IAI-Science-ISP-2-032-Ecosystem Processes: Overgrazing, Grass Transpiration, and Soil-Water Balance

This dataset refers to Final Report of the ISP round 2 project number 032, which has the name "DESERTIFICATION AND ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES: OVERGRAZING, GRASS TRANSPIRATION, AND SOIL-WATER BALANCE". Rangelands are the most extended units of terrestrial vegetation on Earth. We know that desertification, mainly driven by overgrazing, has changed their surface properties enough to cause surface warming. This means that less solar energy is dissipated in evapotranspiration (ET) than under non-desertified conditions. What is not clear is what components of ET are being affected, in which direction, and why. This project constituted the first step in a cooperative relationship between Duke University (Durham, NC, U.S.A.), and CERZOS/Universidad Nacional del Sur (Bahla Blanca, Argentina). Our work relied on past and ongoing research on the mechanisms of desertification developed within National Science Foundation's LTER-Jornada project and permitted us to be in a position to begin extrapolating and testing our results in similar ecosystems in Argentina.To find information about this project, as well as its results, see the Final Report: ftp://disbr1.iai.int/iai/isp2/032-Reynolds/Final_Report.pdf. Principal Investigator >> James Reynolds, [e-mail], Duke University.