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Arid Land Geography ›› 2022, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 1071-1081.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2021.446

• Climatology and Hydrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evapotranspiration of a semi-arid landscape in Inner Mongolia: Estimation and attribution

HAN Dianchen1(),ZHANG Fangmin1(),CHEN Jiquan2,LI Yunpeng3,LU Qi4,5,LU Yanyu6   

  1. 1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, Jiangsu, China
    2. Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Science and Center for Global Change and Earth Observation, Michigan State University, East Lansing MI48825, Michigan, USA
    3. Ecological and Agricultural Meteorological Center of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China
    4. Desertification Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China
    5. Desert Forestry Experimental Center, Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100091, China
    6. Auhui Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Auhui Province Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Science and Satellite Remote Sensing, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China
  • Received:2021-10-01 Revised:2021-10-25 Online:2022-07-25 Published:2022-08-11
  • Contact: Fangmin ZHANG E-mail:20191208013@nuist.edu.cn;fmin.zhang@nuist.edu.cn

Abstract:

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the most important flux term in the ecosystem water budget because it is related to water and heat exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Quantifying the magnitude and dynamics of ET and its components include evaporation (E) and transpiration (T) at regional scales and deriving a mechanistic understanding of the underline regulations is essential for managing water resources under the changing climate. On the basis of a mechanistic ecosystem model (BEPS), we estimated the magnitudes of ET and its components in the semi-arid region (40.16°-46.77°N and 110.33°-119.91°E) of Inner Mongolia, China from 1981 to 2018. Compared with different data, the BEPS could provide accurate estimates for changes in ET and its components by validating with ground measurements. The total average annual ET of grassland, cropland, and forests in the study area from 1981 to 2018 was 278.22 mm, 362.50 mm, and 308.81 mm, respectively. Over the study period, E, T, and ET increased at a rate of 0.42 mm·a-1, 0.63 mm·a-1, and 1.05 mm·a-1, respectively. Across the study region, we found that the spatial distribution patterns of T was opposite to that of E and similar to that of ET. From the interannual variation standpoint, the interannual fluctuations in ET were primarily influenced by those in T. Considering the changes in influencing factors and the sensitivities of the three fluxes, we concluded that T and ET of the grasslands and croplands and ET of forests were mainly controlled by vapor pressure deficit and air temperature. Although both cropland and forest normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) showed decreasing trends, forest environmental T was more sensitive to changes in NDVI, thus receiving more negative influence than cropland.

Key words: evapotranspiration, evaporation, transpiration, BEPS model, semi-arid area