Theory 43/Desert & Dryland/Oases
Oases Need Flow
The claim
Oasis persistence requires groundwater flow above a threshold, set by the ratio of recharge to evaporation from the water table.
01Mechanism
A discharge feature exists only while flow exceeds evaporative loss; below it, the water table falls and the oasis disappears.
02Prediction
Persistence should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Persistence tracking water level would remove the flow term.