Articles | Volume 25, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2861-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2861-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
27 May 2021
Technical note |
| 27 May 2021
| 27 May 2021
Technical note: Accounting for snow in the estimation of root zone water storage capacity from precipitation and evapotranspiration fluxes
Pacific Southwest Research Station, United States Forest Service, Davis, CA, USA
W. Jesse Hahm
Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
K. Dana Chadwick
Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Erica McCormick
Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Daniella M. Rempe
Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Related authors
Dana A. Lapides, W. Jesse Hahm, Matthew Forrest, Daniella M. Rempe, Thomas Hickler, and David N. Dralle
Biogeosciences, 21, 1801–1826, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Water stored in weathered bedrock is rarely incorporated into vegetation and Earth system models despite increasing recognition of its importance. Here, we add a weathered bedrock component to a widely used vegetation model. Using a case study of two sites in California and model runs across the United States, we show that more accurately representing subsurface water storage and hydrology increases summer plant water use so that it better matches patterns in distributed data products.
David N. Dralle, Nathaniel J. Karst, Kyriakos Charalampous, Andrew Veenstra, and Sally E. Thompson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 65–81, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-65-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-65-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The streamflow recession is the period following rainfall during which flow declines. This paper examines a common method of recession analysis and identifies sensitivity of the technique's results to necessary, yet subjective, methodological choices. The results have implications for hydrology, sediment and solute transport, and geomorphology, as well as for testing numerous hydrologic theories which predict the mathematical form of the recession.
Meng Zhao, Erica L. McCormick, Geruo A, Alexandra G. Konings, and Bailing Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1939, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1939, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Root-zone water storage capacity (Sr) influences ecosystem resilience to droughts and affects runoff and groundwater recharge but is hard to measure. Using GRACE satellite data, we estimate global Sr at 220 ± 40 mm, much higher than previous estimates. Our Sr estimate improves water storage and evapotranspiration simulations and correlates well with vegetation productivity data, highlighting the need for refined Sr estimates for better water resource management and ecosystem sustainability.
Dana A. Lapides, W. Jesse Hahm, Matthew Forrest, Daniella M. Rempe, Thomas Hickler, and David N. Dralle
Biogeosciences, 21, 1801–1826, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Water stored in weathered bedrock is rarely incorporated into vegetation and Earth system models despite increasing recognition of its importance. Here, we add a weathered bedrock component to a widely used vegetation model. Using a case study of two sites in California and model runs across the United States, we show that more accurately representing subsurface water storage and hydrology increases summer plant water use so that it better matches patterns in distributed data products.
David N. Dralle, Nathaniel J. Karst, Kyriakos Charalampous, Andrew Veenstra, and Sally E. Thompson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 65–81, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-65-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-65-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The streamflow recession is the period following rainfall during which flow declines. This paper examines a common method of recession analysis and identifies sensitivity of the technique's results to necessary, yet subjective, methodological choices. The results have implications for hydrology, sediment and solute transport, and geomorphology, as well as for testing numerous hydrologic theories which predict the mathematical form of the recession.
Related subject area
Subject: Ecohydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Remote Sensing and GIS
Circumarctic land cover diversity considering wetness gradients
Multi-decadal floodplain classification and trend analysis in the Upper Columbia River valley, British Columbia
Estimating leaf moisture content at global scale from passive microwave satellite observations of vegetation optical depth
Simulating carbon and water fluxes using a coupled process-based terrestrial biosphere model and joint assimilation of leaf area index and surface soil moisture
Untangling irrigation effects on maize water and heat stress alleviation using satellite data
Information-based uncertainty decomposition in dual-channel microwave remote sensing of soil moisture
Assessing the large-scale plant–water relations in the humid, subtropical Pearl River basin of China
Long-term water stress and drought assessment of Mediterranean oak savanna vegetation using thermal remote sensing
Temporal interpolation of land surface fluxes derived from remote sensing – results with an unmanned aerial system
Pattern and structure of microtopography implies autogenic origins in forested wetlands
The influence of water table depth on evapotranspiration in the Amazon arc of deforestation
Does the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index explain spatial and temporal variability in sap velocity in temperate forest ecosystems?
