Dear Researchers,
Is the land use in terms of natural vegetation strongly correlated with climate? yes and No Both arguments exist in literature review. If yes then can we neglect this correlation for small basin, while evaluating land use impact on stream-flow?
Dear Muhammad,
interesting question, but I think you need to be more precise in your inquiry to allow others to help. Do you refer to land use or to land cover, more precisely natural vegetation cover? Anthropogenic or natural? On what scale are you interested in a correlation? On a global scale there certainly is correlation with vegetation type and density, on a small basin scale that is an empirical question one should probably check with local data ... Whether you can neglect it then depends on the type of analysis you actually want to do, the strength of correlation, confounding with there factors, potential effect on variables of interest ... I think you need to tell us more about your problem to be able to help.
Dear Muhammed
Agreed with Dr Christian, natural vegetation cover primarily depends upon various biotic and abiotic factors. Out of abiotic components, climate is one of the major one. Weather condition decides the phenological development and the physiclogical and genetic processes are also governed by the prevailing weather. If we have to understand the growth of vegetation, first term in modelling is GeneticxEnvironment interaction, called potential growth which subsequently is limited by other biotic and abiotic factors. In a small basin, growth analysis has to start with agro-(forest-) climatic analysis. for climatic interaction evaluation. temperature, solar radiation, rainfall are the major climatic elements to be considered. You may come across the terms, growing degree days, net primary productivity for growth primarily driven by climatic conditions, as well the processes getting modified by other biotic and abiotic components
regards
I agree with the other responses in that you need to be more specific with your question. Even in a small basin, microclimates created by topography (varying slope/aspect) can have a dramatic effect on vegetation and in turn on hydrology. This paper demonstrates how topography and vegetation affect solar radiation which in turn can affect moisture availability and hydrology: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007GL031484/full