Water input from fog drip in the tropical seasonal rain forest of Xishuangbanna, South-West China

Abstract

Fog drip and related microclimatic factors were measured between January 1999 and December 2002 at a tropical seasonal rain forest in Xishuangbanna, South-West China. During the study period, the annual average fog drip was 89.4±13.5 mm (mean±1 SD). Fog drip contributes an estimated 5% of the annual rainfall, with 86% of the fog drip occurring in the dry season (November–April). Annual fog drip was negatively correlated with annual rainfall. Monthly variation in fog drip was also negatively correlated with monthly rainfall. Average daily fog drip was 0.38±0.27 mm d−1 for all days on which fog drip occurred. Daily fog drip was negatively correlated with minimum air temperature and positively correlated with mean above-canopy wind speed. The results indicate that fog drip is an important additional input of water to this seasonal rain forest during the dry season.