Comparison of MODIS and SWAT evapotranspiration over a complex terrain at different spatial scales
Evolution of the vegetation system in the Heihe River basin in the last 2000 years
Laser vision: lidar as a transformative tool to advance critical zone science
Attribution of satellite-observed vegetation trends in a hyper-arid region of the Heihe River basin, Western China
Evapotranspiration and water yield over China's landmass from 2000 to 2010
Satellite-based analysis of recent trends in the ecohydrology of a semi-arid region
Soil moisture controls on patterns of grass green-up in Inner Mongolia: an index based approach
Groundwater surface water interactions and the role of phreatophytes in identifying recharge zones
Quantifying the performance of automated GIS-based geomorphological approaches for riparian zone delineation using digital elevation models
Climate change, growing season water deficit and vegetation activity along the north–south transect of eastern China from 1982 through 2006
Hydrological differentiation and spatial distribution of high altitude wetlands in a semi-arid Andean region derived from satellite data
The impact of in-canopy wind profile formulations on heat flux estimation in an open orchard using the remote sensing-based two-source model
The use of remote sensing to quantify wetland loss in the Choke Mountain range, Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia
Annett Bartsch, Aleksandra Efimova, Barbara Widhalm, Xaver Muri, Clemens von Baeckmann, Helena Bergstedt, Ksenia Ermokhina, Gustaf Hugelius, Birgit Heim, and Marina Leibman
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2421–2481, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2421-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2421-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Wetness gradients and landcover diversity for the entire Arctic tundra have been assessed using a novel satellite-data-based map. Patterns of lakes, wetlands, general soil moisture conditions and vegetation physiognomy are represented at 10 m. About 40 % of the area north of the treeline falls into three units of dry types, with limited shrub growth. Wetter regions have higher landcover diversity than drier regions.
Italo Sampaio Rodrigues, Christopher Hopkinson, Laura Chasmer, Ryan J. MacDonald, Suzanne E. Bayley, and Brian Brisco
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2203–2221, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2203-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2203-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The research evaluated the trends and changes in land cover and river discharge in the Upper Columbia River Wetlands using remote sensing and hydroclimatic data. The river discharge increased during the peak flow season, resulting in a positive trend in the open-water extent in the same period, whereas open-water area declined on an annual basis. Furthermore, since 2003 the peak flow has occurred 11 d earlier than during 1903–1928, which has led to larger discharges in a shorter time.
Matthias Forkel, Luisa Schmidt, Ruxandra-Maria Zotta, Wouter Dorigo, and Marta Yebra
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 39–68, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-39-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-39-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The live fuel moisture content (LFMC) of vegetation canopies is a driver of wildfires. We investigate the relation between LFMC and passive microwave satellite observations of vegetation optical depth (VOD) and develop a method to estimate LFMC from VOD globally. Our global VOD-based estimates of LFMC can be used to investigate drought effects on vegetation and fire risks.
Sinan Li, Li Zhang, Jingfeng Xiao, Rui Ma, Xiangjun Tian, and Min Yan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6311–6337, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6311-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6311-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate estimation for global GPP and ET is important in climate change studies. In this study, the GLASS LAI, SMOS, and SMAP datasets were assimilated jointly and separately in a coupled model. The results show that the performance of joint assimilation for GPP and ET is better than that of separate assimilation. The joint assimilation in water-limited regions performed better than in humid regions, and the global assimilation results had higher accuracy than other products.
Peng Zhu and Jennifer Burney
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 827–840, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-827-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-827-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite data were used to disentangle water and heat stress alleviation due to irrigation. Our findings are as follows. (1) Irrigation-induced cooling was captured by satellite LST but air temperature failed. (2) Irrigation extended maize growing season duration, especially during grain filling. (3) Water and heat stress alleviation constitutes 65 % and 35 % of the irrigation benefit. (4) The crop model simulating canopy temperature better captures the irrigation benefit.
