Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo
Páramos are particular ecosystems of the Tropical Andes, where fog and low-intensity rainfall such as drizzle are commonly frequent—but the contribution of these water sources to soil water replenishment and discharge is not yet clear, mainly because the development of techniques for separating fog...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Hydrology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/4/54 |
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| author | Gina Berrones Patricio Crespo Ana Ochoa-Sánchez Bradford P. Wilcox Rolando Célleri |
| author_facet | Gina Berrones Patricio Crespo Ana Ochoa-Sánchez Bradford P. Wilcox Rolando Célleri |
| author_sort | Gina Berrones |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Páramos are particular ecosystems of the Tropical Andes, where fog and low-intensity rainfall such as drizzle are commonly frequent—but the contribution of these water sources to soil water replenishment and discharge is not yet clear, mainly because the development of techniques for separating fog from drizzle and wind-driven rainfall has been challenging. Fog was measured with a cylindrical Juvik gauge and types of precipitation other than fog with a high-resolution disdrometer. Soil moisture was measured at 100 mm depth by means of Water Content Reflectometers, then Effective precipitation (EP) was calculated. We categorized events as two types: fog only (FO) and cloud water (CW). We found that in the case of FO events, only small amounts reached the soil (EP ranged between 0.1 and 0.2 mm); in contrast, greater amounts of EP originated from CW events (maximum value of 4.3 mm). Although we found that FO events are negligible for stream water contribution; they are ecologically important for maintaining high relative humidity, low net radiation, and consequently low evapotranspiration rates. Our research provides new insights into the hydrological role of fog, enabling us to better understand to what extent its input influences the water resources of the Andean páramo. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:34:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-33bd62a8460b44fab91cce732ae351ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5338 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:34:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology |
| spelling | doaj.art-33bd62a8460b44fab91cce732ae351ce2023-12-01T21:00:53ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382022-03-01945410.3390/hydrology9040054Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean PáramoGina Berrones0Patricio Crespo1Ana Ochoa-Sánchez2Bradford P. Wilcox3Rolando Célleri4Departamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca 010150, EcuadorDepartamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca 010150, EcuadorFacultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Ingeniería Ambiental & TRACES, Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca 010150, EcuadorDepartment of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca 010150, EcuadorPáramos are particular ecosystems of the Tropical Andes, where fog and low-intensity rainfall such as drizzle are commonly frequent—but the contribution of these water sources to soil water replenishment and discharge is not yet clear, mainly because the development of techniques for separating fog from drizzle and wind-driven rainfall has been challenging. Fog was measured with a cylindrical Juvik gauge and types of precipitation other than fog with a high-resolution disdrometer. Soil moisture was measured at 100 mm depth by means of Water Content Reflectometers, then Effective precipitation (EP) was calculated. We categorized events as two types: fog only (FO) and cloud water (CW). We found that in the case of FO events, only small amounts reached the soil (EP ranged between 0.1 and 0.2 mm); in contrast, greater amounts of EP originated from CW events (maximum value of 4.3 mm). Although we found that FO events are negligible for stream water contribution; they are ecologically important for maintaining high relative humidity, low net radiation, and consequently low evapotranspiration rates. Our research provides new insights into the hydrological role of fog, enabling us to better understand to what extent its input influences the water resources of the Andean páramo.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/4/54low-intensity rainfallsoil moisturestream water contributionAlpine grasslands |
| spellingShingle | Gina Berrones Patricio Crespo Ana Ochoa-Sánchez Bradford P. Wilcox Rolando Célleri Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo Hydrology low-intensity rainfall soil moisture stream water contribution Alpine grasslands |
| title | Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo |
| title_full | Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo |
| title_fullStr | Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo |
| title_short | Importance of Fog and Cloud Water Contributions to Soil Moisture in the Andean Páramo |
| title_sort | importance of fog and cloud water contributions to soil moisture in the andean paramo |
| topic | low-intensity rainfall soil moisture stream water contribution Alpine grasslands |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/4/54 |
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