Driver Of Evapotranspiration Research Articles

Irrigation rates and turfgrass evapotranspiration in cities with contrasting water availability

AbstractAs water scarcity is worsened by drought and climate change, there is more interest in efficient management of urban irrigation, requiring understanding of the drivers of evapotranspiration (ET) and the role of irrigation inputs. We developed and validated a method to accurately measure ET of turfgrass lawns in contrasting climates using portable static chambers. We made in situ measurements of ET and irrigation inputs in lawns across three metropolitan areas in the United States with varying climatic conditions, water availability, and water conservation policies: Salt Lake Valley, Utah; San Fernando Valley, California; and Tallahassee, Florida. In full sun, mean daily ET estimates (ETsun) were 0.7 ± 0.4 mm day−1 in Tallahassee, 1.6 ± 0.8 mm day−1 in Los Angeles, and 3.3 ± 1.1 mm day−1 in Salt Lake Valley. In the shade, daily ET estimates (ETshade) were two to three times lower. In all three regions, ET was primarily driven by solar radiation (I0) and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (D). Across the cities, irrigation rates were a key driver of ET, along with I0 and D. Daily irrigation ranged from 0 mm day−1 in Tallahassee (most were unirrigated) to 1.9 ± 1.2 mm day−1 in Los Angeles and 5.1 ± 2.9 mm day−1 in Salt Lake Valley. ET increased linearly with irrigation up to ~3 mm day−1, after which ET remained relatively constant despite irrigation increases. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for nonlinear responses and shading effects on ET in developing accurate irrigation recommendations.

Net Radiation Drives Evapotranspiration Dynamics in a Bottomland Hardwood Forest in the Southeastern United States: Insights from Multi-Modeling Approaches

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a major component of the water budget in Bottomland Hardwood Forests (BHFs) and is driven by a complex intertwined suite of meteorological variables. The understanding of these interdependencies leading to seasonal variations in ET is crucial in better informing water resource management in the region. We used structural equation modeling and AIC modeling to analyze drivers of ET using Eddy covariance water flux data collected from a BHF located in the Russel Sage Wildlife Management Area (RSWMA). It consists of mature closed-canopy deciduous hardwood trees with an average canopy height of 27 m. A factor analysis was used to characterize the shared variance among drivers, and a path analysis was used to quantify the independent contributions of individual drivers. In our results, ET and net radiation (Rn) showed similar variability patterns with Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) and temperature in the spring, summer, and autumn seasons, while they differed in the winter season. The path analysis showed that Rn has the strongest influence on ET variations via direct and indirect pathways. In deciduous forests like BHFs, our results suggest that ET is more energy dependent during the growing season (spring and summer) and early non-growing season (autumn) and more temperature dependent during the winter season.

Enhanced evapotranspiration induced by vegetation restoration may pose water resource risks under climate change in the Yellow River Basin

Quantifying the impacts of climate change, vegetation greening and human activities (CVH) on evapotranspiration (ET), surface drought intensity (ET divided by precipitation, SDI), and vegetation available water (precipitation minus ET, VAW) would improve our understanding of water cycle processes. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is a significant climate-sensitive region in China, resulting in an obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity of ET, SDI, and VAW in response to driving variables. In this study, we analysed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of ET, SDI, and VAW in the YRB from 1984 to 2018. We also quantified the direct and indirect contributions of the CVH to the changes in ET, SDI, and VAW, and revealed the influence mechanism of each link. Finally, water resource risks were assessed from a probabilistic perspective. The results indicated that vegetation greening was the primary driver of ET with an increase rate of 1.60 mm/a, which was also the most important influencing factor of SDI increase and VAW decrease. Leaf area index (LAI) and relative humidity (RH) jointly dominated the ET changes in 66 % of the YRB, temperature (Temp) dominated the SDI changes in nearly half of the basin, precipitation (Pre) and LAI jointly dominated the VAW changes in 66 % of the YRB. Temp indirectly influenced ET primarily through LAI, whereas LAI primarily influenced ET directly. Temp had a significant direct impact on SDI, while LAI mainly influenced SDI through RH and wind speed (WS). Temp exhibited the most substantial negative influence on VAW. LAI was identified as the primary factor contributing to water resource risks, with a probability reaching 0.8, while the probabilities associated with other factors inducing such risks were similar at the basin level, but disparities existed among different land use types. The findings of the study significantly enhanced our understanding of the role that the CVH played in hydrological processes, serving as a crucial foundation for achieving a balance between ecological restoration and socio-economic development in the YRB.