Bonan Li and Stephen P. Good
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5029–5045, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5029-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5029-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We found that satellite retrieved soil moisture has large uncertainty, with uncertainty caused by the algorithm being closely related to the satellite soil moisture quality. The information provided by the two main inputs is mainly redundant. Such redundant components and synergy components provided by two main inputs to the satellite soil moisture are related to how the satellite algorithm performs. The satellite remote sensing algorithms may be improved by performing such analysis.
Hailong Wang, Kai Duan, Bingjun Liu, and Xiaohong Chen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4741–4758, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4741-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4741-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using remote sensing and reanalysis data, we examined the relationships between vegetation development and water resource availability in a humid subtropical basin. We found overall increases in total water storage and surface greenness and vegetation production, and the changes were particularly profound in cropland-dominated regions. Correlation analysis implies water availability leads the variations in greenness and production, and irrigation may improve production during dry periods.
María P. González-Dugo, Xuelong Chen, Ana Andreu, Elisabet Carpintero, Pedro J. Gómez-Giraldez, Arnaud Carrara, and Zhongbo Su
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 755–768, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-755-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-755-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Drought is a devastating natural hazard and difficult to define, detect and quantify. Global meteorological data and remote-sensing products present new opportunities to characterize drought in an objective way. In this paper, we applied the surface energy balance model SEBS to estimate monthly evapotranspiration (ET) from 2001 to 2018 over the dehesa area of the Iberian Peninsula. ET anomalies were used to identify the main drought events and analyze their impacts on dehesa vegetation.
Sheng Wang, Monica Garcia, Andreas Ibrom, and Peter Bauer-Gottwein
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3643–3661, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3643-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3643-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Remote sensing only provides snapshots of rapidly changing land surface variables; this limits its application for water resources and ecosystem management. To obtain continuous estimates of surface temperature, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and ecosystem productivity, a simple and operational modelling scheme is presented. We demonstrate it with temporally sparse optical and thermal remote sensing data from an unmanned aerial system at a Danish bioenergy plantation eddy covariance site.
Jacob S. Diamond, Daniel L. McLaughlin, Robert A. Slesak, and Atticus Stovall
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 5069–5088, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-5069-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-5069-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We found evidence for spatial patterning of soil elevation in forested wetlands that was well explained by hydrology. The patterns that we found were strongest at wetter sites, and were weakest at drier sites. When a site was wet, soil elevations typically only belonged to two groups: tall "hummocks" and low "hollows. The tall, hummock groups were spaced equally apart from each other and were a similar size. We believe this is evidence for a biota–hydrology feedback that creates hummocks.
John O'Connor, Maria J. Santos, Karin T. Rebel, and Stefan C. Dekker
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3917–3931, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3917-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3917-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Amazon rainforest has undergone extensive land use change, which greatly reduces the rate of evapotranspiration. Forest with deep roots is replaced by agriculture with shallow roots. The difference in rooting depth can greatly reduce access to water, especially during the dry season. However, large areas of the Amazon have a sufficiently shallow water table that may provide access for agriculture. We used remote sensing observations to compare the impact of deep and shallow water tables.
Anne J. Hoek van Dijke, Kaniska Mallick, Adriaan J. Teuling, Martin Schlerf, Miriam Machwitz, Sibylle K. Hassler, Theresa Blume, and Martin Herold
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2077–2091, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2077-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2077-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite images are often used to estimate land water fluxes over a larger area. In this study, we investigate the link between a well-known vegetation index derived from satellite data and sap velocity, in a temperate forest in Luxembourg. We show that the link between the vegetation index and transpiration is not constant. Therefore we suggest that the use of vegetation indices to predict transpiration should be limited to ecosystems and scales where the link has been confirmed.
Olanrewaju O. Abiodun, Huade Guan, Vincent E. A. Post, and Okke Batelaan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2775–2794, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2775-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2775-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In recent decades, evapotranspiration estimation has been improved by remote sensing methods as well as by hydrological models. However, comparing these methods shows differences of up to 31 % at a spatial resolution of 1 km2. Land cover differences and catchment averaged climate data in the hydrological model were identified as the principal causes of the differences in results. The implication is that water management will have to deal with large uncertainty in estimated water balances.
