Abstract

This thesis reports the results of a study that observed how the duration of snow season could influence evaporation and respiration fluxes from montane soils.  The study occurred in the Santa Catalina  Mountains north of Tucson, AZ from July, 2010 through September, 2011.  It consisted of routinely measuring fluxes at locations determined to see earlier or later snow melt times, which were used as proxies to represent shorter and longer snow seasons, respectively.
The results of this study showed a strong correlation between evaporation fluxes and soil moisture, and soil respiration and soil temperature.  Additionally, short snow season sites often saw higher fluxes of both evaporation and soil respiration than long snow season sites on any given day that measurements were taken.  This suggests that if climate change results in shorter snow seasons, there will be increased carbon and water fluxes from the soil in these montane ecosystems.

Citation

Nelson K. (2011): The influence of snow cover duration on evaporation and soil respiration in mixed-conifer ecosystems. MS Thesis in School of Natural Resources and the Environment. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 59 pp..

This Paper/Book acknowledges NSF CZO grant support.