Cloud Water Interception in Hawaii: Observations and Modeling

SPEAKER:  Han Tseng
DATE AND TIME:  Friday, 4 March 2022, 2 pm (HST)

Cloud water interception (CWI), the passive capturing of fog water by plants, is a unique ecohydrological process in tropical montane cloud forests that has long been believed to increase water supply. By gaining extra water from the passing clouds, vegetation in the cloud zone on Hawaiian mountains may play an important role in the islands’ hydrological processes and water resources. However, the lack of information about large-scale CWI quantity, distribution, and variability has made evaluating the hydrological benefits of tropical montane cloud forests difficult. This is because of the (1) high heterogeneity of CWI patterns and (2) technical challenges to make measurements and comparisons between sites. With the goal of enabling prediction and mapping of CWI over the Hawaiian Islands, the objectives of this study were to measure CWI and fog quantity and develop a CWI model for the Hawaii cloud zone ecosystems. The model developed in this study recognizes the heterogeneity of CWI factors that were overlooked by previous large-scale CWI estimates in Hawaii while its lower data requirements compared to other complex models make it more suitable over data-scarce areas. 

Dr. Han Tseng is originally from Taiwan and a recent PhD graduate from the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research interests include ecohydrology, tropical montane cloud forests, fog interception, and vegetation effects and feedbacks on climate and hydrological processes. 

For more information about the Spring 2022 WRRC Seminars, please contact:  Keri Kodama, kodamak8@hawaii.edu

If interested in joining the seminar, please contact:  wrrc@hawaii.edu

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