A multi-scale approach to assess the effect of groundwater extraction on Prosopis tamarugo in the Atacama Desert
Autor: | Paul Copini, Ute Sass-Klaassen, Roberto O. Chávez, Mathieu Decuyper |
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Rok vydání: | 2016 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Canopy Dendrochronology 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences NDVI Bos- en Landschapsecologie 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing Forest and Landscape Ecology Bosecologie en Bosbeheer Laboratorium voor Geo-informatiekunde en Remote Sensing Ecosystem Vegetatie Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Earth-Surface Processes Hydrology Vegetation Drought Ecology biology Groundwater depletion Remote sensing PE&RC biology.organism_classification Multi-scale approach Arid Forest Ecology and Forest Management Prosopis tamarugo Overexploitation Environmental science Vegetatie Bos- en Landschapsecologie Vegetation Forest and Landscape Ecology Groundwater |
Zdroj: | Journal of Arid Environments 131 (2016) Journal of Arid Environments, 131, 25-34 |
ISSN: | 0140-1963 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.03.014 |
Popis: | Groundwater-dependent ecosystems occur in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide and are sensitive to changes in groundwater availability. Prosopis tamarugo Phil, endemic to the Atacama Desert, is threatened by groundwater overexploitation due to mining and urban consumption. The effect of groundwater depletion on two representative sites (low -and high-depletion) was studied using a multi-scale approach, combining remote sensing based estimations of canopy growth and water condition, and tree-ring based analysis of stem growth. On the stand level two NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) -derived parameters: NDVI in winter and the difference between NDVI in summer and winter showed significant negative trends in the high-depletion site, indicating drought stress. Radial stem growth of viable P. tamarugo trees was 48% lower in the high-depletion site. At the tree level, the Green Canopy Fraction (GCF) also indicated drought stress since a larger percentage of trees fell within lower GCF classes. Groundwater depletion of 3 m, reaching a groundwater depth of >10 m, increased drought stress, and led to reduced growth in viable trees. Viable trees may be able to adapt to the drop in groundwater levels by increasing root growth, whereas for non-viable trees, the effects might be detrimental. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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