Response of a shrub‐steppe ecosystem to fire: Soil water and vegetational change

Link, Steven O.; Gee, Glendon W.; Thiede, M.E.; Beedlow, P.A.

doi:10.1080/15324989009381245

Cited by 31 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Bromus tectorum rooting depth has been observed down to 80 cm in silt-loam soils (Cline et al 1977b) and 50 cm in sandy soils (Link et al 199Oa). More water will accumulate deep in the profile if shallowrooted plants, such as B. tecforum, dominate the surface than if deep-rooted plants dominate (Cline et al 1977b, Link et al 1990b, Gee et al 1992). …”

Section: Root Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of plants and animals in isolation barriers at Hanford, Washington

Link¹,

Cadwell²,

Petersen³

et al. 1995

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SummaryThe Hanford Site Surface Barrier Development Program was organized in 1985 to test the effectiveness of various barrier designs in minimizing the effects of water infiltration; plant, animal, and human intrusion; and wind and water erosion on buried wastes, and in minimizing the emanation of noxious gases. Plants will serve to minimize drainage and erosion, but present the potential for growing roots into wastes. Animals burrow holes into the soil, and the burrow holes could allow water to preferentially drain into the waste. They also bring soil to the surface which, if wastes are incorporated, could present a risk for the dispersion of wastes into the environment. This report reviews work done to assess the role of plants and animals in isolation barriers at Hanford. It also reviews work done to understand the potential effects from climate change on the plants and animals that may inhabit barriers in the future.Plant studies have been done on community analysis, root characteristics, water balance, and water and wind erosion. Community analyses are reviewed in the context of native plants, invasive aliens, community dynamics, and revegetation efforts. Roots are examined with respect to water balance, other root functions, and intrusion into wastes. Water balance studies have been done at various locations on site, including McGee Ranch, the 300 North grass site, the Artemisia tridentuta/ Pseudoroegneria spicata community, and at Lower Snively field. Numerous lysimeter studies have examined the role of vegetation in water balance. Work has been reviewed to quanti@ the relationship plants have on water and wind erosion.Animal studies have focused on burrowing effects on soil water balance and the transport of buried wastes to the surface. This has been done for small and large mammals on site. Studies done to determine the role of animals on waste transport to the surface are reviewed.Studies on the role of plants and animals on barriers and climate change at Hanford were reviewed. Climate change studies have focused on assessing the potential range of climate conditions barriers may be exposed to over thousands of years and the potential consequences of such exposure on the plants and animals that may inhabit a barrier, and the water balance of a barrier. Climate change studies indicate that the present interglacial may last another 10,000 years, with the continental glacial ice reaching its maximum extent (important for the Pasco Basin because of its potential for contributing to catastrophic flooding) 100,000 years or more into the future.The optimal plant community for barrier function is one composed of deep-rooted perennial shrubs and grasses. Deep-rooted perennial shrubs and grasses will minimize the risk of water drainage into the wastes and minimize erosion. The establishment of such a community in the face of the encroachment of invasive alien species is critical for proper barrier function. Investigations into the characteristics of new invasive alien species are needed. Continued research on ...

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Section: Root Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is significantly less than the 15% volumetric soil water content found in the B. tectorum field . Variation in the rooting depth of deep-rooted perennials is associated with variation in soil water storage (Link et al 1990b). …”

Section: 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of plants and animals in isolation barriers at Hanford, Washington

Link¹,

Cadwell²,

Petersen³

et al. 1995

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“…LAI values for shrub-steppe communities are lower than those found in agricultural or forest ecosystems. LAI values for natural native bunchgrass communities found in finer soils on the Hanford site are roughly twice [0.11 to 0.13 LAI for communities that consist of small and large bunchgrasses and numerous forb species: see Link et al (1990)] the highest values represented here.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Compendium of Data for the Hanford Site (Fiscal Years 2004 to 2008) Applicable to Estimation of Recharge Rates

Nichols¹,

Rockhold²,

Downs³

2008

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“…Figure C.5 shows the shrub leaf area variation throughout the year. Link et al (1990a) reported a maximum LAI value of 0.25 for sagebrush for 4 years in a sagebrush-bunchgrass community growing on a silt loam soil on the Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) Reserve. Our preliminary measurements at the proposed ILAW Disposal Site are showing similar LAI values.…”

Section: C12mentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Assessment

1999

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings

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SummaryLockheed Martin Hanford Company (LMHC) is designing and assessing the performance of disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are currently stored in single -and double -shell tanks at the Hanford Site. The preferred method of disposing of the portion that is classified as immobilized lowactivity waste (ILAW) is to vitrify the waste and place the product in near-surface, shallow-land burial facilities. The LMHC project to assess the performance of these disposal facilities is known as the Hanford ILAW Performance Assessment (PA) Activity, hereafter called the ILAW PA project. The goal of this project is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of the waste is protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require predictions of contaminant migration from the facility. To make such predictions will require estimates of the fluxes of water moving through the sediments within the vadose zone around and beneath the disposal facility. These fluxes, loosely called recharge rates, are the primary mechanism for transporting contaminants to the groundwater.Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) assists LMHC in their performance assessment activities. One of the PNNL tasks is to provide estimates of recharge rates for current conditions and long-term scenarios involving the shallow-land disposal of ILAW. Specifically, recharge estimates are needed for a fully functional surface cover, the cover sideslope, and the immediately surrounding terrain. In addition, recharge estimates are needed for degraded cover conditions. The temporal scope of the analysis is 10,000 years, but could be longer if some contaminant peaks occur after 10,000 years.The elements of this report compose the Recharge Data Package, which provides estimates of recharge rates for the scenarios being considered in the 2001 PA. Table S.1 identifies the surface features and time periods evaluated. The most important feature, the surface cover, is expected to be the modified RCRA Subtitle C design. This design uses a 1-m-thick silt loam layer above sand and gravel filter layers to create a capillary break. A 0.15-m-thick asphalt layer underlies the filter layers to function as a backup barrier and to promote lateral drainage. Cover sideslopes are expected to be constructed with 1V:10H slopes using sandy gravel. The recharge estimates for each scenario were derived from lysimeter and tracer data collected by the ILAW PA and other projects and from modeling analyses.For the best estimate case, we proposed using a recharge rate of 0.1 mm/yr for the surface cover with a shrub-steppe plant community. This rate is lower than the cover design goal of 0.5 mm/yr because it is closer to the actual drainage rate measured with lysimeters and inferred with modeling. The simulation results showed that erosion of 20% of the silt loam layer did not impair this performance nor did the deposition of 20 cm of dune sand. For the sandy grav...

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Response of a shrub‐steppe ecosystem to fire: Soil water and vegetational change

Cited by 31 publications

References 16 publications

The role of plants and animals in isolation barriers at Hanford, Washington

The role of plants and animals in isolation barriers at Hanford, Washington

Compendium of Data for the Hanford Site (Fiscal Years 2004 to 2008) Applicable to Estimation of Recharge Rates

Performance Assessment

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