RAPID: Differential Fluvial Response of the Abiotic Atacama Desert to a Rare Rainstorm Event

RAPID：非生物阿塔卡马沙漠对罕见暴雨事件的差异河流响应

• 批准号: 1550358
• 负责人: Ronald Amundson
• 金额: $ 2.09万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-07-15 至 2016-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1550358&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Differential; Fluvial; Response; Abiotic

ABSTRACT A non-technical description explaining the broader significance of the projectExtreme rainfall events are significant shapers of landscapes in arid regions. However, the processes of flood generation and the relative importance of various landscape components in producing and conducting the water flow is relatively unknown. This RAPID project provides a rare opportunity to use previously-collected data together with new observations and remote-sensing information to examine the response of different types of arid landscape features to sudden, heavy rainfall. Knowledge of landscape response to these extreme events will aid in planning for communities in these regions, since flash flooding is a common result and the source of the water is often unpredictable. The project involves collaboration with Chilean scientists. The results will go beyond the immediate are of the Atacama Desert that is the site of the investigation and encompasses the semi-arid regions of the US and other parts of the world. A technical description of the projectThis RAPID project will use previous research along a transect of the Atacama Desert to test the hypothesis that as the imprint of chronic hyper-aridity increases on the landscape due to the accumulation of salt and dust, the landscape becomes more resistant to runoff and overland flow from rainfall. Conversely, the nearly plant-less but relatively salt-free environments at the desert margin may be subject to rapid runoff and the generation of new fluvial features such as fans and mudflows. The recent rainfall is a rare opportunity to build on earlier investigations and to develop knowledge of the different landscape responses to a locally extraordinary event.

摘要一个非技术描述解释了ProjectExtreme降雨事件的更广泛意义是干旱地区景观的重要塑造。但是，洪水产生的过程以及各种景观成分在产生和进行水流中的相对重要性是相对未知的。这个快速的项目提供了一个难得的机会，可以使用以前收集的数据以及新的观察结果和遥感信息来检查不同类型的干旱景观特征对突然大雨的响应。景观对这些极端事件的反应的了解将有助于计划这些地区的社区，因为山洪是一个普遍的结果，并且水的来源通常是无法预测的。该项目涉及与智利科学家的合作。结果将超出立即的范围，即Atacama Desert是调查所在地，并涵盖了美国和世界其他地区的半干旱地区。该项目快速项目的技术描述将在Atacama沙漠的横断面上使用先前的研究来检验以下假设：随着慢性高空的烙印，由于盐和灰尘的积累而增加了景观的烙印，景观对径流的抵抗力更具降雨量和陆上流向降雨量。相反，在沙漠边缘，几乎没有植物但相对无盐的环境可能会受到快速径流的影响，并且产生了新的河流特征，例如风扇和泥流。最近的降雨是建立早期调查并发展对当地非凡事件的不同景观反应的知识的难得的机会。