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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (3 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2015)

Evapotranspiration cools the land surface by consuming a large fraction of the net radiative energy at the surface. In forested regions, trees actively control the rate of transpiration by modulating stomatal conductance in response to environmental conditions, and species with different stomatal dynamics can affect the atmosphere in distinct ways. Using principal component analysis (PCA) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) parameter estimation with direct, tree-level measurements of water use, we show that Douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii), a common evergreen needleleaf tree species in the Northern California Coast Range, decrease their transpiration sharply in the summer dry season in response to a dry root zone; and in contrast, broadleaf evergreen tree species, especially Pacific madrones (Arbutus menziesii), transpire maximally in the summer dry season because their transpiration is much less sensitive to a dry root zone and increases continually in response to increasing atmospheric evaporative demand. We scale up these tree-level observations to construct a bottom-up estimate of regional transpiration, and we use these regional estimates along with atmospheric models, one simple and one comprehensive, to quantify the potential impact of species transpiration differences on regional summertime climate. The atmospheric models suggest that these species differences in transpiration could affect the well-mixed atmospheric boundary layer temperature and humidity by 1-1.5 degrees C and 1 g/kg, respectively, and near-surface temperature and humidity by 1.5-2.5 degrees C and 2-3 g/kg, respectively. We further investigate the sensitivity of California climate to evapotranspiration by estimating the sensitivity of wind energy forecasts at a California wind farm to regional-scale perturbations in soil moisture using a regional atmospheric model. These tests show that forecasts at this particular farm are most sensitive to soil moisture in the Central Valley, and that changes in soil moisture on the order of previously-demonstrated errors in atmospheric reanalyses lead to wind energy forecast errors of 1-3 m/s, which can translate to differences in forecasted wind energy of 15-40% of a wind farm’s maximum rated power.

    Cover page: Forests, Water, and the Atmosphere in Northern California: Insights from Sap-Flow Data Analysis and Numerical Atmospheric Model Simulations
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2014)
    In Mediterranean climates, the season of water availability (winter) is out of phase with the season of light availability and atmospheric moisture demand (summer). We investigate the seasonality of evergreen tree transpiration in a Mediterranean climate, using observations from a small (4000 m2), forested, steep (32) hillslope, in the northern California Coast Range. We analyze 3 years of half-hourly measurements from 39 sap flow sensors in 26 trees, six depth profiles of soil moisture measured by TDR, and spatially distributed measurements of micrometeorology from five locations. The sap flow measurements show that two common evergreen tree species have different seasons of peak transpiration. Douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii) maintain significant transpiration through the winter rainy season and transpire maximally in the spring, followed by a sharp decline in transpiration in the summer dry season. Pacific madrones (Arbutus menziesii), and to a lesser extent other broadleaf evergreen species (Quercus wislizeni, Notholithocarpus densiflorus, Umbellularia californica), in contrast, transpire maximally in the summer dry season. The seasonal patterns are quantified using principal component analysis. Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation of response to environmental variables shows that the difference in transpiration seasonality arises from different sensitivities to atmospheric evaporative demand and root-zone moisture. The different sensitivities to atmospheric evaporative demand also create species differences in transpiration variability at synoptic time scales. Using the sap flow measurements and a regional forest inventory, a bottom-up regional transpiration estimate is constructed. The estimate suggests that sensitivity of Douglas-fir transpiration to water stress suppresses dry season evapotranspiration at the regional scale. Key Points Three year, half-hourly record of sap flow, micrometeorology, and soil moisture PCA shows offset in peak transpiration season between needleleaf and broadleaf species Douglas-fir water stress response could reduce dry season transpiration at large scale © 2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2014)
      Obtaining the d-excess parameter from oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope composition of meteoric waters has the potential power to reconstruct changes in atmospheric water pools (e,g. sources, origins and overall balance) and the climatic conditions that prevail during surface evaporation. Recently, plant and ecosystem scientists turned their attention using d-excess information to inform questions at these scales. Here, we use the d-excess parameter to evaluate the influence of forest canopies on atmospheric humidity within a mixed evergreen forest in coastal California. We found that during the day, when transpiration was at a maximum, the d-excess of atmospheric water vapour exceeded model predictions for the background atmosphere into which the ecosystem evapotranspiration mixes. At night when transpiration was minor, the d-excess of atmospheric water vapour was on average less than model predictions for an ocean derived water vapour source. The observed diurnal fluctuations around the d-excess of the modelled background water vapour provided a strong evidence that during the day as the land surface warms and the boundary layer grows plants alter the isotope composition of atmospheric humidity via non-steady state isotope effects. In contrast, at night equilibrium isotope effects dominate as the atmosphere stabilizes. These day and nighttime fluctuations around the d-excess of ocean derived water vapour highlight the importance of plant transpiration for the isotope hydrology of near surface humidity and subsequently for the isotope composition of condensate like dew, an important water input to this ecosystem. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
        Cover page: Vegetation induced changes in the stable isotope composition of near surface humidity
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