Articles | Volume 21, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024
© 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-21-1801-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Apr 2024
Research article |
| 11 Apr 2024
| 11 Apr 2024
Inclusion of bedrock vadose zone in dynamic global vegetation models is key for simulating vegetation structure and function
Dana A. Lapides
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
USDA Southwest Watershed Research Station, Tucson, AZ, USA
W. Jesse Hahm
Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Matthew Forrest
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg, Germany
Daniella M. Rempe
Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Thomas Hickler
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg, Germany
David N. Dralle
US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, USA
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David N. Dralle, W. Jesse Hahm, K. Dana Chadwick, Erica McCormick, and Daniella M. Rempe
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Root zone water storage capacity determines how much water can be stored belowground to support plants during periods without precipitation. Here, we develop a satellite remote sensing method to estimate this key variable at large scales that matter for management. Importantly, our method builds on previous approaches by accounting for snowpack, which may bias estimates from existing approaches. Ultimately, our method will improve large-scale understanding of plant access to subsurface water.
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Short summary
Water stored in weathered bedrock is rarely incorporated into vegetation and Earth system models despite increasing recognition of its importance. Here, we add a weathered bedrock component to a widely used vegetation model. Using a case study of two sites in California and model runs across the United States, we show that more accurately representing subsurface water storage and hydrology increases summer plant water use so that it better matches patterns in distributed data products.
Water stored in weathered bedrock is rarely incorporated into vegetation and Earth system models...
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