Interactions underfoot: The subtle influence of soil moisture on vegetation pattern
Skovlin J and Thoma D. 2016. Interactions underfoot: The subtle influence of soil moisture on vegetation pattern. Park Science. 32(2):60-63
This year, 2015, is the International Year of Soil, a time to highlight the critical—but often overlooked—roles that soil plays in the ecological processes of natural landscapes (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2015). In this article we describe how soil properties interacting with climate and terrain affect the seasonal availability of moisture for vegetation in Glacier National Park. Our approach uses a mathematical water balance model that integrates soil survey, digital terrain, and climate data to gain insight into the interaction between physical factors and climate. This method is possible using freely available gridded climate and soil survey data (Thornton et al. 2014; NRCS 2013). The soil survey of Glacier is being updated, so we use it as a timely example that showcases the integration of soil survey data with climate and modeling tools to illuminate important seasonal ecological processes—namely variation in soil moisture.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Skovlin, Jay; Thoma, David
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- climate, Glacier National Park, soil, water balance