January 2024 Webinar: Micrometeorological Observations in a Lava Tube Opening –Effects on Vegetation скачать в хорошем качестве

January 2024 Webinar: Micrometeorological Observations in a Lava Tube Opening –Effects on Vegetation

The Hawaiʻi Experimental Tropical Forest (HETF) hosts a monthly lunchtime webinar highlighting one of the research projects conducted in the HETF. This month, we are highlighting one of our researchers. Micrometeorological Observations in a Lava Tube Opening – Effects on Vegetation Presented by Philip Meier Lava tube openings as topographical features can be habitats for unique ecosystems. They can provide shelter to plant species that are otherwise not found in the surrounding environments. In this project, Philip Meier investigated a selected lava tube opening in the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Forest Reserve by micrometeorological means. One entrance to the tube was covered by verdant ferns which were otherwise absent in the surrounding area. Meier placed two small weather stations, measuring quantities such as air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, soil moisture, wind speed, and direction in the lava tube opening and in the surrounding area, respectively, in May and June 2022. With the acquired meteorological data, Meier gains insight into the conditions which may lead to the observed differences in the vegetation. In this webinar talk, Meier is happy to present the data and preliminary results of this small field study.