Carbon and water coupling in ecosystems:

Ecosystem-scale hydraulic behavior for water

usage efficiency
•SPAC: Soil – Plant – Atmosphere Continuum

•Ψ+  Ψ-

•Ψt = Ψs + Ψp + Ψm + Ψg
•Ψs - Solute
•Ψp - Pressure
•Ψm - Matrix
•Ψg - Gravity
 DROUGTH  ↓ψsoil (+ ↑VPD)
Plant hydraulic traits are a keystone of the coupled C-H 2O cycles of the biosphere

Isohydric (ISO): Anisohydric (ANISO):

• keeps ψ rather • ψ drops to keep-up
constant with ↓ψsoil + ↑VPD
• high transpiration • stomata still open till
control  stomatal elevated stress
closure • transpiration and
• lower CO2 exchange  photosynthesis bg-20-1789-2023.pdf (copernicus.org)
diminished continue
photosynthesis • embolism/cavity-prone
• CARBON STARVATION • HYDRAULIC FAILURE
(duration) (intensity)

DICHOTOMY ERE JUST EXEMPLIFICATIVE EXTREMES

ANALYSE, IN SPACE AND TIME AT THE ECOSYSTEM-LEVEL, THE DEGREE OF HYDRAULIC BEHAVIOR TO GATHER INSIGHTS ON

THE GLOBAL TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN C ABSORPTION AND WATER LOSS (WUE) IN AN ICREASING WATER-STRESSED

ENVIRONMENT

AIM
The overall goal of the analysis is to globally assess if at the ecosystem-scale, we are
witnessing a

Dynamic  shifts in the degree of hydraulic behavior

Adaptation  WUE trends (↑↓)

to increasing water-stress.
 1° Hypothesis: Define the ecosystem-scale Plant Hydraulic Traits (PHT)/hydraulic behavior

Methodological approaches to distinguish PHT span from the using the HSM to avoid cavitation - like y50 - from literature[5] or
direct field measurements[6]. However, both methods are neither spatially-explicit or show some temporal dynamics.

Data-fusion of ground measurements (e.g. FLUXNET) and RS data (especially VOD) are obviously the current most used
methodologies[7-8-9-10], giving insights of spatially-explicit ecosystem-scale PHT[11].

VOD seems to be the most promising way to detect PHT, because of its relative strong
relationship with VWC, and thus plant/leaf y[12].

The use of VOD to detect PHT comes from two seminal papers.

One set the base of the relationship between predawn yL vs. midday yL[13].

The other exploited such relationship taking advantage of nightime (1.30AM)

and midday (1:30 PM) VOD acquisition[14].
[5] - Global convergence in the vulnerability of forests to drought | Nature (2012)
[6] - Predicting plant vulnerability to drought in biodiverse regions using functional traits (pnas.org) (2015)
[7] - Hydraulic diversity of forests regulates ecosystem resilience during drought | Nature (2018)
[8] - Interacting Effects of Leaf Water Potential and Biomass on Vegetation Optical Depth - Momen - 2017 - Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences - Wiley Online Library (2017)
[9] - BG - L-band vegetation optical depth as an indicator of plant water potential in a temperate deciduous forest stand (copernicus.org) (2021)
[10] - Large diurnal compensatory effects mitigate the response of Amazonian forests to atmospheric warming and drying | Science Advances (2023)
[11] - HESS - Global ecosystem-scale plant hydraulic traits retrieved using model–data fusion (copernicus.org) (2021)
[12] - Can vegetation optical depth reflect changes in leaf water potential during soil moisture dry-down events? – ScienceDirect (2019)
[13] - A new look at water transport regulation in plants (wiley.com) (2014)
[14] - Global variations in ecosystem‐scale isohydricity (wiley.com) (2017)
 - Land Parameter Retrieve Model on
the Advanced Microwave Scanning
Radiometer-E (AMSR-E) (1:30AM and
1:30PM)
[13] - A new look at water transport regulation in plants (wiley.com) (2014)
- Seasonal-scale degree of
isohydricity
Requires a steady-state
environmental conditions (e.g. VPD)
Λ = maximum transpiration rate
σ = relative sensitivity of the transpiration rate and plant hydraulic
conductance to declining water availability.
[14] - Global variations in ecosystem‐scale isohydricity (wiley.com) (2017)

