PhD Graduate
Year Admitted
2017
Year Graduated
2024
Faculty Advisor
Christina Tague
Committee
Samantha Stevenson, Joe McFadden
Dissertation Title & Abstract
Beyond the Drought: Modeling eco-hydrologic dynamics between urban tree resilience and water conservation in a Mediterranean climate
Trees in cities can make communities more resilient to climate change by providing ecosystem services for heat mitigation and stormwater regulation. In Mediterranean climates with dry summers, urban forests and green spaces are often sustained by the addition of irrigation to the urban water cycle. Because climate change is predicted to cause a higher frequency of drought and heat waves in these regions, there is a need to better understand how to balance urban forest maintenance and efficient outdoor water use. This dissertation explores the response of urban trees to drought and water conservation using an eco-hydrologic modeling approach for a multi-year drought in Santa Barbara, California. Changes to tree productivity and water use were estimated under different drought scenarios with varying temperature, irrigation, and neighboring land cover for five common tree species. Tree parameter uncertainty was constrained with high spatial resolution remote sensing data, allowing differentiating effects between species and phenology. It was found that warmer temperatures in a post-drought year can aid in tree productivity and recovery, to an extent. To maintain productivity during drought, trees may require irrigation but show a non-linear response to irrigation reductions. Lastly, a novel hydrologic modeling method was used to examine the influence of neighboring turfgrass irrigation on mature trees, demonstrating that trees likely benefit from indirect adjacent water sources. Overall, this research highlights the potential for urban forests to provide ecosystem services during drought while conserving water.
Education
BS Physics, North Park University