US - Chile Planning Visit: Climate change effects on streamflow from mid-latitude conifer forests: a collaboration between Oregon and Chile

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

Julie A. Jones Oregon State University OISE-0917697 This U.S. - Chile award will support Dr. Julia Jones and a graduate student from Oregon State University on a planning visit to Argentina and Chile. The visit will take place in March 2009. The primary goal of the visit is to initiate a long-term collaboration between researchers at Oregon State University, Drs. Antonio Lara and Rocio Urruti from University Austral in Chile, and Dr. Ricardo Villalba from the Argentinean Institute for Snow, Ice and Environmental Research to study climate change effects on streamflow from mid-latitude conifer forests. Specifically, the proposed research will examine and contrast effects of climate change on water availability (and ultimately on stream ecosystems) in mid-latitude conifer forests in marine west coast climates in the Northern and Southern hemisphere. During the visit, the researchers will familiarize themselves with the proposed forest watershed study sites, plan experiments, and develop a strategy for future collaboration between the institutions. The visit has the potential to lead to future studies regarding (1) forest hydrology and paired-watershed experiments with cross-site comparisons, and (2) cross-site comparisons of tree-ring chronologies and climate/hydrology reconstructions, in Oregon and Chile. Reconstruction of past forest histories and tree growth sensitivities to climate will permit us to develop comparable projections of future climate effects on streamflow.