Remote Sensing-Based Ecohydrogeological Characterisation and Perceptual Model of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

IF 3.2 3区 地球科学 Q1 Environmental Science
Stephen M. Chignell, Yeonuk Kim, Mark S. Johnson
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Abstract

The Bale Mountains are a volcanic region in south-central Ethiopia comprising Africa's largest alpine plateau and its adjacent montane forest. The region is recognised biologically as a centre of endemism, and hydrologically as a ‘water tower’, being the source of several rivers of critical importance for East Africa. However, little formal hydrologic data exist, and land management decisions are being made based largely on a mental model that assumes high vulnerability to changes in land use and land cover. We questioned this model using remote sensing data via Google Earth Engine to map spatial and temporal patterns of key hydrologic variables over the 20-year period spanning 2001–2020. We combined a quantitative water balance analysis with qualitative interpretation of the region's geologic and geomorphic features. Our results show that, on average, annual evapotranspiration in the forested area exceeds annual precipitation. Evapotranspiration for the forest was seen to increase throughout the long dry season, exceeding its equilibrium value, suggesting that forest vegetation is neither water-limited nor energy-limited, and may be subsidised by groundwater and/or soil moisture flow derived from upslope areas and thermal vents. These results confound assumed relationships among forests, wetlands, and human activity embedded in much of the region's scientific research and conservation policies. We conclude by offering a new model and set of working hypotheses from which future scientific studies and management policies can benefit.

Abstract Image

基于遥感的埃塞俄比亚贝尔山区生态水文地质特征与感知模型
贝尔山脉是埃塞俄比亚中南部的一个火山地区,包括非洲最大的高山高原及其邻近的山地森林。该地区在生物学上被认为是一个地方性的中心,而在水文学上被认为是一个“水塔”,是几条对东非至关重要的河流的源头。然而,很少有正式的水文数据存在,而且土地管理决策主要是基于一种假定极易受到土地利用和土地覆盖变化影响的心理模型。我们利用谷歌Earth Engine的遥感数据对该模型进行了质疑,绘制了2001-2020年20年间关键水文变量的时空格局。我们将定量水平衡分析与该地区地质地貌特征的定性解释相结合。结果表明,平均而言,林区年蒸散量大于年降水量。森林的蒸散量在整个漫长的旱季都在增加,超过其平衡值,这表明森林植被既不受水限制,也不受能量限制,可能得到来自上坡地区和热喷口的地下水和/或土壤水分流的补贴。这些结果混淆了该地区许多科学研究和保护政策中所包含的森林、湿地和人类活动之间的假设关系。最后,我们提出了一个新的模型和一套可行的假设,未来的科学研究和管理政策可以从中受益。
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来源期刊
Hydrological Processes
Hydrological Processes 环境科学-水资源
CiteScore
6.00
自引率
12.50%
发文量
313
审稿时长
2-4 weeks
期刊介绍: Hydrological Processes is an international journal that publishes original scientific papers advancing understanding of the mechanisms underlying the movement and storage of water in the environment, and the interaction of water with geological, biogeochemical, atmospheric and ecological systems. Not all papers related to water resources are appropriate for submission to this journal; rather we seek papers that clearly articulate the role(s) of hydrological processes.
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