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Estimation and analysis of the ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration in forest ecosystems along the North-South Transect of East China

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Abstract

The ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration (T/ET) is a key parameter for quantifying water use efficiency of ecosystems and understanding the interaction between ecosystem carbon uptake and water cycling in the context of global change. The estimation of T/ET has been paid increasing attention from the scientific community in recent years globally. In this paper, we used the Priestly-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory Model (PT-JPL) driven by regional remote sensing data and gridded meteorological data, to simulate the T/ET in forest ecosystems along the North-South Transect of East China (NSTEC) during 2001–2010, and to analyze the spatial distribution and temporal variation of T/ET, as well as the factors influencing the variation in T/ET. The results showed that: (1) The PT-JPL model is suitable for the simulation of evapotranspiration and its components of forest ecosystems in Eastern China, and has relatively good stability and reliability. (2) Spatial distribution of T/ET in forest ecosystems along NSTEC was heterogeneous, i.e., T/ET was higher in the north and lower in the south, with an averaged value of 0.69; and the inter-annual variation of T/ET showed a significantly increasing trend, with an increment of 0.007/yr (p<0.01). (3) Seasonal and inter-annual variations of T/ET had different dominant factors. Temperature and EVI can explain around 90% (p<0.01) of the seasonal variation in T/ET, while the inter-annual variation in T/ET was mainly controlled by EVI (53%, p<0.05).

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Acknowledgement

The flux data of CBS, QYZ, DHS sites were obtained from ChinaFLUX, and the simulated transpiration data of the three sites were provided by Dr. Xianjin Zhu and Prof. Guirui Yu, which are highly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing, 100101, China

    Xiaoli Ren, Honglin He, Li Zhang & Zhongen Niu

  2. Zhongke Tongde (Beijing) Ecology Technology Co., Beijing, 100124, China

    Qianqian Lu

  3. College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Honglin He & Li Zhang

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Zhongen Niu

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  1. Xiaoli Ren
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  2. Qianqian Lu
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  3. Honglin He
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  4. Li Zhang
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  5. Zhongen Niu
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Correspondence to Xiaoli Ren.

Additional information

Foundation: National Key Research and Development Program of China, No.2015CB954102; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.31700417, No.41571424

Author: Ren Xiaoli (1984-), PhD

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Ren, X., Lu, Q., He, H. et al. Estimation and analysis of the ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration in forest ecosystems along the North-South Transect of East China. J. Geogr. Sci. 29, 1807–1822 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-019-1691-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-019-1691-1

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