Greater role of atmospheric circulation than evapotranspiration in reshaping terrestrial moisture recycling
Jiangpeng Cui (Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Xu Lian (Peking University)
Ruud J. van der Ent (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Luis Gimeno (University of Vigo)
Diego G. Miralles (Universiteit Gent)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
As a promising nature-based solution to mitigate anthropogenic climate change, reforestation and afforestation initiatives have been carried on persistently for decades worldwide. In addition to the carbon sink benefits via directly sequestering atmospheric CO2, afforestation also influences climate from local to global scales by altering land–atmosphere exchanges of water and heat [1]. A key biophysical modification of forested land is the enhanced evapotranspiration (ET) as forests can access deep-layer soil moisture and facilitate turbulent moisture transfer between the land surface and the atmosphere [1]. Remote sensing evidence indicates that forest expansion and greening—due to climate change, CO2 fertilization, or large-scale ecological restoration practices—has been a major contributor to enhanced terrestrial ET over the past two decades [2]. In a warming world with rapidly growing water demand by forests, the ET enhancement has emerged as the most prominent driver of the accelerated hydrologic cycle.