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Measurements of fog water interception by shrubs on the California central coast

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Abstract

Fog water deposition may be an important component of the water budget of herbaceous-shrub ecosystems on the central and southern coastal regions of California. This paper presents the first analysis of measured fog water drip rates and meteorological controls in shrublands of Big Sur, California. Seasonal totals of 1255 mm and 306 mm of fog water drip were recorded in 2014 and 2015 (respectively), for averaged fog deposition rates of 0.02–0.08 l m2 hr.−1 to the soil under shrub canopy cover. The diurnal patterns of fog water drip showed that the majority of all trough water collected under shrubs on no-rain days occurred between the hours of 11 PM and 9 AM. During the study period from June 1 to October 31 of both 2014 and 2015, soil water content decreased significantly from average levels of 4–6 % at the shrub canopy center and middle locations, through 2–3 % VWC at the shrub edge locations, to levels at or below 2 % at 2-m distance locations from the shrub edge in open grass cover. Based on these results, we conclude that detectable rates of shrub canopy fog interception help sustain elevated soil water levels under shrubs and aid woody vegetation survival through periods of low rainfall.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks the U.S. Forest Service for access to the Brazil Ranch property and for collaboration on climate-ecosystem science investigations in Big Sur. Cyrus Hiatt and Shuang Li of California State University Monterey Bay provided assistance with field measurements at Brazil Ranch.

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  1. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA

    Christopher Potter

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  1. Christopher Potter
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Correspondence to Christopher Potter.

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Potter, C. Measurements of fog water interception by shrubs on the California central coast. J Coast Conserv 20, 315–325 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0443-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0443-y

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