Articles | Volume 23, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7067-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-23-7067-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
08 Oct 2026
Technical note |
| 08 Oct 2026
| 08 Oct 2026
Technical note: How well do evapotranspiration partitioning approaches perform in moss-covered wetlands?
Hydrometeorology Research Group, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Richard M. Petrone
Hydrometeorology Research Group, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Lei Zhang
School of Water Conservation, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Cited articles
Admiral, S. W. and Lafleur, P. M.: Partitioning of latent heat flux at a northern peatland, Aquat. Bot., 86, 107–116, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2006.09.006, 2007.
Albert-Saiz, M., Stróżecki, M., Rastogi, A., and Juszczak, R.: A Multi-Model Gap-Filling Strategy Increases the Accuracy of GPP Estimation from Periodic Chamber-Based Flux Measurements on Sphagnum-Dominated Peatland, Sustainability, 17, 393, https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020393, 2025.
Allen, S. T., Reba, M. L., Edwards, B. L., and Keim, R. F.: Evaporation and the subcanopy energy environment in a flooded forest, Hydrol. Process., 31, 2860–2871, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11227, 2017.
Aro, E.-M. and Gerbaud, A.: Photosynthesis and Photorespiration in Mosses, in: Advances in Photosynthesis Research, edited by: Sybesma, C., Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, 867–870, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-4973-2_198, 1984.
Aubinet, M., Vesala, T., and Papale, D.: Eddy covariance: a practical guide to measurement and data analysis, Springer Science & Business Media, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2351-1, 2012.
Badorek, T., Tuittila, E.-S., Ojanen, P., and Minkkinen, K.: Forest floor photosynthesis and respiration in a drained peatland forest in southern Finland, Plant Ecol. Divers., 4, 227–241, https://doi.org/10.1080/17550874.2011.644344, 2011.
Baldocchi, D. D.: Assessing the eddy covariance technique for evaluating carbon dioxide exchange rates of ecosystems: past, present and future, Glob. Change Biol., 9, 479–492, https://doi-org.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00629.x (last access: 22 June 2026), 2003.
Bayfield, N. G.: Notes on water relations of Polytrichum commune Hedw, J. Bryol., 7, 607–617, https://doi.org/10.1179/jbr.1973.7.4.607, 1973.
Bernacchi, C. J., Singsaas, E. L., Pimentel, C., Portis Jr., A. R., and Long, S. P.: Improved temperature response functions for models of Rubisco-limited photosynthesis, Plant Cell Environ., 24, 253–259, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2001.00668.x, 2004.
Bijoor, N. S., Pataki, D. E., Rocha, A. V., and Goulden, M. L.: The application of δ18O and δD for understanding water pools and fluxes in a Typha marsh, Plant Cell Environ., 34, 1761–1775, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2011.02372.x, 2011.
Burba, G., Schmidt, A., Scott, R. L., Nakai, T., Kathilankal, J., Fratini, G., Hanson, C., Law, B., McDermitt, D. K., and Eckles, R.: Calculating CO2 and H2O eddy covariance fluxes from an enclosed gas analyzer using an instantaneous mixing ratio, Glob. Change Biol., 18, 385–399, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02536.x, 2012.
Burba, G. G., Verma, S. B., and Kim, J.: Surface energy fluxes of Phragmites australis in a prairie wetland, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 94, 31–51, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1923(99)00007-6, 1999.
Businger, J. A. and Oncley, S. P.: Flux measurement with conditional sampling, J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 7, 349–352, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1990)007<0349:FMWCS>2.0.CO;2, 1990.
Caird, M. A., Richards, J. H., and Donovan, L. A.: Nighttime Stomatal Conductance and Transpiration in C3 and C4 Plants, Plant Physiol., 143, 4–10, https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.106.092940, 2007.
Chen, S., Yang, Z., Liu, X., Sun, J., Xu, C., Xiong, D., Lin, W., Li, Y., Guo, J., and Yang, Y.: Moss regulates soil evaporation leading to decoupling of soil and near-surface air temperatures, J. Soil. Sediment., 19, 2903–2912, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02297-4, 2019.
Dai, Y., Liu, B., Wei, J., Shi, Y., Li, Q., Liu, F., Luo, Y., and Cui, Y.: Impacts of surface heterogeneity on energy partitioning in paddy ecosystems: A dual eddy covariance study, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 384, 111165, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111165, 2026.
Daley, M. J. and Phillips, N. G.: Interspecific variation in nighttime transpiration and stomatal conductance in a mixed New England deciduous forest, Tree Physiol., 26, 411–419, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/26.4.411, 2006.
