Infrared heater warming system markedly reduces dew formation: An
overlooked factor in warming experiments
Abstract
Dew plays a crucial role in ecosystem processes in arid and semiarid
regions, and is expected to be affected by climate warming. However, how
warming simulation affects dew formation has been long ignored and
rarely addressed. We measured dew amount and duration and plant traits
related to dew condensation from 2012 to 2017 in a long-term infrared
warming experiment in an alpine grassland of Tibetan Plateau. The
results showed that (1) warming reduced the dew amount by 42%-91% and
reduced dew duration by 32 days compared to the ambient condition. (2)
Plant functional groups differed in dew formation. (3) Under the warming
treatment, the dew amount decreased with plant height; while under the
ambient conditions, the dew amount showed the opposite trend. Warming
using an infrared heater system greatly reduces dew formation, which if
overlooked, could lead to overestimation of climate warming impacts on
ecosystem processes.