Articles | Volume 30, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-433-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-30-433-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Jan 2026
Research article |
| 28 Jan 2026
| 28 Jan 2026
Questioning the Endorheic Paradigm: water balance dynamics in the Salar del Huasco basin, Chile
Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Oscar Hartogensis
Meteorology and Air Quality, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Pedro Bonacic-Vera
Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Francisco Suárez
Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable (CEDEUS), Santiago, Chile
Centro UC Desierto de Atacama (CDA), Santiago, Chile
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6125, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6125, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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Heat exchange between land and air mainly happens through turbulence. Usually turbulence is measured at one location over time, but it also happens over space. In this study, we use fiber optic cables (DTS) that can measure temperature to capture turbulence over time, as well as directly over space. If compared with conventional instruments, we found a good correlation but also an underestimation. We recommend using DTS alongside with conventional instruments so they can complement each other.
Luuk D. van der Valk, Oscar K. Hartogensis, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Rolf W. Hut, and Remko Uijlenhoet
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 6589–6606, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-6589-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-6589-2025, 2025
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Commercial microwave links (CMLs), part of mobile phone networks, transmit comparable signals as instruments specially designed to estimate evaporation. Therefore, we investigate if CMLs could be used to estimate evaporation, even though they have not been designed for this purpose. Our results illustrate the potential of using CMLs to estimate evaporation, especially given their global coverage, but also outline some major drawbacks, often a consequence of unfavourable design choices for CMLs.
Luuk D. van der Valk, Oscar K. Hartogensis, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Rolf W. Hut, Bas Walraven, and Remko Uijlenhoet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 6143–6165, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6143-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6143-2025, 2025
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Commercial microwave links (CMLs), part of mobile phone networks, transmit comparable signals to instruments specially designed to estimate evaporation. Therefore, we investigate if CMLs could be used to estimate evaporation, even though they have not been designed for this purpose. Our results illustrate the potential for using CMLs to estimate evaporation, especially given their global coverage, but also outline some major drawbacks, often a consequence of unfavourable design choices for CMLs.
Robbert P. J. Moonen, Getachew A. Adnew, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, Oscar K. Hartogensis, David J. Bonell Fontas, Shujiro Komiya, Sam P. Jones, and Thomas Röckmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 12197–12212, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12197-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12197-2025, 2025
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Understory ejections are distinct turbulent features emerging in prime tall-forest ecosystems. We share a method to isolate understory ejections based on H2O–CO2 anomaly quadrants. From these, we calculate the flux contributions of understory ejections and all flux quadrants. In addition, we show that a distinctly depleted isotopic composition can be found in the ejected water vapour. Finally, we explored the role of clouds as a potential trigger for understory ejections.
Mary Rose Mangan, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, Bart J. H. van Stratum, Marie Lothon, Guylaine Canut-Rocafort, and Oscar K. Hartogensis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8959–8981, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8959-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8959-2025, 2025
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Biogeosciences, 21, 2425–2445, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2425-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2425-2024, 2024
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This paper investigates the water and CO2 exchange for an alfalfa field with observations and a model with spatial scales ranging from the stomata to the atmospheric boundary layer. To relate the environmental factors to the leaf gas exchange, we developed three equations that quantify how many of the temporal changes of the leaf gas exchange occur due to changes in the environmental variables. The novelty of the research resides in the capacity to dissect the dynamics of the leaf gas exchange.
Robbert P. J. Moonen, Getachew A. Adnew, Oscar K. Hartogensis, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, David J. Bonell Fontas, and Thomas Röckmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5787–5810, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5787-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5787-2023, 2023
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Isotope fluxes allow for net ecosystem gas exchange fluxes to be partitioned into sub-components like plant assimilation, respiration and transpiration, which can help us better understand the environmental drivers of each partial flux. We share the results of a field campaign isotope fluxes were derived using a combination of laser spectroscopy and eddy covariance. We found lag times and high frequency signal loss in the isotope fluxes we derived and present methods to correct for both.
Felipe Lobos-Roco, Oscar Hartogensis, Francisco Suárez, Ariadna Huerta-Viso, Imme Benedict, Alberto de la Fuente, and Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3709–3729, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3709-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3709-2022, 2022
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This research brings a multi-scale temporal analysis of evaporation in a saline lake of the Atacama Desert. Our findings reveal that evaporation is controlled differently depending on the timescale. Evaporation is controlled sub-diurnally by wind speed, regulated seasonally by radiation and modulated interannually by ENSO. Our research extends our understanding of evaporation, contributing to improving the climate change assessment and efficiency of water management in arid regions.
Carlos Román-Cascón, Marie Lothon, Fabienne Lohou, Oscar Hartogensis, Jordi Vila-Guerau de Arellano, David Pino, Carlos Yagüe, and Eric R. Pardyjak
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 3939–3967, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3939-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3939-2021, 2021
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The type of vegetation (or land cover) and its status influence the heat and water transfers between the surface and the air, affecting the processes that develop in the atmosphere at different (but connected) spatiotemporal scales. In this work, we investigate how these transfers are affected by the way the surface is represented in a widely used weather model. The results encourage including realistic high-resolution and updated land cover databases in models to improve their predictions.
Robin Stoffer, Caspar M. van Leeuwen, Damian Podareanu, Valeriu Codreanu, Menno A. Veerman, Martin Janssens, Oscar K. Hartogensis, and Chiel C. van Heerwaarden
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 3769–3788, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3769-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3769-2021, 2021
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Turbulent flows are often simulated with the large-eddy simulation (LES) technique, which requires subgrid models to account for the smallest scales. Current subgrid models often require strong simplifying assumptions. We therefore developed a subgrid model based on artificial neural networks, which requires fewer assumptions. Our data-driven SGS model showed high potential in accurately representing the smallest scales but still introduced instability when incorporated into an actual LES.
Felipe Lobos-Roco, Oscar Hartogensis, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, Alberto de la Fuente, Ricardo Muñoz, José Rutllant, and Francisco Suárez
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 9125–9150, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9125-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9125-2021, 2021
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We investigate the influence of regional atmospheric circulation on the evaporation of a saline lake in the Altiplano region of the Atacama Desert through a field experiment and regional modeling. Our results show that evaporation is controlled by two regimes: (1) in the morning by local conditions with low evaporation rates and low wind speed and (2) in the afternoon with high evaporation rates and high wind speed. Afternoon winds are connected to the regional Pacific Ocean–Andes flow.
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Short summary
We studied an arid, endorheic basin in the Chilean Altiplano to understand how rainfall and evaporation affect groundwater and water availability. Using a rainfall-runoff model and 40 years of satellite data, we found that much of the water evaporates and less reaches the aquifers than expected. Our results challenge the idea that the basin is fully closed and suggest that current water budget estimates may need revision, an urgent task under a changing climate.
We studied an arid, endorheic basin in the Chilean Altiplano to understand how rainfall and...