Shoubo Li, Yan Zhao, Yongping Wei, and Hang Zheng
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4233–4244, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4233-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4233-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to investigate the evolution of natural and crop vegetation systems over the past 2000 years accommodated with the changes in water regimes at the basin scale. It is based on remote-sensing data and previous historical research. The methods developed and the findings obtained from this study could assist in understanding how current ecosystem problems were created in the past and what their implications for future river basin management are.
A. A. Harpold, J. A. Marshall, S. W. Lyon, T. B. Barnhart, B. A. Fisher, M. Donovan, K. M. Brubaker, C. J. Crosby, N. F. Glenn, C. L. Glennie, P. B. Kirchner, N. Lam, K. D. Mankoff, J. L. McCreight, N. P. Molotch, K. N. Musselman, J. Pelletier, T. Russo, H. Sangireddy, Y. Sjöberg, T. Swetnam, and N. West
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2881–2897, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2881-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2881-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This review's objective is to demonstrate the transformative potential of lidar by critically assessing both challenges and opportunities for transdisciplinary lidar applications in geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology. We find that using lidar to its full potential will require numerous advances, including more powerful open-source processing tools, new lidar acquisition technologies, and improved integration with physically based models and complementary observations.
Y. Wang, M. L. Roderick, Y. Shen, and F. Sun
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3499–3509, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3499-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3499-2014, 2014
Y. Liu, Y. Zhou, W. Ju, J. Chen, S. Wang, H. He, H. Wang, D. Guan, F. Zhao, Y. Li, and Y. Hao
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 4957–4980, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4957-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4957-2013, 2013
M. Gokmen, Z. Vekerdy, W. Verhoef, and O. Batelaan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3779–3794, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3779-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3779-2013, 2013
H. Liu, F. Tian, H. C. Hu, H. P. Hu, and M. Sivapalan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 805–815, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-805-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-805-2013, 2013
T. S. Ahring and D. R. Steward
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 4133–4142, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-4133-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-4133-2012, 2012
D. Fernández, J. Barquín, M. Álvarez-Cabria, and F. J. Peñas
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3851–3862, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3851-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3851-2012, 2012
P. Sun, Z. Yu, S. Liu, X. Wei, J. Wang, N. Zegre, and N. Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3835–3850, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3835-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3835-2012, 2012
M. Otto, D. Scherer, and J. Richters
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 1713–1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-1713-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-1713-2011, 2011
C. Cammalleri, M. C. Anderson, G. Ciraolo, G. D'Urso, W. P. Kustas, G. La Loggia, and M. Minacapilli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 2643–2659, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2643-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2643-2010, 2010
E. Teferi, S. Uhlenbrook, W. Bewket, J. Wenninger, and B. Simane
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 2415–2428, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2415-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2415-2010, 2010
Cited articles
Arkley, R. J.: Soil moisture use by mixed conifer forest in a summer-dry
climate, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 45, 423–427, 1981. a
Botter, G., Porporato, A., Rodriguez-Iturbe, I., and Rinaldo, A.: Basin-scale
soil moisture dynamics and the probabilistic characterization of carrier
