactive manner by which spatial ecological processes are manifested within the various ecological patterns observed in nature is critical to the development of theories regarding the nature of competition and the maintenance of biodiversity. In this regard, the interrelationship between biological and geophysical determinants of surface water balance is at the forefront of a number of outstanding issues in both hydrological and ecological sciences. The space-time distribution of soil moisture provides a crucial link between hydrological and biogeophysical processes through its controlling influence on transpiration, runoff generation, carbon assimilation and nutrient absorption by plants. The emerging science of ecohydrology has provided a framework for the integrated analysis of the coupled ecological-geophysical processes that govern surface water balance in terrestrial landscapes. In this talk, I will focus on the spatial aspects of ecohydrological interactions between plants, soils, and climates in two semi-arid landscapes; a series of savanna sites spanning a large rainfall gradient within southern Africa, and a semi-arid river basin organized around a drainage network in central New Mexico. I link observed patterns in vegetation organization with the hydrological dynamics operating within each landscape.
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