Role of vegetation and soil-induced effects of microclimate on non-rainfall water inputs

Precipitation (i.e. rain, snow, hail) is the main form of water input to our ecosystem. However, depending on local climatic conditions, a significant amount of water can also be produced by various fractions of non-rainfall water inputs (NRWIs), namely dew, hoar-frost, rime, fog, and adsorption of water vapour in the soil. Such NRWIs are often neglected because they are typically small compared to daily rainfall. However, these NRWIs provide our ecosystems with additional water, which is important for the survival of the fauna and flora in the ecosystem, especially during drier periods.

Although NRWIs are understood in principle, much remains to be learnt about their precise determination at the ecosystem level, their spatial and temporal distribution, and their ecological function for the ecosystem. We present a conceptual measurement setup that allows us to determine each non-rainfall water component for natural and extensive grasslands as well as for agricultural ecosystems. Our results for the experimental site Selhausen (Germany, TERENO-SOILCan) show that i) the main part of NRWI comes from dew formation, ii) the rate and frequency of dew formation differs significantly between vegetation types under similar atmospheric boundary conditions, and iii) the drivers of dew formation during a dry down period differ between ecosystems (grassland and arable land). A better understanding of these vegetation and soil-dependent effects will help us to better predict dew formation processes in our ecosystems in the future.