hydrologic flows: Slow, leaching-prone components of the hydrologic response,
Water Resour. Res., 43, W02417, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005043, 2007. a
Daly, C., Halbleib, M., Smith, J. I., Gibson, W. P., Doggett, M. K., Taylor,
G. H., Curtis, J., and Pasteris, P. P.: Physiographically sensitive mapping
of climatological temperature and precipitation across the conterminous
United States, Int. J. Climatol., 28, 2031–2064, 2008. a
Daly, C., Smith, J. I., and Olson, K. V.: Mapping atmospheric moisture
climatologies across the conterminous United States, PloS One, 10, e0141140, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141140, 2015. a
Dawson, T. E., Hahm, W. J., and Crutchfield-Peters, K.: Digging deeper: what
the critical zone perspective adds to the study of plant ecophysiology, New
Phytol., 226, 666–671, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16410, 2020. a
Deal, E., Braun, J., and Botter, G.: Understanding the role of rainfall and
hydrology in determining fluvial erosion efficiency, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 744–778, 2018. a
de Boer-Euser, T., McMillan, H. K., Hrachowitz, M., Winsemius, H. C., and
Savenije, H. H. G.: Influence of soil and climate on root zone storage
capacity, Water Resour. Res., 52, 2009–2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015wr018115, 2016. a
Dralle, D. N., Hahm, W. J., Rempe, D. M., Karst, N. J., Anderegg, L. D. L.,
Thompson, S. E., Dawson, T. E., and Dietrich, W. E.: Plants as sensors:
vegetation response to rainfall predicts root-zone water storage capacity in
Mediterranean-type climates, Environ. Res. Lett., 15, 104074, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb10b, 2020a. a, b
Dralle, D. N., Hahm, W. J., and Chadwick, K. D.: Code for “Accounting for snow in the estimation of root-zone water storage capacity from precipitation and evapotranspiration fluxes”, available at: https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1R6WkxaG77-O2Q7hEaiCVMvuE_1oCf_6S?usp=sharing (last access: 25 May 2021), 2020b. a
Dralle, D. N., Hahm, W. J., and Rempe, D. M.: Dataset for “Accounting for snow in the estimation of root-zone water storage capacity from precipitation and evapotranspiration fluxes”, HydroShare, available at: http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/ee45c2f5f13042ca85bcb86bbfc9dd37
(last access: 25 May 2021), 2020c. a
Enzminger, T. L., Small, E. E., and Borsa, A. A.: Subsurface Water Dominates
Sierra Nevada Seasonal Hydrologic Storage, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 11993–12001, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl084589, 2019. a
Friedl, M. and Sulla-Menashe, D.: MCD12Q1 MODIS/Terra+ aqua land cover type
yearly L3 global 500 m SIN grid V006 [data set], NASA EOSDIS Land Processes
DAAC, https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD12Q1.006, 2015. a
Gan, R., Zhang, Y., Shi, H., Yang, Y., Eamus, D., Cheng, L., Chiew, F. H., and Yu, Q.: Use of satellite leaf area index estimating evapotranspiration and gross assimilation for Australian ecosystems, Ecohydrology, 11, e1974, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1974, 2018. a
Gao, H., Hrachowitz, M., Schymanski, S., Fenicia, F., Sriwongsitanon, N., and
Savenije, H.: Climate controls how ecosystems size the root zone storage
capacity at catchment scale, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 7916–7923, 2014. a
Goulden, M., Anderson, R., Bales, R., Kelly, A., Meadows, M., and Winston, G.: Evapotranspiration along an elevation gradient in California's Sierra Nevada, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 117, G03028, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JG002027, 2012. a
Hahm, W. J., Riebe, C. S., Lukens, C. E., and Araki, S.: Bedrock composition
regulates mountain ecosystems and landscape evolution, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 3338–3343, 2014. a
Hahm, W. J., Dralle, D. N., Rempe, D. M., Bryk, A. B., Thompson, S. E., Dawson, T. E., and Dietrich, W. E.: Low subsurface water storage capacity relative to annual rainfall decouples Mediterranean plant productivity and water use from rainfall variability, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46,
6544–6553, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083294, 2019a. a, b
Hahm, W. J., Rempe, D. M., Dralle, D. N., Dawson, T. E., Lovill, S. M., Bryk,
A. B., Bish, D. L., Schieber, J., and Dietrich, W. E.: Lithologically
controlled subsurface critical zone thickness and water storage capacity
