It has long since been known that soil moisture controls the partitioning of energy fluxes at the land surface, and that this partitioning affects the humidity and temperature of the air. A global synthesis of how soil moisture impacts the properties of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), however, was missing. …
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How sustainable is drinking water supply in The Netherlands during drought?
Drinking water supply in the Netherlands is of a high standard compared to many other countries. Extreme conditions, such as the 2018 drought, pose a serious challenge the sustainability of drinking water supply. Recent research identifies hydrological, technical, and socio-economic characteristics that determine the sustainability of a local drinking water …
Continue readingHow forests can increase hydrological drought
Forests are known to have a negative effect on water yield (the total annual streamflow). However, little is known about the effect of forest on hydrological droughts. Considering the relatively high evapotranspiration of forest, hydrological droughts might be expected to increase when forest establishes. The effect of forest on hydrological …
Continue readingCritical soil moisture thresholds during the 2018 drought identified
The impact of drought on vegetation does not increases proportionally with decreasing soil moisture content. The so-called critical soil moisture content below which evapotranspiration reduction and vegetation impact rapidly increase is a key parameter, but knowledge on the critical soil moisture is limited due to a lack of soil moisture …
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