Reduced deep soil water uptake through forest conversion to pasture in Amazonia

Conference · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)

OSTI ID:6208933

Jipp, P H; Nepstad, D C ^[1]

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1. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States) Woods Hole Research Center, MA (United States)

Forests of eastern Amazonia are being replaced by pastures and secondary forests. We measured soil water storage and flux in adjacent forest and pasture ecosystems using Time Domain Reflectometry sensors installed in the walls of deep (9-m) shafts. The forest withdrew 597+/-25 mm of soil water stored below 1 m depth during the 1991 dry season (Jun-Dec), 1.7 times more than the pasture. Uptake from the bottom of the forest soil profile continued even after rainfall resumed in early 1992. The hydrologic impacts of tropical deforestation may be most severe for evergreen forests with deep rooting zones in areas of seasonal drought.

• OSTI ID: 6208933
• Report Number(s): CONF-930798--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States) Journal Volume: 74:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540210* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (1990-)
ABSORPTION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BRAZIL
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CLIMATIC CHANGE
CONIFERS
DEFORESTATION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DROUGHTS
FORESTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LATIN AMERICA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
MOISTURE
NUTRIENTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PASTURES
PINES
PINOPHYTA
PLANTS
ROOT ABSORPTION
ROOTS
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SORPTION
SOUTH AMERICA
SWEET GUMS
TREES
UPTAKE
WATER