determine regional plant community composition, Water Resour. Res., 55, 3028–3055, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023760, 2019b. a
Hahm, W. J., Rempe, D. M., Dralle, D. N., Dawson, T. E., and Dietrich, W. E.:
Oak Transpiration Drawn From the Weathered Bedrock Vadose Zone in the Summer Dry Season, Water Resour. Res., 56, e2020WR027419, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027419, 2020. a
Hall, D., Riggs, G., and Salomonson, V.: MODIS/Terra Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 500 m Grid, Version 6, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center
Distributed Active Archive Center, Boulder, CO, 2016. a
Jones, D. and Graham, R.: Water-holding characteristics of weathered granitic
rock in chaparral and forest ecosystems, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 57, 256–261, 1993. a
Klos, P. Z., Goulden, M. L., Riebe, C. S., Tague, C. L., O'Geen, A. T., Flinchum, B. A., Safeeq, M., Conklin, M. H., Hart, S. C., Berhe, A. A., and Hartsough, P. C.: Subsurface plant-accessible water in mountain ecosystems with a Mediterranean climate, Wiley Interdisciplin. Rev.: Water, 5, e1277, https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1277, 2018. a
Lewis, D. and Burgy, R. H.: The relationship between oak tree roots and
groundwater in fractured rock as determined by tritium tracing, J. Geophys. Res., 69, 2579–2588, 1964. a
Miller, G. R., Chen, X., Rubin, Y., Ma, S., and Baldocchi, D. D.: Groundwater
uptake by woody vegetation in a semiarid oak savanna, Water Resour. Res., 46, W10503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR008902, 2010. a
Montgomery, D. R. and Dietrich, W. E.: A physically based model for the
topographic control on shallow landsliding, Water Resour. Res., 30, 1153–1171, 1994. a
Porporato, A., Daly, E., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: Soil water balance and
ecosystem response to climate change, Am. Nat., 164, 625–632, 2004. a
Rempe, D. M. and Dietrich, W. E.: Direct observations of rock moisture, a
hidden component of the hydrologic cycle, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 115, 2664–2669, 2018. a
Reynolds, C., Jackson, T., and Rawls, W.: Estimating soil water-holding
capacities by linking the Food and Agriculture Organization soil map of the
world with global pedon databases and continuous pedotransfer functions,
Water Resour. Res., 36, 3653–3662, 2000. a
Rose, K., Graham, R., and Parker, D.: Water source utilization by Pinus
jeffreyi and Arctostaphylos patula on thin soils over bedrock, Oecologia,
134, 46–54, 2003. a
Salve, R., Rempe, D. M., and Dietrich, W. E.: Rain, rock moisture dynamics, and the rapid response of perched groundwater in weathered, fractured argillite underlying a steep hillslope, Water Resour. Res., 48, W11528, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR012583, 2012. a
Schwinning, S.: The ecohydrology of roots in rocks, Ecohydrology: Ecosystems,
Land and Water Process Interactions, Ecohydrogeomorphology, 3, 238–245, 2010. a
Swenson, S., Wahr, J., and Milly, P.: Estimated accuracies of regional water
storage variations inferred from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), Water Resour. Res., 39, 1223, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002WR001808, 2003. a
Wang-Erlandsson, L., Bastiaanssen, W. G. M., Gao, H., Jägermeyr, J., Senay, G. B., van Dijk, A. I. J. M., Guerschman, J. P., Keys, P. W., Gordon, L. J., and Savenije, H. H. G.: Global root zone storage capacity from
satellite-based evaporation, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 1459–1481, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1459-2016, 2016. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o
Zhang, Y., Kong, D., Gan, R., Chiew, F. H., McVicar, T. R., Zhang, Q., and
Yang, Y.: Coupled estimation of 500 m and 8-day resolution global
evapotranspiration and gross primary production in 2002–2017, Remote Sens.
Environ., 222, 165–182, 2019. a
Short summary
Root zone water storage capacity determines how much water can be stored belowground to support plants during periods without precipitation. Here, we develop a satellite remote sensing method to estimate this key variable at large scales that matter for management. Importantly, our method builds on previous approaches by accounting for snowpack, which may bias estimates from existing approaches. Ultimately, our method will improve large-scale understanding of plant access to subsurface water.
Root zone water storage capacity determines how much water can be stored belowground to support...
