Mountain ecohydrology: quantifying the role of vegetation in the water balance of montane catchments

Abstract

This paper introduces the special issue focused on mountain ecohydrology of the southwestern United States. The papers in this issue present initial results from a multi‐disciplinary observatory effort coordinated by the NSF Science and Technology Center for the Sustainability of Semi‐arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA). These studies contribute to an effort to understand how changes in vegetation affect basin‐scale water balance and water availability, and explicitly address major knowledge gaps in: (1) understanding of the role of vegetation in the partitioning precipitation into evaporation, sublimation, transpiration, soil moisture, streamflow and recharge, and (2) the ability to represent process understanding, obtained at the plant or plot scale, at the scale of catchments or basins. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.