Ecosystem specific yield for estimating evapotranspiration and groundwater exchange from diel surface water variation

The White method, routinely used to estimate phreatophyte transpiration from diel groundwater variation, also provides measures of total evapotranspiration (ET) and groundwater fluxes in surface waters. Such applications remain rare, however, and critically require accurate representation of stage‐dependent variation in specific yield (S_y). High‐resolution stage data from three Florida swamps were used to evaluate different relationships between S_y and stage (ecosystem specific yield, ESY). A discretized form, ESY_D, assumes constant S_y near unity for inundated conditions, applying soil S_y for belowground stage and open water S_y (S_y,OW ≈ 1.0) for aboveground stage. A mixture approach, ESY_M, applies a stage‐dependent interpolation between S_y,Soil and S_y,OW using stage‐area relationships and assumes rapid lateral equilibration between inundated and non‐inundated wetland areas. Finally, an empirical formulation, ESY_RR, uses measured ratios of rain to rise to estimate stage‐specific S_y. All formulations yielded reasonable ET rates (ET ≈ PET) at high stage; ESY_D markedly overestimated ET (ET/PET > 3) at intermediate stage, whereas ESY_M and ESY_RR maintained ET/PET near 1.0. Estimated groundwater fluxes using ESY_M and ESY_RR correlated well with Darcy‐estimated flows, but were larger, likely due to uncertainties in Darcy parameters. Well transects across wetlands documented equal water elevation and diel variation across inundated and non‐inundated areas, verifying rapid equilibration that reduces S_y and explaining overestimation by ESY_D. However, equilibration area varied within and among wetlands, explaining observed differences between ESY_M and ESY_RR, and suggesting ESY_RR may be preferred. Stage histograms followed the shape of ESY_RR, highlighting reciprocal influences of ESY on stage stability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.