Impacts of heat and drought on the dynamics of water fluxes in a temperate deciduous forest from 2012 to 2020

Temperate deciduous forests play a significant role in the regional and global water cycles. However, climate change and associated extreme weather events are affecting the growth, water use, and survival of these forests. This study examined nine years of water flux measurements made using the eddy covariance (EC) technique in a temperate deciduous forest in eastern North America from 2012 to 2020 and assessed the impacts of heat and drought events on forest evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE). Study results showed that the highest annual evapotranspiration (ET) of 521 mm yr−1 was observed in 2020, while the lowest annual ET of 359 mm yr−1 was recorded in 2014. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, lmg = 0.33) and air temperature (Tair, lmg = 0.33) were the primary drivers of ET, while vapor pressure deficit (VPD, lmg = 0.41) was the primary regulator of WUE. Over the nine-year study period, observed mean annual ET and precipitation (P) values were 367 ± 40 mm yr−1 and 1148 ± 262 mm yr−1, respectively, while mean annual P-ET value was 729 ± 272 mm yr−1. Annual ET accounted for 38% of P over the study period. Mean growing season WUE, which is an indicator of water utilization by the forest for growth and carbon assimilation, was 3.8 ± 0.4 g C Kg H2O−1, with the highest WUE of 4.4 g C Kg H2O−1 observed in 2014 (cool year), and the lowest values of 3.0 and 3.1 g C Kg H2O−1observed in 2012 (hot-dry year) and 2020 (dry year), respectively. We found an increasing trend in WUE values from 2012 to 2014 and then a decreasing trend from 2015 to 2020, when every year experienced extreme weather conditions (e.g. hot, dry or hot-dry), except 2019. This long-term flux observation study will help to enhance our understanding of water exchanges and water use in temperate deciduous forests in Eastern North America and develop strategies for managing forest water resources and ensuring water security in the region in changing climate.

Patterns and drivers of evapotranspiration in South American wetlands

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key process linking surface and atmospheric energy budgets, yet its drivers and patterns across wetlandscapes are poorly understood worldwide. Here we assess the ET dynamics in 12 wetland complexes across South America, revealing major differences under temperate, tropical, and equatorial climates. While net radiation is a dominant driver of ET seasonality in most environments, flooding also contributes strongly to ET in tropical and equatorial wetlands, especially in meeting the evaporative demand. Moreover, significant water losses through wetlands and ET differences between wetlands and uplands occur in temperate, more water-limited environments and in highly flooded areas such as the Pantanal, where slow river flood propagation drives the ET dynamics. Finally, floodplain forests produce the greatest ET in all environments except the Amazon River floodplains, where upland forests sustain high rates year round. Our findings highlight the unique hydrological functioning and ecosystem services provided by wetlands on a continental scale.

Extended growing seasons and decreases in hydrologic connectivity indicate increasing water stress in humid, temperate forests

Forested headwater catchments are important sources of stable and abundant freshwater resources. Interactions between vegetation and topography influence lateral hydrologic connectivity by altering shallow subsurface flow paths. This in turn influences vegetation density along those paths, and subsequent hydrologic partitioning between localized water use and subsurface flows at catchment scales. Climate change impacts on forests, and the degree to which they reshape feedbacks between evapotranspiration (ET) and hydrologic connectivity, remain unclear. To clarify the extent and drivers of changing lateral hydrologic connectivity, we assessed relative changes in upslope to downslope vegetation density using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from 1984 – 2021 in 30,044 forested catchments across the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Increasing upslope NDVI relative to downslope NDVI was used as a proxy for decreasing lateral hydrologic connectivity. We then related changes in connectivity to climate and streamflow dynamics across 28 sub-regional reference watersheds. We found decreases in the ratio of downslope to upslope NDVI in almost half of the catchments (48.5%), primarily due to increasing upslope NDVI. This indicates increasing ET upslope and a decline in lateral hydrologic subsidy to downslope given precipitation. This was also supported by faster streamflow recession and increasing ET estimates relative to precipitation in over half of reference watersheds. The strongest predictor of decreasing connectivity was growing season minimum temperature (Tmin), which increased in 88% of catchments (Mean R2 = 0.27 +/- 0.13). While Tmin is not a dominant atmospheric driver of ET, this pattern has been closely linked to lengthened growing seasons. This suggests that alteration of lateral hydrologic connectivity is mainly driven by ecophysiological responses to changing climate rather than directly by atmospheric drivers. Our results emphasize the importance of vegetation dynamics shifting hydrologic partitioning and driving water limitations even in humid, temperate forests.

