Great pioneering start Alpha! Here are a few thoughts: Rename to Vegetation-Driven Precipitation and Vegetation-Driven Water Cycle. This is more precise and scientific, avoiding the "green" metaphor, which can be vague. Ensure each definition clearly states the primary driver (vegetation, soil, groundwater, surface interaction). Recommend groundwater rather than aquifer-driven. I think of aquifers as deeper than groundwater at least on the east coast.
Emphasize the scale of each cycle (local, watershed, regional).
Where applicable, link terms: For example, "Groundwater-Derived Precipitation" directly contributes to the "Groundwater-Atmosphere Exchange Cycle."
I like vegetation-driven water cycle. Its powerful and clear. Its a little long, but maybe we can live with that. Aquifer is the body of rock. Groundwater is the water in the aquifer. Did you mean groundwater derived or groundwater driven?
Alpha, I'm curious if you've seen anyone discuss ideas for making local precipitation recycling observable? We have so many anecdotal stories in the regen ag community about regenerated landscapes drawing in the rain. I think it would be powerful to shed light on those processes somehow... if at all possible.
I also think we need a term for precipitation that does not fall as rain ie mist and dew as this is very relevant in all hydrological regions , soft rain was suggested by AI or the soft water cycle as an examination of daily flux in available water. Thanks for the article.
A good dew or fog helps keep so much of the secondary organisms and microbes alive and functional between rain events points to its importance. Just as rain will reprecipitate many times as it crosses land masses so will these other forms of moisture dispersal and again will help prime the system to be more accommodating of the next rain event.
I can add as a Forester that mist and dew are very important for mediterranean vegetation ecosystems in Chile. The lack of dew is a the main factor of forest decline near cities, and a mayor trigger of water cycle disruption.
The lost water cycle may also be an important indicator toward the potential of the small water cycle within regions, ie how vegetation pattern changes and soil, or aquifer disturbances are affecting this small water cycle. It could include water lost through runoff but also rainfall and ground water availability loss.
We still want our rivers to run, so runoff is necessary. Its more that we want to slow the runoff, so it is still flowing into the dry season, rather than all flowing out in the wet season.
I was thinking more in the loss of recycling times due to vegetation and climatic changes or even loss of frequency and amount again due to evapotranspiration loss due to changes in vegetative patterns.
My choice would be to call the Small Water Cycle the Terrestrial Water Cycle . . . . but I also think we spend too much time trying to coin new terminology and not enough time making changes on the ground, where it matters. Take Agriculture: Organic, Permaculture, Regenerative, Sustainable and many others. Sure there are differences between them, but, at the end of the day, what matters is that every piece of disturbed agricultural land is farmed in a way that minimizes damage, optimizes productivity and works towards improving the resources (especially soil) that generated that production.
My pet hate are the diagrams for the large water cycle which, to me, don’t capture the importance of soil for water retention. Because its a small area compared with all the others, the ocean, sky and ground for groundwater are all big areas, its as if its of minor significance.
Given the general public’s exposure is limited to diagrams like this, centring the diagram on the interactions around the soil and vegetation, emphasising the sub-systems you’ve named, would do most to affect public perception.
Hi Mike, If the stress pheromones and precipitation nuclei are the main cloud seeding nuclei in many areas and rain creation through evapotranspiration creates the tipping point then in many cases soil is the main focus. Add to this the notion that a good dew or fog helps keep so much of the secondary organisms and microbes alive and functional between rain events again points to its importance. Just as rain will reprecipitate many times as it crosses land masses so will these other forms of moisture dispersal and again will help prime the system to be more accommodating of the next rain event.
I've been involved with "zero waste", one concept is the " circular economy", which unfortunately has a (literally) superficial connotation.
Considerations of soil health led me toward the concept of a "spherical economy", though strictly speaking I'd only delineated a " spherical" economy. Reading more and more about "local atmospheric" water cycling finally brings one to the sphere.
Btw in the original "economy" meant "household management".
Great pioneering start Alpha! Here are a few thoughts: Rename to Vegetation-Driven Precipitation and Vegetation-Driven Water Cycle. This is more precise and scientific, avoiding the "green" metaphor, which can be vague. Ensure each definition clearly states the primary driver (vegetation, soil, groundwater, surface interaction). Recommend groundwater rather than aquifer-driven. I think of aquifers as deeper than groundwater at least on the east coast.
Emphasize the scale of each cycle (local, watershed, regional).
