Evaluating the contribution of different environmental drivers to changes in evapotranspiration and soil moisture, a case study of the Wudaogou Experimental Station

Mingcheng Du; Jianyun Zhang; Yan Wang; Haowen Liu; Zhenlong Wang; Cuishan Liu; Qinli Yang; Yongsheng Hu; Zhenxin Bao; Yanli Liu; Junliang Jin; Xiong Zhou; Guoqing Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2021.103912

Evaluating the contribution of different environmental drivers to changes in evapotranspiration and soil moisture, a case study of the Wudaogou Experimental Station

J Contam Hydrol. 2021 Dec:243:103912. doi: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2021.103912. Epub 2021 Oct 28.

Authors

Mingcheng Du¹, Jianyun Zhang², Yan Wang³, Haowen Liu⁴, Zhenlong Wang⁵, Cuishan Liu³, Qinli Yang⁶, Yongsheng Hu⁵, Zhenxin Bao³, Yanli Liu³, Junliang Jin³, Xiong Zhou⁷, Guoqing Wang⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China.
² School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing 210098, China; Research Center for Climate Change, Nanjing 210029, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing 210098, China; Research Center for Climate Change, Nanjing 210029, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource & Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
⁵ Wudaogou Experimental Station for Hydrology and Water Resources, Bengbu 233704, China; Anhui Hydraulic Research Institute, Huai River Commission, Bengbu 233000, China.
⁶ University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China.
⁷ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, China-Canada Center for Energy, Environment and Ecology Research, UR-BNU, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Nanjing 210098, China; Research Center for Climate Change, Nanjing 210029, China. Electronic address: gqwang@nhri.cn.

PMID: 34798505
DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2021.103912

Abstract

Evapotranspiration and soil moisture content (SMC) are key elements of the hydrological cycle. Accurate prediction of the dynamic processes of evapotranspiration and soil water is essential for irrigation and water management. Here, the boosted regression tree (BRT) method was employed to quantify environmental controls on actual evapotranspiration (ET_a), potential evapotranspiration (ET₀), and SMC using monitoring data from the Wudaogou hydrological experimental station. The results indicated that: (1) the BRT algorithm was effective in predicting the relative control of different environmental factors on ET_a, ET₀, and SMC; and (2) vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was the most important factor affecting daily ET₀, and sunshine duration (SSD) also played a nonnegligible role. The results further explained the phenomenon of the "evaporation paradox" in the study area. SSD could be a leading control on daily ET_a, followed by VPD, leaf area index (LAI). (3) Among the underground factors, groundwater level (GL) and LAI played a dominant role in the relative contribution to SMC. Among the aboveground factors, relative humidity (RH) and soil temperature (TS) have a relatively large influence on SMC. (4) The differences in SMC at different depths were determined by multiple influencing factors, including LAI, VPD, and precipitation (P). This study also underscores the importance of vegetation variations to hydrological cycle processes. In general, climate warming and an increase in extreme rainfall events will increase the control of temperature on SMC and weaken the control of P on SMC in the future.

Keywords: Boosted regression tree; Environmental factors; Evapotranspiration; Soil moisture content; Wudaogou experimental station.

MeSH terms

Soil*
Temperature
Water*

Substances

Soil
Water