Sensitivity of dryland vegetation patterns to storm characteristics

Ecohydrological phenomena are o ften multiscale in nature, with behavioTur that emerges from the interaction of tightly coupled systems having characteristic timescales that differ by orders of magnitude. Models address these differences using timescale separation methods, where each system is held in psuedo-steady state while the other evolves. When the computational demands of solving the 'fast' system are large, this strategy can become numerically intractable. Here, we use emulation modelling to accelerate the simulation of a computationally intensive 'fast' system: overland flow. We focus on dryland ecosystems in which storms generate overland flow, on timescales of 10(1 - 2) s. In these ecosystems, overland flow delivers crucial water inputs to vegetation, which grows and disperses 'slowly', on timescales of 10(7 - 9) s. Emulation allows for a physically realistic treatment of flow, advancing on phenomenological descriptions used in previous studies. Resolving the within-storm processes reveals novel dynamics, including new transition pathways from patchy vegetation to desertification, that are specifically controlled by storm processes.

Automated summary

Ecohydrological phenomena are often multiscale in nature, requiring models to address differences in timescales using separation methods. Emulation modelling accelerates simulation of computationally intensive systems, allowing for new insights into dynamics and transition pathways.