This research project, led by PI Lixin Wang of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), will conduct planning meetings and collect and analyze preliminary data to develop a project that will assess the effects of non-rainfall water input on dryland ecosystem functions. The planning visit, preliminary data collection and future research efforts will take place in the Namib Desert, Namibia. Dr. Wang will collaborate with Dr. Mary Seely of the Gobabeb Research and Training Center in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, located in the Namib Desert.
The research effort that will result from this planning visit will test the hypothesis that non-rainfall moisture contributes significantly to desert ecosystem function. Equally importantly, the research will attempt to identify the source areas of fog/dew using stable isotope analyses and will assess how much fog and dew contribute to ecosystem function. With lower future rainfall predicted across drylands globally, the role of non-rainfall moisture input may become even more valuable, and assessing the sources of fog/dew inputs will allow modeling to determine how those inputs may change with climate change.
The planning visit will include identification of specific sampling sites and collection of fog, dew, precipitation and soil moisture samples in three ecosystems near Gobabeb in the Naukluft Park area of the Namib Desert. The team will also meet with ministry officials to explore the potential for additional permits for sampling on non-park land closer to the shore where fog may be more frequent. The planning visit will also assess the ability of the Gobabeb Training and Research Center to support longer-term sampling efforts. Proof-of-concept stable isotope analyses will be conducted on the samples collected during the planning visit to verify that fog/dew isotope signatures can be differentiated from other moisture sources and therefore form the foundation for future water source modeling efforts.
This project also has interesting and valuable broader impacts. The planning visit team includes an education outreach coordinator from the IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) who will initiate an education module for third through ninth graders focusing on the physical geography of the Namib Desert, the changes taking place in this ecosystem and the implications for dryland ecosystems globally. This education module will be fully developed in the full proposal that the team plans to prepare based on this planning visit. In addition, a graduate student will participate in the planning visit, initial data collection, data analyses and preparation of the full proposal, providing that student with a valuable professional development opportunity. The PI also plans to develop a new course on Desert Environments for senior undergraduates and graduate students at IUPUI using case studies based on this project, which will expose other students to the international contexts of their studies. Undergraduates are expected to be involved in the research that would be supported by a later full proposal.