Nighttime transpiration shut off allows the sap flux to refill the xylem,
aligning yL to yS thus, predawn yL ≈ yS.
Requires a complete xylem refill
at 1:30 AM, which is not always “This empirically based
the case, further, transpiration linearization may add some
can also continue at night in error to the estimated
some species (up to 5%-30% of values of ecosystem-scale
daytime) isohydricity…”

s is the slope of AM and PM

VOD and determines the ISO
(~0) or ANISO (≥1)
- SIF OCO-3
- ECOSTRESS ET
- SIF, ET and WUESIF daily and seasonal (wet vs. dry) trends
- 2015-2021
- Spatially continuous, hourly SIF and ET:
(SIF_grid; ET_grid) = RF(FPAR, T, VDP, SM, Rad) Large diurnal compensatory effects mitigate the response of Amazonian forests to atmospheric warming and drying | Science Advances

- If WUE is associated to a given degree of ISO/ANISO

behavior

- How such a degree of ISO/ANISO varies in space and time

and if WUE with
 So far…

- Important assumptions:
- the steady state condition at daily to seasonal timescales
- linear relationship between midday and predawn plant water potentials
- soil and plant water potentials that are in equilibrium in the predawn or nighttime satellite overpass time
- linear relationship between the water status measurement (VOD) and water potential[1]

Adopt sub-daily observed variation of ET or its proxy quantify the degree of ISO/ANISO
ACTUAL OBSERVED BEHAVIOR

- Importance of seasonal variation (wet season vs dry season)

- High daily variation at regional-scale, thus relevance of daily trend

- Instantaneous picture of the processes, not dynamic evolution

Compare multiple years dynamics of this behavior

[1] - Estimating Global Ecosystem Isohydry/Anisohydry Using Active and Passive Microwave Satellite Data (wiley.com)
Characterise, quantitatively, for each pixel i/ecosystemi the dominant, if any, hydraulic trait based on an observed daily trend of ET (or its
proxy), defined from sub-daily measures (e.g. hourly) of ET | [season variability] [standardized by monthly ET]
B
A C D

A
D E
C

ET
ET

E
B
t1 t2 t3
t1 t2 t3
Local solar time
Local solar time A = min ET in t1
A = max ET in t1
B = max ET in t2
B = min ET in t2
E = min ET in t3
C = max ET in t3
ANISO = slopeC  consumer (+) vs. thrifty trait (-)
ISO = slopeD  transpiration sensitivity
RESISTANCE?
slopeD = maximizing the day (-) vs. procastinate (+)
TOLERANCE (slope decrease) / AVOIDANCE (slope increase)

slopeE = compensation/photoshyntesis recovery rate

RESILIENCE
EXTREME THEORETICAL BEHAVIORS
 WUE

Trend ANISO
a

slopeC
Observed ANISO

years

b
slopeD

WUE

Trend ISO

Observed ISO

years

In both system a and b, they tend to exacerbate their strategies to keep up with increasing water stress.
System a, however, is losing in WUE, showing less adaptatio capacity.
System b is keeping WUE pretty stable.

Assessing resilience through slope VAR and slope TAC: IDEAS

 The degree of ISO/ANISO are computed for each ecosystem for each year to detect any trend.

Is the ecosystem consistent with the strategy? / Can we assign the ecosystem to a dominant strategy?

N
Y - Which are the strategy selectors?
- Which strategy shows a better WUE?
Does it shift towards the edge of the range?

Y N
- What controls the shift?
- How is the trend of WUE?
- Towards which edge the WUE is better?
- WHAT ABOUT IF MIXED BEHAVIOR IN THE ECOSYSTEM LEVELS-OUT THE DIFFERENCES?

ET_ANISO ET_ISO ET_tot

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
12:00:00 AM 04:48:00 AM 09:36:00 AM 02:24:00 PM 07:12:00 PM 12:00:00 AM

COMPLEX INTERACTION HARD TO DEFINE AND EXPLAIN

Doubts if greater stomatal control in response to decreasing water availability is associated with a tighter regulation of
leaf water potential across species.

Doubts if there is an association between tighter water potential regulation (~isohydric behaviour) and lower leaf
conductance (gL) over time during a drought event.

