Author(s): Kumud Acharya; Sachiko Sueki; John Healy
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Abstract: Saltcedars (Tamarix spp. ), native to the Middle East, Asia and parts of Africa have been spreading in the Southwestern U. S. ever since they were introduced over 100 years ago. They were brought in to act as windbreaks, stabilize soil and provide shade over streams. Over the years, saltcedars have proven to be a nuisance weed because of their ability to tolerate drought, expand quickly and over exploit groundwater in the floodplain. Over extraction of groundwater in the floodplain can reduce stream flow, increase the salinity of soils and vadose zones, thus potentially degrading water quality for irrigation and other potable uses. Saltcedars water use was studied by measuring their evapotranspiration rates and compared that with the groundwater table and river discharge to investigate impact on the water balance.
Year: 2018