Articles | Volume 21, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1533-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1533-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Mar 2024
Research article |
| 22 Mar 2024
| 22 Mar 2024
Relevance of near-surface soil moisture vs. terrestrial water storage for global vegetation functioning
Prajwal Khanal
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany
Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Langezijds, 7500 AE, Enschede, the Netherlands
Anne J. Hoek Van Dijke
Department of Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Timo Schaffhauser
Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany
Wantong Li
Department of Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Sinikka J. Paulus
Department of Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Group Terrestrial Ecohydrology, Chair of Ecohydrology, University of Jena, Burgweg 11, 07749 Jena, Germany
Chair of Modeling of Biogeochemical Systems, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
Chunhui Zhan
Department of Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Land Surface–Atmosphere Interactions, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephan, 85354 Freising, Germany
René Orth
Department of Biogeochemical Integration, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Chair of Modeling of Biogeochemical Systems, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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Cited
12 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Evaluating satellite-derived evapotranspiration estimates against ground-based measurements in arid Upper Orange catchment, South Africa T. Dube et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2026.2630432
- Geostatistical modeling of soil physicochemical properties and environmental drivers in agro-industrial landuse systems in Bangladesh R. Zerin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomat.2025.100075
- When and where soil dryness matters to ecosystem photosynthesis J. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02024-7
- Spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation-soil moisture coupling depth and strength in natural and planted forests in China Y. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111249
- Unveiling the role of past vapor pressure deficit through soil moisture in driving tropical vegetation productivity A. Verma & S. Ghosh https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad7520
- Vegetation Greening Driven by Warming and Humidification Trends in the Upper Reaches of the Irtysh River H. Cao et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030482
- Integrating UAV and Landsat data: A two-scale approach to topsoil moisture mapping in coastal wetlands R. Prentice et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103197
- Flash drought-driven forest gross primary productivity declines in China amplified by extreme heat T. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105515
- Machine learning techniques for soil moisture prediction in arid and semi-arid regions: A case study of Morocco A. Elmotawakkil et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ige.2025.11.001
- A new approach in monitoring regional water use efficiency in response to climate variability: a case study in Hungary A. Louis et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102497
- Advances in GRACE satellite studies on terrestrial water storage: a comprehensive review J. Karki et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2025.2482706
- Glacial melting impact on runoff and evapotranspiration based on glacier-coupled SWAT model: A case study in the upper Shiyang River Basin, China C. Jiangdong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridl.2025.08.001
12 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Evaluating satellite-derived evapotranspiration estimates against ground-based measurements in arid Upper Orange catchment, South Africa T. Dube et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2026.2630432
- Geostatistical modeling of soil physicochemical properties and environmental drivers in agro-industrial landuse systems in Bangladesh R. Zerin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomat.2025.100075
- When and where soil dryness matters to ecosystem photosynthesis J. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02024-7
- Spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation-soil moisture coupling depth and strength in natural and planted forests in China Y. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111249
- Unveiling the role of past vapor pressure deficit through soil moisture in driving tropical vegetation productivity A. Verma & S. Ghosh https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad7520
- Vegetation Greening Driven by Warming and Humidification Trends in the Upper Reaches of the Irtysh River H. Cao et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18030482
- Integrating UAV and Landsat data: A two-scale approach to topsoil moisture mapping in coastal wetlands R. Prentice et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103197
- Flash drought-driven forest gross primary productivity declines in China amplified by extreme heat T. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105515
- Machine learning techniques for soil moisture prediction in arid and semi-arid regions: A case study of Morocco A. Elmotawakkil et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ige.2025.11.001
- A new approach in monitoring regional water use efficiency in response to climate variability: a case study in Hungary A. Louis et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102497
- Advances in GRACE satellite studies on terrestrial water storage: a comprehensive review J. Karki et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2025.2482706
- Glacial melting impact on runoff and evapotranspiration based on glacier-coupled SWAT model: A case study in the upper Shiyang River Basin, China C. Jiangdong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridl.2025.08.001
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 17 Jun 2026
Short summary
Water availability is essential for vegetation functioning, but the depth of vegetation water uptake is largely unknown due to sparse ground measurements. This study correlates vegetation growth with soil moisture availability globally to infer vegetation water uptake depth using only satellite-based data. We find that the vegetation water uptake depth varies across climate regimes and vegetation types and also changes during dry months at a global scale.
Water availability is essential for vegetation functioning, but the depth of vegetation water...
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