“We focus here on seasonal patterns and advocate for a continuous measure of the degree of isohydry instead of distinguishing
only between two idealized extreme behaviours, which would always be somewhat arbitrary…”

Water potential regulation, stomatal behaviour and hydraulic transport under drought: deconstructing the iso/ anisohydric concept - Martínez‐Vilalta
- 2017 - Plant, Cell & Environment - Wiley Online Library
However, ET seems to be a key parameter to assess the hydraulic behavior: ET response to VPD can vary from strongly water conservative (ET
decreasing in response to increasing VPD) to strongly water intensive (ET increasing in response to VPD) which is indicative of the diversity of
possible plant water conservation strategies[1].

To align the ET response of the ecosystem to the environmental condition, in agricultural science the so-called R-index, Ri, were
developed[2] as:

Ri = ET/ET0

where ET is the actual evapotranspiration, and ET0 is the potential evapotranspiration.

It was developed for crops (usually  ANISO ), and it is a useful measure of plant water supply in relation to plant water demands. It also can be used to
indicate soil moisture conditions[2].

[1] - When Does Vapor Pressure Deficit Drive or Reduce Evapotranspiration? - Massmann - 2019 - Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems - Wiley Online Library
[2] - Agricultural potential estimated from the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration - ScienceDirect
Varing according to the environmental envelope[1], soil moisture[2] and VPD[3] are the main drivers of water related stress in ecosystems, with a non linear
relationship with transpiration[4].

Because Ri can be used as an indicator of soil moisture conditions[5], and because it accounts for VPD when computed according to the FAO 56 Penman-
Monteith equation[6], it can be potentially used to quantify the ET response, and then the degree of ISO vs ANISO behavior in the ecosystem.

ET is an absolute value measured in a given location, under a given environmental envelope, without accounting for these.

Ri, is a relative value that reproduce the ET trend but, because it depends on ET0, that accounts for SM and VPD, so it can be used to compare ecosystems
at different locations under different environmental conditions.

The higher the index when the radiative force is at its maximum (central time of the day), the more the ecosystem tends towards to an ANISO behavior, and
viceversa.

[1] - Disentangling the relative effects of soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit on photosynthesis in dryland Central Asia - ScienceDirect
[2] - Land‐Atmosphere Drivers of Landscape‐Scale Plant Water Content Loss (wiley.com)
[3] - Mechanisms of woody-plant mortality under rising drought, CO2 and vapour pressure deficit | Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
[4] - Limitation of soil moisture on the response of transpiration to vapor pressure deficit in a subtropical coniferous plantation subjected to seasonal drought – ScienceDirect
[5] - Agricultural potential estimated from the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration – ScienceDirect
[6] - Chapter 2 - FAO Penman-Monteith equation
 Agronomy
Simplified system
Major anthropogenic energy input
Higher index  good water supply
Lower index  needs irrigation
ET0 increases up to the central hours of the day.
1. ET increases somehow proportionally (ANISO)
2. ET decreases at some point (ISO)
3. Any possible scenario between the extremes given by mixed effects.
Forestry/Ecology
Complex system
Complex feedback loops of energy and matter
fluxes
Higher index  lower T control (ANISO)
Lower index  higher T control (ISO)
 ET0 ET_ANISO ET_ISO ET_tot R_i_ISO R_i_ANISO ECO_R_i

4000 1

0.9
3500

0.8

3000

0.7

2500
0.6

2000 0.5

0.4
1500

0.3

1000

0.2

500
0.1

0 0
12:00:00 AM 02:24:00 AM 04:48:00 AM 07:12:00 AM 09:36:00 AM 12:00:00 PM 02:24:00 PM 04:48:00 PM 07:12:00 PM 09:36:00 PM 12:00:00 AM
 The degree of hydraulic behavior is computed for each ecosystem for each year to detect any trend.

How is the trend in the degree of hydraulic behavior? Does it vary tightly within a given range (not or low
fluctuations)?

N
Y - What drives its fluctuations?
- How WUE vary accordingly?
- In the continuum, is more towards to
ISO/ANISO?
- What is the WUE?

- Overall, is there a trend towards a behavior

more than another?
 Data requirements
Main:

- ET and ET0 at the central hours of the day recorded simultaneusly.

