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Title: Partitioning evapotranspiration using long‐term carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes

Abstract

Abstract The separate components of evapotranspiration (ET) elucidate the pathways and time scales over which water is returned to the atmosphere, but ecosystem‐scale measurements of transpiration ( T ) and evaporation ( E ) remain elusive. We propose a novel determination of E and T using multiyear eddy covariance estimates of ET and gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP). The method is applicable at water‐limited sites over time periods during which a linear regression between GEP (abscissa) and ET (ordinate) yields a positive ET axis intercept, an estimate of E . At four summer‐rainfall semiarid sites, T /ET increases to a peak coincident with maximum GEP and remains elevated as the growing season progresses, consistent with previous, direct measurements. The seasonal course of T /ET is related to increasing leaf area index and declining frequency of rainy days—an index of the wet surface conditions that promote E —suggesting both surface and climatic controls on ET partitioning.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Southwest Watershed Research Center USDA Agricultural Research Service Tucson Arizona USA
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1390369
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Volume: 44 Journal Issue: 13; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Scott, Russell L., and Biederman, Joel A. Partitioning evapotranspiration using long‐term carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/2017GL074324.
Scott, Russell L., & Biederman, Joel A. Partitioning evapotranspiration using long‐term carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074324
Scott, Russell L., and Biederman, Joel A. 2017. "Partitioning evapotranspiration using long‐term carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074324.
@article{osti_1390369,
title = {Partitioning evapotranspiration using long‐term carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes},
author = {Scott, Russell L. and Biederman, Joel A.},
abstractNote = {Abstract The separate components of evapotranspiration (ET) elucidate the pathways and time scales over which water is returned to the atmosphere, but ecosystem‐scale measurements of transpiration ( T ) and evaporation ( E ) remain elusive. We propose a novel determination of E and T using multiyear eddy covariance estimates of ET and gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP). The method is applicable at water‐limited sites over time periods during which a linear regression between GEP (abscissa) and ET (ordinate) yields a positive ET axis intercept, an estimate of E . At four summer‐rainfall semiarid sites, T /ET increases to a peak coincident with maximum GEP and remains elevated as the growing season progresses, consistent with previous, direct measurements. The seasonal course of T /ET is related to increasing leaf area index and declining frequency of rainy days—an index of the wet surface conditions that promote E —suggesting both surface and climatic controls on ET partitioning.},
doi = {10.1002/2017GL074324},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1390369}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
issn = {0094-8276},
number = 13,
volume = 44,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record at https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074324

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 85 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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