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

Conference · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 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-; CODEN: BECLAG
• Journal Information: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States), Vol. 74:2; Conference: 78. annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Madison, WI (United States), 31 Jul - 4 Aug 1993; ISSN 0012-9623
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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