The thicketization of the semi-arid region of the United States has resulted in a dramatic
change allowing invasive woody species to dominate the landscape with an unknown
impact to the water budget. This landscape transformation has created a need to study
the hydrology of the region and in particular the effects of increased brush on the water
cycle. To study the effects of invasive brush on the water budget, a portable abovecanopy
rainfall simulator was developed for plot scale hydrologic research. The rainfall
simulator was tested at various field locations, including within the Edwards Plateau, to
replicate natural rainfall events on typical hillslope-scale plots. The rainfall simulator
was used to quantify aspects of the water budget for a 7 m by 14 m research plot on the
Edwards Plateau in Texas. Three rainfall simulation dates were selected for detailed
hydrologic analysis. Overall, throughfall accounted for 74% of the water applied to the
plot, while 26% of applied water was in the form of stemflow. Lateral subsurface flow
represented 33% of the water measured leaving the research plot. A notable result of
rainfall simulations was extensive lateral subsurface flow and no surface runoff. The
rainfall simulator has proven to be a cost-effective and efficient research tool for
replicating natural rainfall in arid and semi-arid environments.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/3174 |
| Date | 12 April 2006 |
| Creators | Porter, Shane Courtney |
| Contributors | Munster, Clyde L., Wilcox, Bradford P. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | 1162284 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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