Processes of evaporation from vegetation of the uplands of Scotland

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe results of a series of experiments to study the physical processes governing the evaporation from upland vegetation in Scotland, i.e. coniferous forest, heather and grass, are described. Particular attention is given to the interception process occurring in heather, one of the dominant indigenous species in Scottish upland catchments. Attention is also given to the interception of snow precipitation which in the Scottish uplands is a significant proportion of the total precipitation. A comparison of the parameters describing the efficiency of the transport process of water vapour for coniferous forest and heather indicates that the process is more efficient than predicted by classical diffusion theory: additional transport mechanisms are considered. A simple model, based upon the results of the process studies, was applied to data from the Monachyle catchment (Balquhidder) and the model predictions compared with observations. This study, in conjunction with recent results from the Balquhidder catchment experiment, illustrates the necessity of further investigations to give a fuller understanding of the evaporation from high altitude grassland.