Dietterich, T. G.: Ensemble Methods in Machine Learning, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45014-9_1, 2000.
Drexler, J. Z., Snyder, R. L., Spano, D., and Paw U, K. T.: A review of models and micrometeorological methods used to estimate wetland evapotranspiration, Hydrol. Process., 18, 2071–2101, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1462, 2004.
Eichelmann, E., Mantoani, M. C., Chamberlain, S. D., Hemes, K. S., Oikawa, P. Y., Szutu, D., Valach, A., Verfaillie, J., and Baldocchi, D. D.: A novel approach to partitioning evapotranspiration into evaporation and transpiration in flooded ecosystems, Glob. Change Biol., 28, 990–1007, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15974, 2022.
Farquhar, G. D. and Sharkey, T. D.: Stomatal conductance and photosynthesis, Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol., 33, 317–345, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pp.33.060182.001533, 1982.
Farquhar, G. D., von Caemmerer, S. v., and Berry, J. A.: A biochemical model of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in leaves of C3 species, Planta, 149, 78–90, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00386231, 1980.
Fisher, J. B., Baldocchi, D. D., Misson, L., Dawson, T. E., and Goldstein, A. H.: What the towers don't see at night: nocturnal sap flow in trees and shrubs at two AmeriFlux sites in California, Tree Physiol., 27, 597–610, 10.1093/treephys/27.4.597, 2007.
Foken, T. and Leclerc, M. Y.: Methods and limitations in validation of footprint models, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 127, 223–234, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2004.07.015, 2004.
Frolking, S., Roulet, N., and Fuglestvedt, J.: How northern peatlands influence the Earth's radiative budget: Sustained methane emission versus sustained carbon sequestration, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 111, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JG000091, 2006.
Gabrielli, E. C.: Partitioning Evapotranspiration in Forested Peatlands within the Western Boreal Plain, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, Master's thesis, Wilfrid Laurier University, https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1820/ (last access: 22 June 2026), 2016.
Goetz, J. D. and Price, J. S.: Role of morphological structure and layering of Sphagnum and Tomenthypnum mosses on moss productivity and evaporation rates, Can. J. Soil Sci., 95, 109–124, https://doi.org/10.4141/cjss-2014-092, 2015.
Goulden, M. L., Litvak, M., and Miller, S. D.: Factors that control Typha marsh evapotranspiration, Aquat. Bot., 86, 97–106, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2006.09.005, 2007.
Hathaway, J. M., Westbrook, C. J., Rooney, R. C., Petrone, R. M., and Langs, L. E.: Quantifying relative contributions of source waters from a subalpine wetland to downstream water bodies, Hydrol. Process., 36, e14679, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14679, 2022.
Hrach, D. M., Petrone, R. M., Van Huizen, B., Green, A., and Khomik, M.: The Impact of Variable Horizon Shade on the Growing Season Energy Budget of a Subalpine Headwater Wetland, Atmosphere, 12, 1473, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111473, 2021.
Hussey, B. H. and Odum, W. E.: Evapotranspiration in tidal marshes, Estuaries, 15, 59–67, https://doi.org/10.2307/1352710, 1992.
Jacobs, J. M., Mergelsberg, S. L., Lopera, A. F., and Myers, D. A.: Evapotranspiration from a wet prairie wetland under drought conditions: Paynes Prairie Preserve, Florida, USA, Wetlands, 22, 374–385, https://doi.org/10.1672/0277-5212(2002)022[0374:EFAWPW]2.0.CO;2, 2002.
Jarvis, P. G. and McNaughton, K.: Stomatal control of transpiration: scaling up from leaf to region, in: Advances in ecological research, Elsevier, 1–49, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2504(08)60119-1, 1986.
Jiang, K. and Yu, L.: A method for partitioning ecosystem evapotranspiration based on fluxnet data, Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4816690, 2021.
Kaimal, J. C. and Finnigan, J. J.: Atmospheric boundary layer flows: their structure and measurement, Oxford University Press, https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195062397.001.0001, 1994.
Ketcheson, S. J. and Price, J. S.: Characterization of the fluxes and stores of water within newly formed Sphagnum moss cushions and their environment, Ecohydrology, 7, 771–782, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1399, 2013.
Kettridge, N. and Waddington, J. M.: Towards quantifying the negative feedback regulation of peatland evaporation to drought, Hydrol. Process., 28, 3728–3740, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9898, 2013.
Kettridge, N., Lukenbach, M. C., Hokanson, K. J., Hopkinson, C., Devito, K. J., Petrone, R. M., Mendoza, C. A., and Waddington, J. M.: Low Evapotranspiration Enhances the Resilience of Peatland Carbon Stocks to Fire, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 9341–9349, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl074186, 2017.
