Speaker: Dr. Han Tseng
Abstract:
Cloud water interception (CWI), the passive capturing of fog water by plants, is a unique ecohydrological process in tropical montane cloud forests that has long been believed to increase water supply. By gaining extra water from the passing clouds, vegetation in the cloud zone on Hawaiian mountains may play an important role in the islands’ hydrological processes and water resources. However, the lack of information about large-scale CWI quantity, distribution, and variability has made evaluating the hydrological benefits of tropical montane cloud forests difficult. This is because of the (1) high heterogeneity of CWI patterns and (2) technical challenges to make measurements and comparisons between sites. With the goal of enabling prediction and mapping of CWI over the Hawaiian Islands, the objectives of this study were to measure CWI and fog quantity and develop a CWI model for the Hawaii cloud zone ecosystems. The model developed in this study recognizes the heterogeneity of CWI factors that were overlooked by previous large-scale CWI estimates in Hawaii while its lower data requirements compared to other complex models make it more suitable over data-scarce areas.
Additional Information:
Cloud Water Interception in Hawai’i – Part 1: Understanding the Impact of Fog on Groundwater and Ecosystems and Future Changes to these Processes
https://cascprojects.org/#/project/4f8c650ae4b0546c0c397b48/559afca9e4b0b94a64016ff9
Cloud Water Interception in Hawaiʻi – Part 2: Mapping Current and Future Exchange of Water Between Clouds and Vegetation in Hawaiʻi’s Mountains
https://cascprojects.org/#/project/4f8c650ae4b0546c0c397b48/559afce2e4b0b94a64016ffe