Effects of land cover, water redistribution, and temperature on ecosystem processes in the South Platte Basin
Baron JS, Hartman MD, Kittel TG, Band LE, Ojima DS, Lammers RB. 1998. Effects of land cover, water redistribution, and temperature on ecosystem processes in the South Platte Basin. Ecological Applications. 8(4):1037-1051
The project entailed using the RHESSys model to compare the changes in plant productivity and vegetation-related hydrological processes that occurred as a result of either land cover alteration or directional temperature changes (-2 degrees Celsius (C), +4 degrees C). Land cover change exerted more control over annual plant productivity and water fluxes for converted grasslands, while the effect of temperature changes on productivity and water fluxes was stronger in the mountain vegetation. Throughout the basin, land cover change increased the annual loss of water to the atmosphere by 114 mm via evaporation and transpiration, an increase of 37%. There is a large elevational range from east to west in the South Platte Basin, which encompasses the western edge of the Great Plains and the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains. Climate is increasingly dominated by winter snow precipitation with increasing elevation, and the timing of snowmelt influences tundra and forest ecosystem productivity, soil moisture, and downstream discharge.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Baron, J; Hartman, M; Kittel, T; Band, L; Ojima, D; Lammers, R
- Units
- ROMO
- Keywords
- hydrological processes, Land cover change, RHESSys model, Snowmelt, South Platte Basin, temperature changes