Study Links Chile’s Native Forest Cover To Available Water Supply

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Santiago Times

Study Links Chile’s Native Forest Cover To Available Water Supply
Written by Jeremy Valeriote
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 04:35
Wilderness may mitigate impact of climate change

Seven years of fieldwork headed by the Universidad Austral have come to fruition. A major study has quantified, for the first time in Chile, the benefit of native forest in retaining rain water to supplement dry season flows in streams and rivers.

The study of the coastal cordillera near Valdivia investigated data from six watersheds ranging in size from 140 to 1500 hectares. Precipitation and surface water flows were compared against percentage of existing native forest area cover.

The study found a correlation: an increase in native forest cover of 10 percent resulted in an average 14 percent increase in surface runoff during the dry season. Antonio Lara, the study’s director, explains: “Forest cover reduces the velocity of surface runoff, which allows for greater infiltration of water into the soil, and recharge of groundwater aquifers.”

This groundwater recharge regulates flow in rivers and streams by retaining water below the surface that is eventually discharged during the dry months.




Read more: http://www.santiagotimes.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17748%3Astudy-links-chiles-native-forest-cover-to-available-water-supply-&catid=44%3Aenvironmental&Itemid=40

[zeemike]

1. That seems like a no brainer to me.

But I suppose they feel the need to prove it.