Hydrologic effects of human and climatic stresses in water-limited areas: role of coevolving runoff, vegetation and landforms for adaptive management

半干旱牧场占澳大利亚大陆的70%以上。这些地区已经面临严重的退化问题。观测到的降雨量变化趋势表明，高降雨脉冲和干旱期将加剧，对水文和侵蚀产生严重影响。这些趋势的影响，加上日益增加的人类压力，可能对这些地区造成破坏性的社会经济后果。该项目通过详细研究半干旱牧场的水文和土壤迁移过程，将导致：更好地了解旱地对人为和气候压力的反应;改进这些地区的管理和恢复战略和方法。

Semiarid rangelands cover over 70 per cent of the Australian continent. These areas already face serious degradation problems. Observed trends in rainfall variability indicate that high rainfall pulses and dry periods will intensify, with serious implications for hydrology and erosion. The impact of these trends in addition to increasing human pressures could have devastating socioeconomic consequences for these areas. This project, by examining in detail the hydrologic and soil transport processes in semiarid rangelands, will lead to: better understanding of the dryland response to anthropogenic and climatic stresses; and, improvement of strategies and methods for the management and restoration of these areas.