Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0045

Cloud-water interception

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Natural-history illustration of cloud-water interception on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of cloud-water interception.

About Cloud-water interception

Capture of fog/cloud droplets by vegetation, adding moisture beyond measured rainfall.

Names and classification

Other names
cloud-water interception
Family
Hydrology & Freshwater Flow
Record type
ecological_process

Habitat and ecology

Ecological role
Supports Atlas reasoning about ecosystem function, dependencies, threats, conservation leverage points and cross-module consequences.

Process and seasonal context

Definition
Capture of fog/cloud droplets by vegetation, adding moisture beyond measured rainfall.
Drivers
rainfall; fog; vegetation; soils; geology; extraction; climate
Inputs
rainfall; cloud water; stored water
Outputs
evapotranspiration; runoff; recharge; streamflow; groundwater discharge
Spatial scales
canopy → soil → aquifer → watershed → coast
Temporal scales
minutes → decades
Validity and limits
Context-specific; do not extrapolate across habitat, season, elevation, salinity or disturbance state without evidence.

Sources and further reading

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