Covariates for explorative analysis:

- General climate variables

- Forest composition (mixture, main species)
- Forest structure (height, density, stratification)
- VPD
- WUE (GPP/ET)
- Soil moisture
- Root:shoot
- Aridity index (various)
- Precipitation
- Air temperature
Evapotranspiration and turbulent fluxes (ipma.pt)

EGU2020-18108_presentation.pdf (copernicus.org)

MTG data | EUMETSAT

ESSD - Upscaled diurnal cycles of land–atmosphere fluxes: a new global half-hourly data product (copernicus.org)

- Random Forest (FLUXNET and environmental data)

- GPP
- LE
- NEE
-H
- 2001-2014
- 0.5°

ET = Le (W m-2) / l*
For example:

a total LE of 500 W m-2 h-1 = 1 800 000 J m-2 of energy (1W = 1J s-1) 
1 800 000 J m-2 /2257 J g-1) = 798 g m-2 = 0.798 mm (1 kg H20 m-2 = 1 mm).

*[latent heat of evaporation] (i.e. the amount of energy required to evaporate 1g or 1ml of water) which is 2257 J g -1 .

evaporation - FLUXNET15 - how to convert latent heat flux to actual evapotranspiration? - Earth Science Stack Exchange

R: Conversion between Latent Heat Flux and Evapotranspiration (r-project.org)

Emerging satellite observations for diurnal cycling of ecosystem processes | Nature
Plants
LP DAAC - Search (usgs.gov) – ET ECOSTRESS L3_ET_PT_JPL /
L3_ET_ALEXI:
- 70-km x 70-km at 52° N-S (ISS)
- Temporal resolution vary according to ISS  sample different hour of
the day in different days, thus “Despite the diurnal sampling capability,
ECOSTRESS and OCO-3 provide only one or few (or no) observations for
each location during a given day; therefore, capturing a large portion of
the diurnal cycle will require ISS overpasses over a relatively long period
(for example, weeks). Over such a period of time, the variations in
instantaneous LST, ET or SIF are caused by not only diurnal variations in
meteorological conditions and water/heat stress but also the day-to-day
variations in these factors, vegetation structure (or leaf area index)
and/or phenology, which can complicate diurnal cycle analyses to a
certain extent.”
ECOSTRESS: NASA's Next Generation Mission to Measure Evapotranspiration From the International Space Stat
ion - Fisher - 2020 - Water Resources Research - Wiley Online Library

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3: Home (nasa.gov) – SIF

- 2 km spatial resolution at 52° N-S (ISS)
- “OCO-3 passes over any given location (at nadir) ~20-min earlier each
time, eventually sampling all sunlit hours.”

OCO-3, in combination with ECOSTRESS, provides cutting-edge insight

into ecosystem processes of SIF and ET and ultimately can be combined
as WUE, with high-resolution sampling throughout the day.
Leng, J., Chen, J. M., Li, W., Luo, X., Xu, M., Liu, J., Wang, R., Rogers, C., Li, B., and Yan, Y.: Global datasets of hourly
carbon and water fluxes simulated using a satellite-based process model with dynamic parameterizations, Earth
Syst. Sci. Data Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-328, in review, 2023.

- 0,25° spatial resolution (about 27-km x 27-km)

- Hourly estimation global GPP and ET
- 2001 – 2020
- Terrestrial Biosphere Model – Biosphere-atmosphere
Exchange Process Simulator (BEPS) (optimization parameter for
m and V25cmax)
1) FLUXNET to upscale at monthly for each site m and V25cmax
2) Random forest to upscaling and grid m and V25cmax at
hourly steps
3) Estimating hourly GPP and ET with BEPS
 source product time_span time_res spat_res method cover

Lang et al. ET 2001-2020 hourly 0.25° (27km) modeling global

eu;
LSA-SAF ET 2012-2022 30' 3km from LE to ET africa; sa

Bodesheim
et al. LE 2001-2014 30' 0.5° (55km) modeling global

daily sampling
(1-5 days
ECOSTRESS ET 2018-current repass) 70km JPL-ALEXI 50° N-S

radiometric and
temporal
VODCA VOD 1987-2018 daily 0.25° (27km) aggregation global
THANKS