Experiments in the Chihuahuan Desert: Irrigating the desert

Irrigating the desert

The irrigation system consists of 1000 m of PVC piping, ball valves and sprinklers.

We drive a water truck to the exclosures after it rains to add 50% and 80% water to the target plots.

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About this experiment

Our manipulative experiment is located at the Jornada Basin LTER research site in the Northern Chuahuan desert, New Mexico. Since October 2006, we've been controling nitrogen (N) soil availability (ambient N and increased N) and incoming precipitation ranging from -80% to +80% of controls (five levels of precipitation) using a combination of passive rainout shelters and irrigation.

Osvaldo E. Sala

Professor of Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Director, Environmental Change Initiative Director, Center for Environmental Studies

Osvaldo_Sala@Brown.edu

Debra Peters

Lead Principal Investigator, Jornada Basin LTER- USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range P.O. Box 30003, MSC 3JER New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003-0003 http://usda-ars.nmsu.edu/peters/index.htm debpeter@nmsu.edu

Exclosures used in this experiment

We have 10 treatments with 12 reps each in three blocks.

Map of the plots in block 2

Example of the plot distribution within one block. This is a full replicated block desing with 3 blocks.

Driving the water truck.

Useful Links

Brown University
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown
Environmental Change Initiative
Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research