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Title: Spatial and temporal variations in plant water-use efficiency inferred from tree-ring, eddy covariance and atmospheric observations

Abstract

Plant water-use efficiency (WUE), which is the ratio of the uptake of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis to the loss of water through transpiration, is a very useful metric of the functioning of the land biosphere. WUE is expected to increase with atmospheric CO2, but to decline with increasing atmospheric evaporative demand – which can arise from increases in near-surface temperature or decreases in relative humidity. We have used Δ13C measurements from tree rings, along with eddy covariance measurements from Fluxnet sites, to estimate the sensitivities of WUE to changes in CO2 and atmospheric humidity deficit. This enables us to reconstruct fractional changes in WUE, based on changes in atmospheric climate and CO2, for the entire period of the instrumental global climate record. We estimate that overall WUE increased from 1900 to 2010 by 48 ± 22 %, which is more than double that simulated by the latest Earth System Models. This long-term trend is largely driven by increases in CO2, but significant inter-annual variability and regional differences are evident due to variations in temperature and relative humidity. Here, there are several highly populated regions, such as western Europe and East Asia, where the rate of increase of WUE has declined sharplymore » in the last 2 decades. Our data-based analysis indicates increases in WUE that typically exceed those simulated by Earth System Models – implying that these models are either underestimating increases in photosynthesis or underestimating reductions in transpiration.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2]
  1. Utrecht Univ., Utrecht (The Netherlands)
  2. Univ. of Exeter, Exeter (United Kingdom)
  3. Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter (United Kingdom)
  4. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford (United Kingdom)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1313713
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-04ER63917; FG02-04ER63911
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Earth System Dynamics (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 7; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2190-4987
Publisher:
European Geosciences Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Dekker, Stefan C., Groenendijk, Margriet, Booth, Ben B. B., Huntingford, Chris, and Cox, Peter M. Spatial and temporal variations in plant water-use efficiency inferred from tree-ring, eddy covariance and atmospheric observations. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.5194/esd-7-525-2016.
Dekker, Stefan C., Groenendijk, Margriet, Booth, Ben B. B., Huntingford, Chris, & Cox, Peter M. Spatial and temporal variations in plant water-use efficiency inferred from tree-ring, eddy covariance and atmospheric observations. United States. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-7-525-2016
Dekker, Stefan C., Groenendijk, Margriet, Booth, Ben B. B., Huntingford, Chris, and Cox, Peter M. 2016. "Spatial and temporal variations in plant water-use efficiency inferred from tree-ring, eddy covariance and atmospheric observations". United States. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-7-525-2016. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1313713.
@article{osti_1313713,
title = {Spatial and temporal variations in plant water-use efficiency inferred from tree-ring, eddy covariance and atmospheric observations},
author = {Dekker, Stefan C. and Groenendijk, Margriet and Booth, Ben B. B. and Huntingford, Chris and Cox, Peter M.},
abstractNote = {Plant water-use efficiency (WUE), which is the ratio of the uptake of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis to the loss of water through transpiration, is a very useful metric of the functioning of the land biosphere. WUE is expected to increase with atmospheric CO2, but to decline with increasing atmospheric evaporative demand – which can arise from increases in near-surface temperature or decreases in relative humidity. We have used Δ13C measurements from tree rings, along with eddy covariance measurements from Fluxnet sites, to estimate the sensitivities of WUE to changes in CO2 and atmospheric humidity deficit. This enables us to reconstruct fractional changes in WUE, based on changes in atmospheric climate and CO2, for the entire period of the instrumental global climate record. We estimate that overall WUE increased from 1900 to 2010 by 48 ± 22 %, which is more than double that simulated by the latest Earth System Models. This long-term trend is largely driven by increases in CO2, but significant inter-annual variability and regional differences are evident due to variations in temperature and relative humidity. Here, there are several highly populated regions, such as western Europe and East Asia, where the rate of increase of WUE has declined sharply in the last 2 decades. Our data-based analysis indicates increases in WUE that typically exceed those simulated by Earth System Models – implying that these models are either underestimating increases in photosynthesis or underestimating reductions in transpiration.},
doi = {10.5194/esd-7-525-2016},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1313713}, journal = {Earth System Dynamics (Online)},
issn = {2190-4987},
number = 2,
volume = 7,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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Cited by: 42 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Forest‐Type‐Dependent Water Use Efficiency Trends Across the Northern Hemisphere
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Recent increases in terrestrial carbon uptake at little cost to the water cycle
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Disentangling the role of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance on rising forest water-use efficiency
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Coupling between the terrestrial carbon and water cycles—a review
journal, July 2019


Observed and modelled historical trends in the water‐use efficiency of plants and ecosystems
journal, May 2019


How do leaf and ecosystem measures of water-use efficiency compare?
journal, June 2017


Plant carbon metabolism and climate change: elevated CO 2 and temperature impacts on photosynthesis, photorespiration and respiration
journal, July 2018


Historical changes in the stomatal limitation of photosynthesis: empirical support for an optimality principle
journal, December 2019


Gas exchange and water‐use efficiency in plant canopies
journal, December 2018


Constraints to Vegetation Growth Reduced by Region-Specific Changes in Seasonal Climate
journal, February 2019


Interannual and Seasonal Variations in Ecosystem Transpiration and Water Use Efficiency in a Tropical Rainforest
journal, December 2018


Ideas and perspectives: how coupled is the vegetation to the boundary layer?
journal, January 2017


Examining the evidence for decoupling between photosynthesis and transpiration during heat extremes
journal, January 2019


Coupling between the terrestrial carbon and water cycles-a review
text, January 2019


Recent increases in terrestrial carbon uptake at little cost to the water cycle
journal, July 2017


Elevated CO2 Did Not Stimulate Stem Growth in 11 Provenances of a Globally Important Hardwood Plantation Species
journal, June 2020


Interannual and Seasonal Variations in Ecosystem Transpiration and Water Use Efficiency in a Tropical Rainforest
journal, December 2018


Nitrogen leaching from natural ecosystems under global change: a modelling study
journal, March 2017