Seminar: Making the most out of eddy covariance water and energy flux observations
Links to climate and the emerging grand challenge of water use efficiency
Speaker: Paul Stoy (Montana State University)
Time: Thursday, 2 June 2016 at 10:30
Place: CHN P12
Abstract:
Most eddy covariance studies seek to understand controls over terrestrial carbon cycling. The eddy covariance technique also measures heat flux and water flux (evapotranspiration), but these observations are less-studied, in part because of the perceived lack of surface-atmosphere energy balance closure. Here, I demonstrate that energy balance closure is often a smaller problem than is perceived, and discuss a contemporary grand challenge in coupled carbon and water flux measurements: the large observed increase in water use efficiency in many forested ecosystems over the past decade. I then discuss how high frequency eddy covariance measurements can be used to partition evapotranspiration measurements into evaporation and transpiration - critical for understanding terrestrial hydrology. The partitioning of energy into surface-atmosphere water and heat fluxes drives atmospheric boundary layer development, and I discuss how widespread land management changes in the northern North American Great Plains has enhanced cloud formation processes and convective precipitation - a ‘win-win-win’ scenario for soil conservation, agricultural income, and climate. Eddy covariance datasets are rich but imperfect, and making the most out of them can yield critical insight into how humans impact climate processes.
For further information please contact: .