Mapping long-term spatial impact of ENSO on hydroclimatic variables in China

Understanding the impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on hydroclimatic variables is critical to early warning of ENSO-induced disasters. However, most studies employed the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTa) index of the Niño 3.4 region (hereinafter called Niño 3.4 SSTa) to assess its impact on those variables, while ignoring that of other Niño regions. This study aims to assess the long-term spatial impact of Niño 1 + 2 SSTa index on hydroclimatic variables in China. After removing seasonality, we found that the correlation between standardized surface pressure (SP)/ temperature (T)/ evapotranspiration (ET)/ terrestrial water storage (TWS) and Niño 1 + 2 SSTa was significantly better than that without removing seasonality. Niño 1 + 2 SSTa was also demonstrated to have a substantial impact on standardized precipitation index (SPI) in China, particularly during drought period. Notably, precipitation is a key driver of ET in response to Niño 1 + 2 SSTa in the time span. In addition, compared to that of Niño 3.4 SSTa, the hydroclimatic variables in response to Niño 1 + 2 SSTa are able to capture the basic geographical characteristics of China. In particular, the spatial configuration of China's terrain (TWS trend) is largely depicted by the spatial pattern of correlation coefficient between Niño 1 + 2 SSTa and SP (TWS), respectively. The above findings indicate that the spatial pattern of the long-term variations of hydroclimatic variables in China can potentially be monitored by SSTa in the Niño 1 + 2 region.

Variations and drivers of evapotranspiration in the Tibetan Plateau during 1982–2015

Study regionThe Tibetan Plateau Study focusEvapotranspiration (ET) plays a critical role in the water balance, energy budget, and carbon cycle. However, the variations, trends, and controls of ET on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are poorly understood because of uncertainties in ET estimates and sparse observations. In this study, the variations in ET and its components and their drivers and controls in the TP were analyzed at seasonal and annual scales during 1982–2015. New hydrological insights for the regionSpatially, the multiyear mean annual ET decreased from the southeastern to northwestern TP. Canopy transpiration (Ec) was the main component of ET (52.7%), followed by soil evaporation (Es) (34.4%) and interception (Ei) (10.7%). Regionally, the averaged ET and its components increased significantly at the seasonal and annual scales. Spatially, the controlling factor for ET changed from water to energy as the climatic zones transferred from aridity to humidity. The annual ET was controlled by soil moisture (SM) in arid and semi-arid zones, whereas Ta was the dominant factor in the other regions. The increased annual Es and Ei were primarily caused by SM, while the annual Ec was determined by Ta. In addition, NDVI played a certain role in regulating the annual Ec and Ei variations. This study improves our understanding of hydrological processes and water resource management under global climate change.

Evapotranspiration responses to CO2 and its driving mechanisms in four ecosystems based on CMIP6 simulations: Forest, shrub, farm and grass

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential process of the water cycle through which water is transferred from terrestrial ecosystems to atmosphere. However, in the climate context of increasing CO2 concentration (also called as a CO2-enriched climate), the variation of ET and its main drivers among different ecosystems remain unclear. This study analyzed the output data of the CMCC ESM2 model with a ridge regression method, and proposed the trends and drivers of ET in different ecosystems in a CO2-enriched climate. In particular, the temporal - spatial characteristics of ET and its primary drivers for different periods and wetness levels were revealed. With the rising of CO2 concentration, the atmospheric evapotranspiration demand increases, and the vegetation grows more luxuriantly. ET shows an overall upward trend, especially in the shrub ecosystems (7.41 mm decade−1). Our results show that the thermal conditions are the main driving factors for humid forest and shrub ecosystems whereas relative humidity (RH) is the main driving factor for arid farm and grass ecosystems. In terms of the average contribution in all periods, surface solar radiation contributes 26% and 41% to ET variation in forest and shrub ecosystems, and RH contributes 49% and 32% to ET variation in farm and grass ecosystems, respectively. Notably, with the increase of wetness levels, the contribution of water conditions on ET becomes smaller, while that of thermal conditions becomes larger. Correlation analysis shows that LAI impacts on ET are regulated by environmental factors, which reflects the complexity of ET change mechanism. Overall, these findings further provide a reference for rational planning of ecosystems and efficient utilization of water resources.

