Buttresses of tropical rainforest trees influence hillslope processes

Auteur :
HERWITZ, S. R.

Description :
During heavy rainfall events, the buttresses of tropical rainforest trees limit the occurrence of stemflow-generated overland flow and soil erosion on hillslopes. Buttresses promote infiltration by causing stemflow to diverge into separate flow paths on the trunk and by increasing the stemflow contact area at the ground surface. Buttresses oriented normal to hillslopes function as barriers that further promote infiltration and limit the downslope transport of sediments and chemically enriched stemflow water. These relationships between buttressing, stemflow, and hillslope processes have not been previously noted in the literature.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, 1988, vol. 13, n°. 6, p. 563-567, Références bibliographiques : 16 réf.

Date :
1988