Where applicable, link terms: For example, "Groundwater-Derived Precipitation" directly contributes to the "Groundwater-Atmosphere Exchange Cycle."
I like vegetation-driven water cycle. Its powerful and clear. Its a little long, but maybe we can live with that. Aquifer is the body of rock. Groundwater is the water in the aquifer. Did you mean groundwater derived or groundwater driven?
Groundwater-Driven and similarly Soil-Driven and Surface-Driven for dew/frost.
Alpha, I'm curious if you've seen anyone discuss ideas for making local precipitation recycling observable? We have so many anecdotal stories in the regen ag community about regenerated landscapes drawing in the rain. I think it would be powerful to shed light on those processes somehow... if at all possible.
Yeah you can track the water isotopes which tell you if the water is recycled . See my essay on water isotopes https://climatewaterproject.substack.com/p/measuring-the-small-water-cycle-the
I also think we need a term for precipitation that does not fall as rain ie mist and dew as this is very relevant in all hydrological regions , soft rain was suggested by AI or the soft water cycle as an examination of daily flux in available water. Thanks for the article.
yeah we kind of need a name for the dew water cycle. Precipitation means rain, snow or hail.
A good dew or fog helps keep so much of the secondary organisms and microbes alive and functional between rain events points to its importance. Just as rain will reprecipitate many times as it crosses land masses so will these other forms of moisture dispersal and again will help prime the system to be more accommodating of the next rain event.
yes dew and fog are very important. They dont get enough attention
I can add as a Forester that mist and dew are very important for mediterranean vegetation ecosystems in Chile. The lack of dew is a the main factor of forest decline near cities, and a mayor trigger of water cycle disruption.
We have also a very a special relict forest. It remain in part of the desert from last glacier period supported by a special condition of mist that happens in the see shore. https://www.conaf.cl/parque_nacionales/parque-nacional-bosque-fray-jorge/
the micro water cycle, Atmosphere-Surface Moisture Exchange (Diurnal), surface-driven cycle, surface humidity cycle?
Haven’t we a word for moisture that is not rain, e.g. impaction?
I’m a new follower. Are you familiar with the concepts of “virtual water plants” and “slow water”?
yeah those are important terms... I wrote an article on slow water https://climatewaterproject.substack.com/p/slow-water . Also see my interview with Erica Gies. Maybe I will do an article on virtual water too.
The lost water cycle may also be an important indicator toward the potential of the small water cycle within regions, ie how vegetation pattern changes and soil, or aquifer disturbances are affecting this small water cycle. It could include water lost through runoff but also rainfall and ground water availability loss.
We still want our rivers to run, so runoff is necessary. Its more that we want to slow the runoff, so it is still flowing into the dry season, rather than all flowing out in the wet season.
I was thinking more in the loss of recycling times due to vegetation and climatic changes or even loss of frequency and amount again due to evapotranspiration loss due to changes in vegetative patterns.
My choice would be to call the Small Water Cycle the Terrestrial Water Cycle . . . . but I also think we spend too much time trying to coin new terminology and not enough time making changes on the ground, where it matters. Take Agriculture: Organic, Permaculture, Regenerative, Sustainable and many others. Sure there are differences between them, but, at the end of the day, what matters is that every piece of disturbed agricultural land is farmed in a way that minimizes damage, optimizes productivity and works towards improving the resources (especially soil) that generated that production.
My pet hate are the diagrams for the large water cycle which, to me, don’t capture the importance of soil for water retention. Because its a small area compared with all the others, the ocean, sky and ground for groundwater are all big areas, its as if its of minor significance.
Given the general public’s exposure is limited to diagrams like this, centring the diagram on the interactions around the soil and vegetation, emphasising the sub-systems you’ve named, would do most to affect public perception.
Hi Mike, If the stress pheromones and precipitation nuclei are the main cloud seeding nuclei in many areas and rain creation through evapotranspiration creates the tipping point then in many cases soil is the main focus. Add to this the notion that a good dew or fog helps keep so much of the secondary organisms and microbes alive and functional between rain events again points to its importance. Just as rain will reprecipitate many times as it crosses land masses so will these other forms of moisture dispersal and again will help prime the system to be more accommodating of the next rain event.
I've been involved with "zero waste", one concept is the " circular economy", which unfortunately has a (literally) superficial connotation.
Considerations of soil health led me toward the concept of a "spherical economy", though strictly speaking I'd only delineated a " spherical" economy. Reading more and more about "local atmospheric" water cycling finally brings one to the sphere.
Btw in the original "economy" meant "household management".