Increasing Tibetan Plateau terrestrial evapotranspiration primarily driven by precipitation

While terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a key role in modulating water storage change in the Asian Water Tower, the magnitude, trend, and drivers of ET remain poorly understood in this region due partially to sparse ground measurements. This study used a water-carbon coupled biophysical model, Penman-Monteith-Leuning Version 2 (PML_V2), to characterize the variations in ET across TP during 1982–2016 and its drivers. Model parameters of PML_V2 were calibrated against ground-observed data from 14 eddy-covariance flux towers. Plot- and basin-scale validations demonstrate that the PML_V2 is robust enough in simulating both magnitude and trend in ET. The 35-year mean annual ET rates decrease from the southeastern to the northwestern TP, leading to a TP-averaged value of 353 ± 24 mm yr−1. Soil evaporation is the main component (64%) of ET, followed by plant transpiration (31%) and canopy evaporation (5%). From 1982 to 2016, TP-averaged ET increased significantly with a rate of 1.87 ± 0.25 mm yr−2 (p < 0.001) due primarily to precipitation enhancement. Spatially, precipitation is the dominant driver that controls ET trend over most parts of TP except certain regions in the southeastern and eastern TP, where net radiation and temperature do so instead, respectively. This is because 68% of the TP area is dryland with the aridity index < 0.65. While LAI appears less important than climate factors over much of TP, its relative contribution to ET trend exceeds 20% in many parts of eastern TP, indicating that vegetation change played a nonnegligible role in regulating annual ET variations over certain regions where LAI varied substantially. Our results are of vital importance for facilitating the understanding of hydrological processes over the Asian Water Tower.

Will Anthropogenic Warming Increase Evapotranspiration? Examining Irrigation Water Demand Implications of Climate Change in California

AbstractClimate modeling studies and observations do not fully agree on the implications of anthropogenic warming for evapotranspiration (ET), a major component of the water cycle and driver of irrigation water demand. Here, we use California as a testbed to assess the ET impacts of changing atmospheric conditions induced by climate change on irrigated systems. Our analysis of irrigated agricultural and urban regions shows that warmer atmospheric temperatures have minimal implications for ET rates and irrigation water demands—about one percent change per degree Celsius warming (∼1% °C−1). By explicitly modeling irrigation, we control for the confounding effect of climate‐driven soil moisture changes and directly estimate water demand implications. Our attribution analysis of the drivers of ET response to global anthropogenic warming shows that as the atmospheric temperature and vapor pressure deficit depart from the ideal conditions for transpiration, regulation of stomata resistance by stressed vegetation almost completely offsets the expected increase in ET rates that would otherwise result from abiotic processes alone. We further show that anthropogenic warming of the atmosphere has minimal implications for mean relative humidity (&lt;1.7% °C−1) and the surface available energy (&lt;0.2% °C−1), which are critical drivers of ET. This study corroborates the growing evidence that plant physiological changes moderate the degree to which changes in potential ET are realized as actual ET.

Evapotranspiration Changes over the European Alps: Consistency of Trends and Their Drivers between the MOD16 and SSEBop Algorithms

In the Alps, understanding how climate change is affecting evapotranspiration (ET) is relevant due to possible implications on water availability for large lowland areas of Europe. Here, changes in ET were studied based on 20 years of MODIS data. MOD16 and operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) products were compared with eddy-covariance data and analyzed for trend detection. The two products showed a similar relationship with ground observations, with RMSE between 0.69 and 2 mm day−1, and a correlation coefficient between 0.6 and 0.83. A regression with the potential drivers of ET showed that, for climate variables, ground data were coherent with MOD16 at grassland sites, where r2 was 0.12 for potential ET, 0.17 for precipitation, and 0.57 for air temperature, whereas ground data agreed with SSEBop at forest sites, with an r2 of 0.46 for precipitation, no correlation with temperature, and negative correlation with potential ET. Interestingly, ground-based correlation corresponded to SSEBop for leaf area index (LAI), while it matched with MOD16 for land surface temperature (LST). Through the trend analysis, both MOD16 and SSEBop revealed positive trends in the south-west, and negative trends in the south and north-east. Moreover, in summer, positive trends prevailed at high elevations for grasslands and forests, while negative trends dominated at low elevations for croplands and grasslands. However, the Alpine area share with positive ET trends was 16.6% for MOD16 and 3.9% for SSEBop, while the share with negative trends was 1.2% for MOD16 and 15.3% for SSEBop. A regression between trends in ET and in climate variables, LST, and LAI indicated consistency, especially between ET, temperature, and LAI increase, but low correlation. Overall, the discrepancies in the trends, and the fact that none of the two products outperformed the other when compared to ground data, suggest that, in the Alps, SSEBop and MOD16 might not be accurate enough to be a robust basis to study ET changes.

