from Part III - Coupling Hillslope Geomorphology, Soils, Hydrology, and Ecosystems
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 October 2016
Introduction
When we see a tropical rainforest, intensively managed cropland, or grazed pasture from a distant view (Figure 7.1), we are seeing a critical component of the ecosystem – the vegetation canopy. At the most basic level, vegetation canopies are composed of leaves, twigs, branches, and often epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants, such as bryophytes, ferns, lichens, and orchids, and generally access water and nutrients from the atmosphere). However, many would agree that canopies are more than just a simple collection of these components (Parker, 1995). This relatively thin boundary between the atmosphere and biosphere regulates exchanges of matter, energy, and information across the air-land interface and has been the subject of significant research in biogeoscience, ecology, geoinformatics, and atmospheric science over the past three decades (Lovett and Lindberg, 1993; Parker et al., 1995; Baldocchi et al., 2002; Lefsky et al., 2002; Nadkarni et al., 2011).
In this chapter, we examine the canopy as a locus for interaction with the atmosphere – primarily with precipitation. How do vegetation canopies influence the form, amount, and chemical composition of precipitation inputs to ecosystems? What methods are used to measure and model precipitation-canopy interactions? What role do geographic factors play in altering spatial and temporal patterns of precipitation inputs to and underneath canopies? To answer these questions, we look to studies from around the globe, particularly those in forests, the vegetation type whose canopies have been most widely studied. After a brief description of vegetation canopies, we review common materials emitted to the atmosphere and the ways in which they are deposited before exploring the interactions that take place within the canopies themselves.
Vegetation Canopies
In the study of precipitation-canopy interactions, it is useful to think about the canopy as a three-dimensional porous layer with passive and active surfaces (Parker, 1995). Canopy structure – the position, extent, quantity, type, and connectivity of the aboveground components – can be described using a variety of metrics, including maximum tree height, canopy cover, and leaf area index (leaf area per ground area), to name a few (Parker, 1995). Often, canopies are described in terms of their aerodynamic roughness, which refers to how the physical surface at the top of the canopy interacts with the atmosphere, and which is related to the height, density, and distribution of canopy elements (Oke, 1987).
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