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Session HS10.6: Climate-soil and vegetation
interactions in ecohydrological processes Conveners: Keith K. Smettem1 Co-conveners: Nicola Montaldo2, Murugesu Sivapalan3, Vito Iacobellis4, Salvatore Manfreda5,
1) University of Western Australia; 3) University of Cagliari; 4)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 4) Polytechnic of Bari; 5) University of Basilicata. Event Information: Spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation regulates the exchange of mass,
energy and momentum across the biosphere-atmosphere interface. These structures
arise from the physical linkage between soils, climate, and vegetation
influencing hydrological processes through modification of rainfall
interception, infiltration, evapotranspiration,
surface runoff, and groundwater recharge. Similarly, the interactive manner
by which resource availability are manifested within
various ecological systems 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 ecological and
geophysical determinants of surface water balance is at the forefront of a
number of outstanding issues in both hydrological and ecological sciences.
For example, the space-time distribution of soil moisture provides a crucial
link between hydrological and ecological processes through its controlling
influence on transpiration, runoff generation, carbon assimilation and
nutrient absorption by plants. This session solicits
papers that address the coupled ecological-hydrological processes governing
surface water balance, basin response and vegetation dynamics in landscapes.
We seek contributions that explore these issues through any combination of
experimentation, observation, and theoretical approaches, ranging from canopy
to basin scales. We are especially interested in presentations that
explicitly link these approaches and explore modelling
combinations and new measurement technologies, to answer challenging problems
such as the rearrangement of ecosystem structure and function under
directional climate change. Potential topics of interest include the
biogeochemical cycling, the nature of plant community responses to
variability in climate, the co-organization of vegetation patterns and
surface hydrological fluxes, the occurrences of hydrological extremes (flood
and drought) under various climatic forcing and physiographic conditions.
Paper dealing with the impact of hydrological extremes on natural ecosystem
and their mutual relationships are also welcome. EGU General Assembly, April 03-08, 2011, Vienna Important Links
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