Effects of land-use change and drought on decadal evapotranspiration and water balance of natural and managed forested wetlands along the southeastern US lower coastal plain

Forested wetlands are important in regulating regional hydrology and climate. However, long-term studies on the hydrologic impacts of converting natural forested wetlands to pine plantations are rare for the southern US. From 2005-2018, we quantified water cycling in two post-harvest and newly-planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations (YP2–7, 2–7 yrs old; YP2–8, 2–8 yrs old), a rotation-age loblolly pine plantation (MP, 15–28 yrs old), and a natural bottomland hardwood forest (BHF, > 100 yrs old) along the lower coastal plain of North Carolina. We quantified the differences in inter-annual and seasonal water balance and trends of evapotranspiration (ET) using eddy covariance over 37 site-years and assessed key climatic and biological drivers of ET. We found that the rotation-age plantation (MP) had higher annual ET (933 ± 63 mm) than the younger plantations (776 ± 74 mm for YP2–7 and 638 ± 190 mm for YP2–8), and the BHF (743 ± 172 mm), owing to differences in stand age, canopy cover, and micrometeorology. Chronosequence analysis of the pine sites showed that ET increased with stand age up to 10 years, then gradually stabilized for the remainder of the rotation of 28 – 30 years. YP2–8 was sensitive to water availability, decreasing ET by 30 – 43 % during the extreme 2007 – 2008 drought, but reductions in ET at MP were only 8 – 11 %. Comparing to BHF, ditching with management enhanced drainage at YP2–7 and YP2–8, while drainage was lower at the mature pine site. This study provides insight into land use-hydrology-climate interactions that have important implications for forested wetland management in a time of rapidly changing environmental conditions of the LCP of the southern US.

Stomatal response to decreased relative humidity constrains the acceleration of terrestrial evapotranspiration

Terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) is thermodynamically expected to increase with increasing atmospheric temperature; however, the actual constraints on the intensification of ET remain uncertain due to a lack of direct observations. Based on the FLUXNET2015 Dataset, we found that relative humidity (RH) is a more important driver of ET than temperature. While actual ET decrease at reduced RH, potential ET increases, consistently with the complementary relationship (CR) framework stating that the fraction of energy not used for actual ET is dissipated as increased sensible heat flux that in turn increases potential ET. In this study, we proposed an improved CR formulation requiring no parameter calibration and assessed its reliability in estimating ET both at site-level with the FLUXNET2015 Dataset and at basin-level. Using the ERA-Interim meteorological dataset for 1979–2017 to calculate ET, we found that the global terrestrial ET showed an increasing trend until 1998, while the trend started to decline afterwards. Such decline was largely associated with a reduced RH, inducing water stress conditions that triggered stomatal closure to conserve water. For the first time, this study quantified the global-scale implications of changes in RH on terrestrial ET, indicating that the temperature-driven acceleration of the terrestrial water cycle will be likely constrained by terrestrial vegetation feedbacks.

Patch scale evapotranspiration of wetland plant species by ground-based infrared thermometry

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is essential to calculate the wetland water balance. However, wetlands are often composed of patches of different species of vegetation, raising the question whether different species will have different ET rates. Standard field-based meteorological methods to estimate ET, e.g., Priestley-Taylor (P-T), are sensitive to changes in climate drivers of ET but not to spatial variations in vegetation. To investigate whether ET is sensitive to vegetation type, we used thermal infrared (TIR) temperature-based surface energy balance (SEB) and Bowen ratio (β) ET estimation methods in four wetlands in northern New York State. The four wetlands had different plant communities including hardstem bulrush (Scirpus acutus), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), cattail (Typha Spp.) and meadow willow (Salix petiolaris). Across all four sites, the TIR-based methods generally had similar results as P-T methods, with mean absolute difference (MAD) of 17.1–53.0 W m−2 and root mean squared difference (RMSD) of 23.4–62.4 W m−2 across sites. This suggests that ET was not strongly dependent on vegetation type and topography in these northern wetlands. However, different methods showed different sensitivities to atmospheric variables including wind speed and relative humidity, suggesting that under certain conditions TIR-based methods may better represent differences in ET from different vegetation architectures.

