Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Tao, Yong X.

Second Advisor

Van Stan, John T.

Third Advisor

Gallagher, Michael T.

Abstract

Most of the rain that falls over land, falls over forests, which cover approximately one-third of global land surface. Significant immediate and wide-ranging impacts are exerted on hydrological, ecological, and societal systems due to canopyrainfall interactions, altering rainwater supply to the surface. All storm-related hydrological processes are impacted by the relative rates that canopy surfaces retain, evaporate, and redistribute rain. Many forest canopies host a community of plants called epiphytes that are generally capable of storing and evaporating substantial water. Epiphytes are comparatively under-researched regarding their role in rainfall partitioning compared to bark and leaves. Skidaway Island in Savannah, Georgia, has a forest canopy that hosts an epiphyte community consisting primarily of these three groups on a single host tree species, Quercus virginiana (southern live oak).

The objective of this research was to determine the amount of time the study epiphytes were saturated, the amount of rainfall evaporated by the epiphytes, and the amount of condensation received by the epiphytes. It was found that saturation time had a positive relationship with Pleopeltis and detritus biomass, and decreased with Tillandsia. An indirect positive relationship between Pleopeltis and detritus biomass with evaporation and condensation amounts was observed.

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