Evaluation of uncalibrated energy balance model (BAITSSS) for estimating evapotranspiration in a semiarid,advective climate

The backward‐averaged iterative two‐source surface temperature and energy balance solution (BAITSSS) model was developed to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) at point to regional scales. The BAITSSS model is driven by micrometeorological data and vegetation indices and simulates the water and energy balance of the soil and canopy sources separately, using the Jarvis model to calculate canopy resistance. The BAITSSS model has undergone limited testing in Idaho, United States. We conducted a blind test of the BAITSSS model without prior calibration for ET against weighing lysimeter measurements, net radiation, and surface temperature of drought‐tolerant corn (Zea mays L. cv. PIO 1151) in a semiarid, advective climate (Bushland, Texas, United States) in 2016. Later in the season (20 days), BAITSSS consistently overestimated ET by up to 3 mm d^?1. For the entire growing season (127 days), simulated versus measured ET resulted in a 7% error in cumulative ET, RMSE = 0.13 mm h^?1, and 1.70 mm d^?1; r² = 0.66 (daily) and r² = 0.84 (hourly); MAE = 0.08 mm h^?1 and 1.24 mm d^?1; and MBE = 0.02 mm h^?1 and 0.58 mm d^?1. The results were comparable with thermally driven instantaneous ET models that required some calibration. Next, the initial soil water boundary condition was reduced, and model revisions were made to resistance terms related to incomplete cover and assumption of canopy senescence. The revisions reduced discrepancies between measured and modelled ET resulting in <1% error in cumulative ET, RMSE = 0.1 mm h^?1, and 1.09 mm d^?1; r² = 0.86 (daily) and r² = 0.90 (hourly); MAE = 0.06 mm h^?1 and 0.79 mm d^?1; and MBE = 0.0 mm h^?1 and 0.17 mm d^?1 and generally mitigated the previous overestimation. The advancement in ET modelling with BAITSSS assists to minimize uncertainties in crop ET modelling in a time series.     

Observations of canopy storage capacity and wet canopy evaporation in a humid boreal forest

Evaporation of intercepted rain by a canopy is an important component of evapotranspiration, particularly in the humid boreal forest, which is subject to frequent precipitation and where conifers have a large surface water storage capacity. Unfortunately, our knowledge of interception processes for this type of environment is limited by the many challenges associated with experimental monitoring of the canopy water balance. The objective of this study is to observe and estimate canopy storage capacity and wet canopy evaporation at the sub-daily and seasonal time scales in a humid boreal forest. This study relies on field-based estimates of rainfall interception and evapotranspiration partitioning at the Montmorency Forest, Québec, Canada (mean annual precipitation: 1600 mm, mean annual evapotranspiration: 550 mm), in two balsam fir-white birch forest stands. Evapotranspiration was monitored using eddy covariance sensors and sap flow systems, whereas rainfall interception was measured using 12 sets of throughfall and six stemflow collectors randomly placed inside six 400-m² plots. Changes in the amount of water stored on the canopy were also directly monitored using the stem compression method. The amount of water intercepted by the forest canopy was 11 ± 5% of the total rainfall during the snow-free (5 July–18 October) measurement periods of 2017 and 2018. The maximum canopy storage estimated from rainfall interception measurements was on average 1.6 ± 0.7 mm, though a higher value was found using the stem compression method (2.2 ± 1.6 mm). Taking the average of the two forest stands studied, evaporation of intercepted water represented 21 ± 8% of evapotranspiration, while the contribution of transpiration and understory evapotranspiration was 36 ± 9% and 18 ± 8%. The observations of each of the evapotranspiration terms underestimated the total evapotranspiration observed, so that 26 ± 12% of it was not attributed. These results highlight the importance to account for the evaporation of rain intercepted by humid boreal forests in hydrological models.     

Effects of clear-cutting,meteorological, and physiological factors on evapotranspiration in the Kamabuchi experimental watershed in northern Japan

This study investigated the effects of clear-cutting and the meteorological and physiological factors on forest evapotranspiration (ET), by using the water-budget method in the Kamabuchi experimental watershed (KMB; 38° 56′ 21″ N, 140° 15′ 58″ E) in northern Japan. Meteorological and discharge data collected during no-snow periods (from June to October) from 1939 were used to compare ET in three sub-watersheds: No. 1, where the forest had been left undisturbed, and No. 2 and No. 3, where Cryptomeria japonica was planted after clear-cutting. Paired watershed experiments revealed that clear-cutting caused ET to decrease by approximately 100 mm yr⁻¹, and this reduction continued for more than 20 years, even after C. japonica was planted. ET fluctuated similarly across all watersheds, regardless of clear-cutting or planting. This fluctuation is mainly caused by solar radiation and temperature. Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) calculated using δ¹³C of tree-ring cellulose in C. japonica increased due to elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration. We estimated annual carbon fixation in a single tree as the annual net photosynthesis (A). Subsequently, transpiration (E) was calculated from the relationship between iWUE and A. The results showed that A and E per tree increased as the tree grew older; however, the trees' responses to increasing c_a suppress the increase in ET. Moreover, the fluctuation of ET from the watershed was small compared to the fluctuation of P during the observation periods because the increase and decrease in E and interception loss complemented each other.     