Response of ecosystem functioning to environmental variations in an artificial sand-binding vegetation desert in northwestern China.

The establishment of artificial sand-binding vegetation is one of the main means for restoring damaged ecosystems that are impacted by global change. This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of environmental factors on ecosystem function (net ecosystem exchange (NEE), evapotranspiration (ET), and water use efficiency (WUE)) in an artificial sand-binding vegetation desert (with dominant shrubs, such as Artemisia ordosica and Caragana korshinskii, and herbaceous plants) in northwestern China. NEE, ET, and meteorological data were observed with the eddy covariance (EC) technique. The random forest (RF) method was used to identify major environmental factors that affected NEE, ET, and WUE. Our results showed that the mean annual NEE, ET, and WUE values were - 112.4g C m-2, 232.1mm, and 0.49g C kg-1 H2O, respectively, during the 2015 to 2018 growing seasons. At the weekly scale, the most important drivers of NEE were the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil water content (SWC). Rainfall, SWC, and NDVI were important drivers of ET. WUE was mainly controlled by rainfall and SWC. Linear regression showed that NEE had significant negative relationships with the NDVI and SWC. ET had positive relationships with rainfall, SWC, and the NDVI. WUE had significant negative relationships with SWC and rainfall. These findings indicate that drought inhibited ET more than carbon absorption, thus promoting the WUE of the ecosystem to some extent. The close relation of the ecosystem function to SWC implies that this ecosystem may be critically regulated by future climate change (specifically, changes in rainfall patterns).

Three methods of estimating the power of maximum temperature in TM–ET estimation equation

The use of FAO56-PM is still the preferred method for the estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) regardless of locations. But in places where data that satisfy all the meteorological variables of PM equation are non-existent or missing, the use of either temperature or radiation-based methods is the alternative option, since both radiation and temperature are the main drivers of ET. From the latter two, temperature-based ET estimation methods are still the simplest ones to use. However, there are challenges since some of the parameters used in the temperature-based equations are location dependent. Such location dependence is due to variability in terms of latitude, altitude and other geo-location parameters. Therefore, local calibration of temperature-based methods is necessary to get better estimates of ET. In this study, one temperature-based ET estimation method known as Temesgen–Melesse’s (TM) method was assessed in relation to the PM equation using data of ten Class I meteorological stations in Ethiopia. In the study, three different techniques were tested to find location-dependent maximum temperature power (‘n’) used in TM equation (i.e., to calibrate the method). The first two techniques involve calibration using PM data. In the first case, monthly averaged data that span from 1 to 5 years were used (as five data sets of 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months). In the second case, daily values that span from 10 to 30 days were used in three groups of 10-, 20-, and 30-day data sets. In the third technique, an attempt was made to estimate ‘n’ from the location latitude, altitude and average of the monthly averaged maximum temperature (Tmx). The results obtained from each technique are given as follows. Calibration from the monthly averaged data gave good ‘n’ values for all the stations with R2 values ranging from 0.80 to 0.92. There were no differences in the number of data points (12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months) used, which means data points of 12 months are sufficient for the calibration. Calibration using the daily data gave satisfactory ‘n’ results for all the stations tested, though the statistical parameters and performance tests did not give results that are comparable to the monthly averaged values. The results were nearly the same for 10-, 20-, or 20-day data points, which means any one of them can be used for calibration purposes. Estimation of ‘n’ from latitude, altitude and Tmx gave results that are comparable to the ones with ‘n’ calibrated. The percent differences between the ‘n’ calibrated using data of 131 months and the ‘n’ values obtained from monthly data and daily data calibrations are less than 0.16% and 0.5%, respectively. The calculated ‘n’ showed a percent difference of less than 1.1%. Using calculated ‘n’ is better than performing calibration using daily data. It can also be considered as option when at least 1-year PM data are not available for calibration.

