Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas

The Himalayas are predicted to experience more than 3 times the mean global rise in temperature, as well as erratic rainfall patterns and an increased likelihood of total monsoon failures. While many ecosystem manipulation experiments aiming at understanding the effects of altered precipitation, tem...

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Main Authors: Norbu Wangdi, Kuenzang Om, Cheten Thinley, Dorji Drukpa, Tshewang Dorji, Andras Darabant, Purna Bdr. Chhetri, Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed, Christina Lynn Staudhammer, Robert Jandl, Andreas Schindlbacher, Peter Hietz, Klaus Katzensteiner, Douglas Godbold, Georg Gratzer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: International Mountain Society 2017-08-01
Series:Mountain Research and Development
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00097.1
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author Norbu Wangdi
Kuenzang Om
Cheten Thinley
Dorji Drukpa
Tshewang Dorji
Andras Darabant
Purna Bdr. Chhetri
Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed
Christina Lynn Staudhammer
Robert Jandl
Andreas Schindlbacher
Peter Hietz
Klaus Katzensteiner
Douglas Godbold
Georg Gratzer
author_facet Norbu Wangdi
Kuenzang Om
Cheten Thinley
Dorji Drukpa
Tshewang Dorji
Andras Darabant
Purna Bdr. Chhetri
Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed
Christina Lynn Staudhammer
Robert Jandl
Andreas Schindlbacher
Peter Hietz
Klaus Katzensteiner
Douglas Godbold
Georg Gratzer
author_sort Norbu Wangdi
collection DOAJ
description The Himalayas are predicted to experience more than 3 times the mean global rise in temperature, as well as erratic rainfall patterns and an increased likelihood of total monsoon failures. While many ecosystem manipulation experiments aiming at understanding the effects of altered precipitation, temperature, and carbon dioxide are conducted globally, such experiments are rare in Asia, particularly in the Himalayas. To fill this gap, we simulated late onset of monsoon precipitation, as well as total monsoon failure, in a multiyear drought stress experiment in Bhutan. Two treatments, 100% throughfall exclusion and ambient control plots, were applied to 725 m2 plots (25 m × 29 m), each with 2 replicates in a hemlock-dominated (Tsuga dumosa) and oak-dominated (Quercus lanata and Quercus griffithii) ecosystem at 3260 and 2460 m elevations, respectively. Roof application reduced the volumetric soil water content in the upper (0–20 cm) soil layer by ∼ 20% in coniferous and ∼ 31% in broadleaved forest; the deeper soil layers were less affected. We demonstrate that large-scale throughfall-exclusion experiments can be successfully conducted even in a remote Bhutan Himalayan setting. The experiences gathered could be utilized for future long-term ecological monitoring studies in the Himalayan region.
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spelling doaj.art-e227c60f8c8749d8a180fb689ed539262022-12-22T01:32:22ZengInternational Mountain SocietyMountain Research and Development0276-47411994-71512017-08-0137329430910.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00097.1Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the HimalayasNorbu Wangdi0Kuenzang Om1Cheten Thinley2Dorji Drukpa3Tshewang Dorji4Andras Darabant5Purna Bdr. Chhetri6Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed7Christina Lynn Staudhammer8Robert Jandl9Andreas Schindlbacher10Peter Hietz11Klaus Katzensteiner12Douglas Godbold13Georg Gratzer14Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, Austria; Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, Bhutan; norwangs@gmail.comInstitute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, AustriaUgyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, BhutanUgyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, BhutanUgyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, BhutanInstitute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, AustriaUgyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, BhutanInstitute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, 2109 D Devil Building, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USAFederal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), A-1131 Vienna, AustriaFederal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), A-1131 Vienna, AustriaInstitute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, AustriaInstitute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, AustriaInstitute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, AustriaInstitute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1180 Vienna, AustriaThe Himalayas are predicted to experience more than 3 times the mean global rise in temperature, as well as erratic rainfall patterns and an increased likelihood of total monsoon failures. While many ecosystem manipulation experiments aiming at understanding the effects of altered precipitation, temperature, and carbon dioxide are conducted globally, such experiments are rare in Asia, particularly in the Himalayas. To fill this gap, we simulated late onset of monsoon precipitation, as well as total monsoon failure, in a multiyear drought stress experiment in Bhutan. Two treatments, 100% throughfall exclusion and ambient control plots, were applied to 725 m2 plots (25 m × 29 m), each with 2 replicates in a hemlock-dominated (Tsuga dumosa) and oak-dominated (Quercus lanata and Quercus griffithii) ecosystem at 3260 and 2460 m elevations, respectively. Roof application reduced the volumetric soil water content in the upper (0–20 cm) soil layer by ∼ 20% in coniferous and ∼ 31% in broadleaved forest; the deeper soil layers were less affected. We demonstrate that large-scale throughfall-exclusion experiments can be successfully conducted even in a remote Bhutan Himalayan setting. The experiences gathered could be utilized for future long-term ecological monitoring studies in the Himalayan region.http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00097.1throughfall exclusionroofdroughtsoil moisturemonsoon failureeastern HimalayasBhutanSustainable Development GoalsAgenda 2030
spellingShingle Norbu Wangdi
Kuenzang Om
Cheten Thinley
Dorji Drukpa
Tshewang Dorji
Andras Darabant
Purna Bdr. Chhetri
Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed
Christina Lynn Staudhammer
Robert Jandl
Andreas Schindlbacher
Peter Hietz
Klaus Katzensteiner
Douglas Godbold
Georg Gratzer
Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas
Mountain Research and Development
throughfall exclusion
roof
drought
soil moisture
monsoon failure
eastern Himalayas
Bhutan
Sustainable Development Goals
Agenda 2030
title Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas
title_full Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas
title_fullStr Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas
title_full_unstemmed Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas
title_short Climate Change in Remote Mountain Regions: A Throughfall-Exclusion Experiment to Simulate Monsoon Failure in the Himalayas
title_sort climate change in remote mountain regions a throughfall exclusion experiment to simulate monsoon failure in the himalayas
topic throughfall exclusion
roof
drought
soil moisture
monsoon failure
eastern Himalayas
Bhutan
Sustainable Development Goals
Agenda 2030
url http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00097.1
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