Controls on evapotranspiration from jack pine forests in the Boreal Plains Ecozone

The exchanges of water, energy and carbon between the land surface and the atmosphere are tightly coupled, so that errors in simulating evapotranspiration lead to errors in simulating both the water and carbon balances. Areas with seasonally frozen soils present a particular challenge due to the snowmelt-dominated hydrology and the impact of soil freezing on the soil hydraulic properties and plant root water uptake. Land surface schemes that have been applied in high latitudes often have reported problems with simulating the snowpack and runoff. Models applied at the Boreal Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Sites in central Saskatchewan have consistently over-predicted evapotranspiration as compared with flux tower estimates. We assessed the performance of two Canadian land surface schemes (CLASS and CLASS-CTEM) for simulating point-scale evapotranspiration at an instrumented jack pine sandy upland site in the southern edge of the boreal forest in Saskatchewan, Canada. Consistent with past reported results, these models over-predicted evapotranspiration, as compared with flux tower observations, but only in the spring period. Looking systematically at soil properties and vegetation characteristics, we found that the dominant control on evapotranspiration within these models was the canopy conductance. However, the problem of excessive spring ET could not be solved satisfactorily by changing the soil or vegetation parameters. The model overestimation of spring ET coincided with the overestimation of spring soil liquid water content. Improved algorithms for the infiltration of snowmelt into frozen soils and plant-water uptake during the snowmelt and soil thaw periods may be key to addressing the biases in spring ET.     

Ecohydrological responses to surface flow across borders: Two decades of changes in vegetation greenness and water use in the riparian corridor of the Colorado River delta

Hydrological and bioclimatic processes that lead to drought may stress plants and wildlife, restructure plant community type and architecture, increase monotypic stands and bare soils, facilitate the invasion of non-native plant species and accelerate soil erosion. Our study focuses on the impact of a paucity of Colorado River surface flows from the United States (U.S.) to Mexico. We measured change in riparian plant greenness and water use over the past two decades using remotely sensed measurements of vegetation index (VI), evapotranspiration (ET) and a new annualized phenology assessment metric (PAM) for ET. We measure these long-term (2000–2019) metrics and their short-term (2014–2019) response to an environmental pulse flow in 2014, as prescribed under Minute 319 of the 1944 Water Treaty between the two nations. In subsequent years, small-directed flows were provided to restoration areas under Minute 323. We use 250 m MODIS and 30 m Landsat imagery to evaluate three vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, EVI2). We select EVI2 to parameterize an optical-based ET algorithm and test the relationship between ET from Landsat and MODIS by regression approaches. Our analyses show significant decreases in VIs and ET for both the 20-year and post-pulse 5-year periods. Over the last 20 years, EVI _Landsat declined 34% (30% by EVI_MODIS) and ET_Landsat-EVI declined 38% (27% by ET_MODIS-EVI), overall ca. 1.61 mm/day or 476 mm/year drop in ET; using PAM ET_Landsat-EVI the drop was from 1130 to 654 mm/year. Over the 5 years since the 2014 pulse flow, EVI_Landsat declined 20% (13% by EVI_MODIS) and ET_Landsat-EVI declined 23% (4% by ET_MODIS-EVI) with a 0.77 mm/day or a 209 mm/year 5-year drop in ET; using PAM ET_Landsat-EVI the drop was from 863 to 654 mm/year. Data and change maps show the pulse flow contributed enough water to slow the rate of loss, but only for the very short-term (1–2 years). These findings are critically important as they suggest further deterioration of biodiversity, wildlife habitat and key ecosystem services due to anthropogenic diversions of water in the U.S. and Mexico and from land clearing, fires and plant-related drought which affect hydrological processes.     