Evapotranspiration and its Components in the Nile River Basin Based on Long-Term Satellite Assimilation Product

Actual evapotranspiration (ET) and its individual components’ contributions to the water–energy nexus provide insights into our hydrological cycle in a changing climate. Based on long-term satellite ET data assimilated by the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), we analyzed changes in ET and its components over the Nile River Basin from 1980 to 2014. The results show a multi-year mean ET of 518 mm·year–1. The long-term ET trend showed a decline at a rate of 18.8 mm·year–10. ET and its components showed strong seasonality and the ET components’ contribution to total ET varied in space and time. ET and its components decreased in humid regions, which was related to precipitation deficits. ET increases in arid-semiarid regions were due to water availability from crop irrigation fields in the Nile Plain. Precipitation was the dominant limiting driver of ET in the region. Vegetation transpiration (an average of 78.1% of total ET) dominated the basin’s water fluxes, suggesting biological fluxes play a role in the regional water cycle’s response to climate change. This analysis furthers our understanding of the water dynamics in the region and may significantly improve our knowledge of future hydrological modelling.

Drought and thinning have limited impacts on evapotranspiration in a managed pine plantation on the southeastern United States coastal plain

Managed and natural coastal plain forests in the humid southeastern United States exchange large amounts of water and energy with the atmosphere through the evapotranspiration (ET) process. ET plays an important role in controlling regional hydrology, climate, and ecosystem productivity. However, long-term studies on the impacts of forest management and climatic variability on forest ET are rare, and our understanding of both external and internal drivers on seasonal and interannual ET variability is incomplete. Using techniques centered on an eddy covariance method, the present study measured year-round ET flux and associated hydrometeorological variables in a drained loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation on the lower coastal plain of North Carolina, U.S. We found that annual ET was relatively stable (1076 ± 104 mm) in comparison to precipitation (P) (1168 ± 216 mm) during the 10-year study period when the site experienced extreme climate (2007–2008) and forest thinning (2009). At the seasonal time scale, mean ET/P varied between 0.41 and 1.51, with a mean value of 1.12 ± 0.23 and 0.72 ± 0.16 for the growing and dormant seasons, respectively. The extreme drought during 2007–2008 (mean annual P, 854 mm) only resulted in a slight decrease (∼8%) in annual ET owing to the shallow groundwater common to the study area. Although changes in leaf area index and canopy structure were large after the stand was 50% thinned in the fall of 2009, mean annual ET was similar and averaged 1055 mm and 1104 mm before (2005, 2006 and 2009) and after (2010–2015) thinning, respectively. Data suggested that annual ET recovered within two years of the thinning as a result of rapid canopy closure and growth of understory. Further analysis indicated that available energy was the key driver of ET: approximately 69% and 61% of the monthly variations in ET were explained by net radiation during the dormant and growing seasons, respectively. Overall, we concluded that drought and forest thinning had limited impacts on seasonal and annual ET in this energy limited forest ecosystem with shallow groundwater. The results from this study help to better understand regional ecohydrological processes and projecting potential effects of forest management and extreme climate on water and carbon cycles.

Exploring evapotranspiration dynamics over Sub-Sahara Africa (2000-2014).

Monitoring changes in evapotranspiration (ET) is useful in the management of water resources in irrigated agricultural landscapes and in the assessment of crop stress and vegetation conditions of drought-vulnerable regions. Information on the impacts of climate variability on ET dynamics is profitable in developing water management adaptation strategies. Such impacts, however, are generally unreported and not conclusively determined in some regions. In this study, changes in MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)-derived ET (2000-2014) over large proportions of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) are explored. The multivariate analyses of ET over SSA showed that four leading modes of observed dynamics in ET, accounting for about 90% of the total variability, emanated mostly from some sections of the Sudano-Sahel and Congo basin. Based on Man-Kendall's statistics, significant positive trends (α = 0.05) in ET over the Central African Republic and most parts of the Sahel region were observed. Over much of the Congo basin nonetheless, ET showed significant (α = 0.05) distributions of widespread negative trends. These trends in ET were rather found to be consistent with observed changes in model soil moisture but not in all locations, perhaps due to inconsistent trends in maximum rainfall and land surface temperature. However, the results of spatio-temporal drought analysis confirm that the extensive ET losses in the Congo basin were somewhat induced by soil moisture deficits. Amidst other prominent drivers of ET, the dynamics of ET over the terrestrial ecosystems of SSA appear to be a more complex phenomenon that may transcend natural climate variations.