Vegetation regulation on streamflow intra-annual variability through adaption to climate variations

Ye, Sheng; Li, Hong-Yi; Li, Shuai; Leung, L. Ruby; Demissie, Yonas; Ran, Qihua; Blöschl, Günter

doi:10.1002/2015GL066396

Title: Vegetation regulation on streamflow intra-annual variability through adaption to climate variations

Journal Article · Fri Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066396· OSTI ID:1236925

Ye, Sheng ^[1]; Li, Hong-Yi ^[2]; Li, Shuai ^[3]; Leung, L. Ruby ^[2]; Demissie, Yonas ^[4]; Ran, Qihua ^[5]; Blöschl, Günter ^[6]

Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
China Three Gorges Corp., Yichang (China)
Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China)
Vienna Univ. of Technology, Vienna (Austria)

This study aims to provide a mechanistic explanation of the empirical patterns of streamflow intra-annual variability revealed by watershed-scale hydrological data across the contiguous United States. Here, a mathematical extension of the Budyko formula with explicit account for the soil moisture storage change is used to show that, in catchments with a strong seasonal coupling between precipitation and potential evaporation, climate aridity has a dominant control on intra-annual streamflow variability, but in other catchments, additional factors related to soil water storage change also have important controls on how precipitation seasonality propagates to streamflow. More importantly, use of leaf area index as a direct and indirect indicator of the above ground biomass and plant root system, respectively, reveals the vital role of vegetation in regulating soil moisture storage and hence streamflow intra-annual variability under different climate conditions.

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Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1236925

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1402224

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-113359; KP1703010

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 23; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 41 works

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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Title: Vegetation regulation on streamflow intra-annual variability through adaption to climate variations

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