Comparisons of Interception Loss from Tropical and Temperate Vegetation Canopies

Abstract

A multilayer crop model is used to investigate interception loss from oak, pine, wheat and grass canopies. It is shown that the evaporative properties of the full oak canopy are similar to those of the evergreen tropical rain forest. Evaporation from all the wet canopies is shown to be similar at low wind speeds but the loss from the tree canopies increases rapidly with increasing wind speed. In the low-wind-speed equatorial environment it would seem likely that changing vegetation type would cause little difference in interception loss and therefore runoff. Equatorial observations suggest that this is not so and the reasons for this are discussed. Possible hydrometeorological consequences of the deforestation of the Amazon basin are also considered.