Abstract
This paper investigates the hydrological interactions in the atmosphere-evegetation-soil system by using the bucket model and several new simplified intermediately complex models. The results of mathematical analysis and numerical simulations show that these models, despite their simplicity, can very clearly reveal the essential features of the rather complex hydrological system of atmosphere-ecosystem-soil. For given atmospheric variables, these models clearly demonstrate multiple timescales, the “red shift” of response spectra, multi-equilibria and limit cycles, bifurcation, abrupt change, self-organization, recovery, “desertification”, and chaos. Most of these agree with observations. Especially, the weakening of “shading effect” of living canopy and the wilted biomass might be a major mechanism leading to the desertification in a relatively short period due to overgrazing, and the desertification in a relatively long period or in climate of change might be due to both Charney’s mechanism and the shading effect. These ideas could be validated with further numerical simulations. In the paper, some methods for improving the estimation of timescales in the soil water evolution responding to the forcing are also proposed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnold, L, 2002: Linear and nonlinear diffusion approximation of the slow motion in systems with two time scales. IUTAM Symposium on Nonlinear Stochastic Dynamics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, N. Sri Namachchivaya, Ed., Kluwer, Dordrecht, 5–18.
Charney, J. G., 1975: Dynamics of deserts and drought in Sahel. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 101, 193–202.
Chinese Academy of Sciences Comprehensive Survey Group of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Autonomous Regions, 1985: The Inner Mongolia Vegetation. Science Press, Beijing. (in Chinese)
Dai Yongjou, and Zeng Qingcun, 1997: A land surface model (IAP94) for climate studies, Part I: Formulation and validation, off-line experiments. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 14, 433–460.
Dai, Y. J., and Coauthors, 2003: The Common Land Model (CLM). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 84, 1013–1023.
Delworth, T., and S. Manabe, 1988: The influence of potential evaporation on the variabilities of simulated soil wetness and climate. J. Climate, 1, 523–547.
Dickinson, R. E., 1984: Modelling evapotranspiration for three-dimensional global climate models. Geophysical Monograph, 29, 58–72.
Dickinson, R. E., A. Henderson-Sellers, and P. J. Kennedy, 1993: Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme Version le as Coupled to the NCAR Community Climate Model. NCAR Tech. Note 387+STR, 77pp.
Dickinson, R. E., M. Shaikh, R. Bryant, and L. Graumlich, 1998: Interactive canopies for a climate model. J. Climate, 11, 2823–2836.
Dickinson, R. E., Guiling Wang, Xubin Zeng, Zeng Qingcun, 2003: How does the partitioning of evapotranspiration and runoff between different processes affect the variability and predictability of soil moisture and precipitation? Adv. Atmos. Sci., 20, 475–478.
Entin, J., A. Robock, K. Y. Vinikov, S. E. Hollinger, S. Liu, and A. Namkai, 2000: Temporal and spatial scales of observed soil moisture variations in the extratropics. J. Geophys. Res., 105, 11864–11877.
Hasselmann, K., 1976: Stochastic climate models, part I: Theory. Tellus, 28, 473–485.
Ji, J. J., 1995: A climate-vegetation interaction model: Simulating physical and biological process at the surface. Journal of Biogeography, 22, 2063–2068.
Manabe, S., 1969: Climate and the ocean circulation, I: The atmospheric circulation and the hydrology of the earth’s surface. Mon. Wea. Rev., 97, 739–774.
Serafini, Y. V., and Y. C. Sud, 1987: The time scale of the soil hydrology using a simple water budget model. J. Climate, 7, 581–591.
Song Bingyu, 1997: A study on evaporation and transpiration of grassland plant community. Climatic and Environmental Research, 1997, 2, 222–235. (in Chinese)
Wang, A. H., X. D. Zeng, X. B. Zeng, S. S. P. Shen, and Q-C. Zeng, 2003: Dynamics and numerical simulations of hydrological vegetation-soil interaction. Proceedings of ICCP6-CCP2003, Rinton Press Inc., Beijing.
Wang, A. H., X. B. Zeng, S. S. P. Shen, Q-C. Zeng and R. E. Dickson, 2004: Time scales of land surface hydrology, to appear in Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2005.
Wu, W., M. Geller, and R. E. Dickinson, 2002: The response of soil moisture to long-term variability of precipitation. J. Hydrometeor., 3, 604–613.
Yeh, T.-C., R. T. Wetherald, and S. Manabe, 1984: The effect of soil moisture on the short-term climate and hydrology change—A numerical experiment. Mon. Wea. Rev., 112, 474–490.
Zeng Qingcun, Lu Peisheng, and Zeng Xiaodong, 1994: Maximum simplified dynamic model of grass field ecosystem with two variables. Science in China(B), 37, 94–103.
Zeng Q.-C., and X. D. Zeng, 1996: An analytical dynamic model of grass field ecosystem with two variables. Ecological Modelling, 85, 187–196.
Zeng, X-B., M. Shaikh, Y-J. Dai, and R. E. Dickinson, 2002: Coupling of the Common Land Model to the NCAR Community Climate Model. J. Climate, 15, 1832–1854.
Zeng, Q-C, X. D. Zeng, A. H. Wang, R. E. Dickinson, X. B. Zeng, and S. S. P. Shen, 2003a: Models and numerical simulations of atmosphere-vegetation-soil interaction and ecosystem dynamics, invited paper. Proceedings of ICCP6-CCP2003, Rinton Press Inc., Beijing.
Zeng, X. D., S. S. P. Shen, X. B. Zeng, and Q-C. Zeng, 2003b: A three-variable ecosystem model and its numerical simulations. Proceedings of ICCP6-CCP2003, Rinton Press Inc., Beijing.
Zeng, X. D., S. S. P. Shen, X. B. Zeng, and R. E. Dickinson, 2004: Multiple equilibrium states and the abrupt transitions in a dynamical system of soil water interacting with vegetation. Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 5501, doi: 10.1029/2003 GL 018910.
Zeng Xiaodong, Wang Aihui, Zhao Gang, S. S. P. Shen, Xubin Zeng, and Zeng Qingcun, 2005a: Ecological dynamic model of grassland and its practical verification. Science in China (C), 48, 41–48.
Zeng, X. D., X. B. Zeng, S. S. P. Shen, R. E. Dickinson, and Q-C. Zeng, 2005b: The vegetation-soil water interaction within a dynamical ecosystem model of grassland in semi-arid areas. Tellus (B), 57, 189–202.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Invited lecture given at the scientific meeting to celebrate Prof. D-Z Ye’s 90th birthday, January 2005, Beijing.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zeng, X., Wang, A., Zeng, Q. et al. Intermediately complex models for the hydrological interactions in the atmosphere-vegetation-soil system. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 23, 127–140 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-006-0013-6
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-006-0013-6