Abstract Title: Investigating Dew Trends and Drivers Using Ground-Based Meteorological Observations at the Namib Desert

Abstract Submitted to: ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

Abstract Text:

In drylands like the Namib Desert, non-rainfall waters such as fog and dew play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem functions, despite being the least characterized elements of the hydrological cycle. Dew is at the risk of getting scarce under a warming climate but the dew trend in the Namib Desert has not been reported. The purpose of this research is to investigate the trend of dew formation in the Namib Desert using field observations and evaluate the drivers of the observed trend. We calculated dew formation based on the ground-based meteorology data collected from SASSCAL (Southern African Science Service Center for Climate and Adaptive Land Management) from 2015 to 2022 and combined them with limited direct ground observations. We analyzed dew trend at monthly and annual scales. The preliminary results showed a decreasing trend of dew formation. The decreasing dew trends will have important implications for the ecosystems in the Namib Desert. Further studies are needed to identify the casual relationships.