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Effects of the Canopy Hydrologic Flux on Groundwater

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Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 216))

Abstract

At the present, groundwater interactions with forest hydrology fluxes are poorly understood from both physical and biogeochemical perspectives. Our poor understanding of the interactions between canopy and surface fluxes with groundwater from physical and biogeochemical perspectives may be due, in part, to the fact that forest hydrology and groundwater hydrology have developed separately and that relatively little attention has been directed toward the interactions between groundwater and forest hydrology fluxes. Groundwater, however, constitutes a very important component in the hydrological cycle at the watershed scale, connecting precipitation (an input) with surface waters (an output). Hence, further integrated investigations of these groundwater–surface water systems and their interactions are needed to advance our understanding of the connections between surface and groundwater in forested ecosystems. The increasing focus on ecosystems and climate change on hydrological cycles necessitates a much better understanding on the connections and interactions between canopy fluxes and groundwater in forests.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks the anonymous reviewer for providing valuable suggestions and introducing some important literature. Special thanks are given to Dr. Del Levia, Editor-in-Chief of the book, for his continuing encouragement and strong support during the writing of this chapter.

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Tanaka, T. (2011). Effects of the Canopy Hydrologic Flux on Groundwater. In: Levia, D., Carlyle-Moses, D., Tanaka, T. (eds) Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry. Ecological Studies, vol 216. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1363-5_25

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