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- Cloud water interception in the temperate laurel forest of Madeira IslandPublication . Figueira, Celso; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Vasconcelos, Rita; Prada, SusanaA cloud belt frequently forms on the windward side of Madeira Island, between 800 and 1600 m a.s.l., as a result of adiabatic cooling of the northeastern trade winds that are forced upward. Temperate laurel forest is the most common vegetation inside that cloud belt altitudinal range. Cloud water interception was estimated by comparing precipitation and throughfall during a hydrological year. It totalled 200 mm (8% of rainfall) during 65 days (3 mm d-1) and seems to constitute a larger fraction of water input during drier months. Multiple linear regression between gauge standard deviation and throughfall throughout rain events shows that cloud interception is common before the onset of rainfall. Its role in the ecohydrology of laurel forest and in the island’s hydrology should be acknowledged. Further studies on this issue should be a priority in order to better understand these dynamics and provide tools for the correct management of this protected forest and the island’s groundwater resources.
- Reply to comment on Prada et al. 2012. ‘Cloud water interception in the high altitude tree heath forest (Erica arboreaL.) of Paul da Serra Massif (Madeira, Portugal)’. Hydrological Processes 26: 202-212Publication . Prada, Susana; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Figueira, Celso; Vasconcelos, Rita
- Contribuição à análise de dados categorizadosPublication . Vasconcelos, Rita Maria César e Sá Fernandes de
- Cloud water interception in the high altitude tree heath forest (Erica arborea L.) of Paul da Serra Massif (Madeira, Portugal)Publication . Prada, Susana; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Figueira, Celso; Vasconcelos, RitaCloud water interception (CWI) occurs when cloud droplets are blown against the forest canopy, where they are retained on the vegetation surface, forming larger water droplets that drip into the forest floor. CWI was measured from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1999, on a first-line tree heath (Erica arborea), at Bica da Cana, Madeira Island. Rainfall was corrected for wind-loss effect and compared with throughfall and other climatological normals. The CWI depletion rate along a forest stand transect was also analysed during three distinct fog events in 2008. Cloud water was 28 mm day 1, corresponding to 68% of total throughfall and 190% of the gross precipitation. Cloud water correlates directly with monthly normals of fog days and wind speed and correlates inversely with the monthly air temperature normal. CWI has an exponential correlation with monthly relative humidity normal. Cloud water capture depletion along the stand shows a logarithmic decrease. Although a forest stand does not directly relate to a first-line tree heath, this study shows that CWI is a frequent phenomenon in the Paul da Serra massif. Restoration and protection of high altitude ecosystems in Madeira should be a priority, not only for biodiversity, ecological and economical purposes but also for its role in regional water resources.