Fine scale mapping of fractional tree canopy cover to support river basin management

Management of water, regionally, nationally and globally will continue to be a priority and complex undertaking. In riverine systems, biotic components like flora and fauna play critical roles in filtering water so it is available for human use and consumption. Preservation of ecosystems and associated ecosystem functions is therefore vital. In highly regulated large river basins, natural ecosystems are often supported through provision of environmental flows. Flow delivery, however, should be underpinned by rigorous monitoring to identify and prioritise biotic water requirements. Currently, large-scale monitoring solutions are scaled from remote sensing data via measurement of field evapotranspiration for woody tree vegetation species. However, as there is generally a mismatch between field data collection area and remote sensing pixel size, new methods are required to proportion tree evapotranspiration based on tree fractional canopy area per pixel. We present a novel method to derive tree fractional canopy cover (FTCC) at 20 m resolution in semi-arid and arid floodplain areas. The method employs LiDAR as a canopy area field measurement proxy (10 m resolution). We used Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 (radar and multispectral imagery) in a Random Forest analysis, undertaken to develop a predictive FTCC model trained using LiDAR for two regions in the Murray–Darling Basin. A predictor model combining the results of both regions was able to explain between 71%–85% of FTCC variation when compared to LiDAR FTCC when output in 10% increments. Development of this method underpins the advancement of woody vegetation monitoring to inform environmental flow management in the Murray–Darling Basin. The method and fine scale outputs will also be of value to other catchment management concerns such as altered catchment water yields related to bushfires and as such has application to water management worldwide.     

基于SPEI的广西喀斯特地区1971—2017年干旱时空演变

利用广西喀斯特地区64个气象站1971-2017年逐日气温和降水量观测资料,采用标准化降水蒸散指数(SPEI)作为干旱评价指标,分析该地区干旱时空演变规律。结果表明,广西喀斯特地区年尺度干旱基本为2 a一遇,发生频率中部低、东西部高,以轻旱和中旱为主。秋旱发生频率最高,冬旱次之,春旱和夏旱发生频率较低,各季节干旱多以轻旱为主。其中,春旱3~4 a一遇,发生频率由西南向东北呈递减趋势;夏旱3~4 a一遇,发生频率由东向西呈减弱趋势;秋旱接近1 a一遇,发生频率中东部高于西部,该季节中旱、重旱和特旱发生频率也明显高于其他季节;冬旱1~2 a一遇,发生频率西北部较高,且由西向东呈递减趋势。1971-2017年,广西喀斯特地区冬旱、夏旱呈波动减弱趋势,春、秋旱呈增强趋势。在15~20 a时间尺度上,年和各季节的干旱存在明显的干湿循环,5 a以下小尺度干旱周期振荡更频繁。SPEI与土壤湿度呈显著正相关,利用SPEI可较客观反映该地区旱情。     

消除气压效应估算黄土潜水的蒸发蒸腾强度

潜水蒸发蒸腾（ET_g）是干旱半干旱地区浅埋深地下水最主要的排泄方式,也是地下水系统中重要的均衡项。如果存在气压效应,用于估算地下水蒸发蒸腾强度的传统水位波动法则不适用。以黄土潜水为例,提出了一种基于水位变化和大气压变化规律的水位图方法,用于消除气压效应以获取潜水蒸发蒸腾强度。研究表明,大气压变化通常在午夜前,一般为22:00—24:00,会出现一个峰值,该时间段气压效应可以忽略,而且潜水蒸发蒸腾强度最小,此时潜水位的变化速率相当于净补给速率;在获取潜水净补给强度后,选择第二个时间段,0:00—4:00,此时潜水蒸发蒸腾强度最小,且气压一般处于连续下降阶段,可以用来估算气压效应系数。在此基础上,可利用水位均衡和水位波动法方便地估算潜水蒸发蒸腾强度。该方法数据获取容易,估算结果也较为准确。     

北疆地区参考作物蒸散量时空变化特征

为明确北疆地区在全球气候变暖背景下合理的灌溉制度,利用北疆地区22个气象站49 a(1962~2010年)的逐日气象资料,运用Penman-Monteith公式计算北疆地区1962~2010年的参考作物蒸散量ET0(reference crop evapotranspiration),并用Mann-Kendall方法对其进行突变检验,基于Arc GIS9.3空间分析功能模块对北疆参考作物蒸散量进行了空间变化分析。结果表明:研究区域的ET0在1983年发生向下突变,ET0在时间分布上整体呈下降趋势,主要受该地区相对湿度和风速的影响;ET0从北疆的东北部和西南部向中间逐渐升高,东南部和西部表现略高,具有明显的区域差异;4~10月ET0对全年ET0的分布具有显著影响。     

三温模型与MODIS影像反演蒸散发

提出三温模型结合MODIS数据反演区域蒸散发的方法,在内蒙古草原开展案例研究,以2008年植被生长季(7—10月)的波文比系统观测数据为标准,对该方法进行检验。结果表明:三温模型反演的蒸散发量,平均值、最大、最小值分别为4.58mm/d、9.03mm/d、1.28mm/d;蒸散发反演结果在空间上分布较均匀,与草原的均一性相吻合,在时间上蒸散发的数值先逐渐增大,8月后逐渐减小,与观测结果相一致;三温模型反演的蒸散发量与观测值之间的最小、最大绝对误差分别为0.11mm/d、1.64mm/d,平均绝对误差为0.58mm/d、平均相对误差为17.10%。三温模型在1km空间尺度的反演精度较理想。