Repository logo
 

Effects of woody vegetation on shallow soil moisture at a semiarid montane catchment

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorTraff, Devin, author
dc.contributor.authorNiemann, Jeffrey D., advisor
dc.contributor.authorGreen, Timothy R., committee member
dc.contributor.authorButters, Greg, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T06:11:40Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T06:11:40Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractSoil moisture plays an integral role in many ecohydrologic processes and applications, particularly in semiarid environments. While interactions between vegetation and soil moisture at greater depths are relatively well understood, less is known about soil moisture at depths of 5 cm or less. In this study we investigate the impact of woody vegetation on shallow soil moisture dynamics for forested and shrubland ecosystems in a semiarid montane catchment. Instrumentation was installed on a forested north-facing hillslope (NFS) and a south-facing hillslope (SFS) vegetated primarily by shrubs at three types of locations: open or intercanopy, under mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) shrubs, and under ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trees. Rain gauges and pyranometers were installed to assess the impact of interception and shading, while time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes were inserted into the top 5 cm of the soil to monitor hourly soil moisture. The observations suggest that interception reduces throughfall to about 25-50% of rainfall under the mountain mahogany and ponderosa pines. Shading is important for all locations on the NFS (PET ~ 20% of the SFS open location), but less shading occurs under the SFS mountain mahogany (PET ~ 40% of the SFS open location). Shallow soil under all vegetation types is typically wetter than at the SFS open location for dry conditions and drier than the SFS open location for wet conditions. Average shallow soil moisture is higher under all vegetation types than in the open, suggesting that the shading effect is stronger than the interception effect for the conditions studied.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierTraff_colostate_0053N_12037.pdf
dc.identifierETDF2013500430CVEE
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/81064
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.titleEffects of woody vegetation on shallow soil moisture at a semiarid montane catchment
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineCivil and Environmental Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Traff_colostate_0053N_12037.pdf
Size:
1.6 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download

Collections

2000-2019
Theses and Dissertations