Abstract
Deposition of cloud droplets is thought to be a major input mechanism for water, plant nutrients, and airborne pollutants in the high-elevation forests of the eastern U.S. This paper discusses three methods for determining amounts of cloud water deposition. The data used to illustrate the methods were all taken in the subalpine balsam fir forests of Mt. Moosilauke, New Hampshire, USA.
The first method uses a resistance model of the droplet deposition process based on the capture characteristics of individual canopy components. The cloud water deposition estimate of 27 to 125 cm for the June-October growing season depends strongly on estimates of mean meteorological and cloud characteristics. The second method uses data on rainfall, stemflow and throughfall to calculate a water balance for the canopy. The deposition estimates for the June-October period range from 24 to 41 cm and depend on the estimate of interception loss from the canopy. The third method uses measurement of SO4 2- concentrations in spring seeps to calculate the SO4 2- mass balance for the drainage areas. The estimates of cloud water deposition for the June-October period range from 0 to 22 cm depending on assumptions about evapotranspiration and the concentration of SO4 2- in cloud water. To calculate chemical deposition, these water deposition estimates must be multiplied by measured chemical concentrations in cloud water.
Because the data were gathered from disparate studies, comparisons between the methods are difficult. However, it is suggested that the canopy water balance method may be the most appropriate means of measuring cloud water deposition on scales of space and time relevant to ecological studies.
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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Lovett, G.M. (1988). A Comparison of Methods for Estimating Cloud Water Deposition to a New Hampshire (U.S.A.) Subalpine Forest. In: Unsworth, M.H., Fowler, D. (eds) Acid Deposition at High Elevation Sites. NATO ASI Series, vol 252. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3079-7_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3079-7_16
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