Theory 38/Desert & Dryland/Productivity pulses
Pulses Follow Event Size
The claim
Dryland productivity pulses occur above a threshold in rain event size relative to infiltration capacity, so many small events add nothing.
01Mechanism
Small events evaporate before reaching roots; the event must exceed the soil's uptake capacity to contribute.
02Prediction
Pulses should track event size relative to capacity.
03Refutation
Productivity tracking total rainfall would remove the size threshold.