Kiniry, J. R., Williams, A. S., Reisner, L. M., Hatfield, J. L., and Kim, S.: Effects of two categorically differing emergent wetland plants on evapotranspiration, Agrosyst. Geosci. Environ., 6, e20331, https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20331, 2023.
Klosterhalfen, A., Moene, A. F., Schmidt, M., Scanlon, T. M., Vereecken, H., and Graf, A.: Sensitivity analysis of a source partitioning method for H2O and CO2 fluxes based on high frequency eddy covariance data: Findings from field data and large eddy simulations, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 265, 152–170, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.003, 2019a.
Klosterhalfen, A., Graf, A., Brüggemann, N., Drüe, C., Esser, O., González-Dugo, M. P., Heinemann, G., Jacobs, C. M. J., Mauder, M., Moene, A. F., Ney, P., Pütz, T., Rebmann, C., Ramos Rodríguez, M., Scanlon, T. M., Schmidt, M., Steinbrecher, R., Thomas, C. K., Valler, V., Zeeman, M. J., and Vereecken, H.: Source partitioning of H2O and CO2 fluxes based on high-frequency eddy covariance data: a comparison between study sites, Biogeosciences, 16, 1111–1132, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1111-2019, 2019b.
Kokkonen, N., Laine, A. M., Männistö, E., Mehtätalo, L., Korrensalo, A., and Tuittila, E.-S.: Two Mechanisms Drive Changes in Boreal Peatland Photosynthesis Following Long-Term Water Level Drawdown: Species Turnover and Altered Photosynthetic Capacity, Ecosystems, 25, 1601–1618, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-021-00736-3, 2022.
Kool, D., Agam, N., Lazarovitch, N., Heitman, J. L., Sauer, T. J., and Ben-Gal, A.: A review of approaches for evapotranspiration partitioning, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 184, 56–70, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2013.09.003, 2014.
Lei, C.: Vegetation diversity in mountain peatland systems, University of Waterloo, http://hdl.handle.net/10012/16665 (last access: 7 May 2025), 2021.
Leifeld, J. and Menichetti, L.: The underappreciated potential of peatlands in global climate change mitigation strategies, Nat. Commun., 9, 1071, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03406-6, 2018.
Leuning, R. and Judd, M. J.: The relative merits of open- and closed-path analysers for measurement of eddy fluxes, Glob. Change Biol., 2, 241–253, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.1996.tb00076.x, 1996.
Li, X., Gentine, P., Lin, C., Zhou, S., Sun, Z., Zheng, Y., Liu, J., and Zheng, C.: A simple and objective method to partition evapotranspiration into transpiration and evaporation at eddy-covariance sites, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 265, 171–182, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.017, 2019.
Lin, Y.-S., Medlyn, B. E., Duursma, R. A., Prentice, I. C., Wang, H., Baig, S., Eamus, D., de Dios, Victor R., Mitchell, P., Ellsworth, D. S., de Beeck, M. O., Wallin, G., Uddling, J., Tarvainen, L., Linderson, M.-L., Cernusak, L. A., Nippert, J. B., Ocheltree, T. W., Tissue, D. T., Martin-StPaul, N. K., Rogers, A., Warren, J. M., De Angelis, P., Hikosaka, K., Han, Q., Onoda, Y., Gimeno, T. E., Barton, C. V. M., Bennie, J., Bonal, D., Bosc, A., Löw, M., Macinins-Ng, C., Rey, A., Rowland, L., Setterfield, S. A., Tausz-Posch, S., Zaragoza-Castells, J., Broadmeadow, M. S. J., Drake, J. E., Freeman, M., Ghannoum, O., Hutley, Lindsay B., Kelly, J. W., Kikuzawa, K., Kolari, P., Koyama, K., Limousin, J.-M., Meir, P., Lola da Costa, A. C., Mikkelsen, T. N., Salinas, N., Sun, W., and Wingate, L.: Optimal stomatal behaviour around the world, Nat. Clim. Change, 5, 459–464, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2550, 2015.
Mäkelä, A., Berninger, F., and Hari, P.: Optimal control of gas exchange during drought: theoretical analysis, Ann. Bot., 77, 461–468, https://doi.org/10.1006/anbo.1996.0056, 1996.
McCarter, C. P. R. and Price, J. S.: Ecohydrology of Sphagnum moss hummocks: mechanisms of capitula water supply and simulated effects of evaporation, Ecohydrology, 7, 33–44, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1313, 2012.
Medlyn, B. E., Duursma, R. A., Eamus, D., Ellsworth, D. S., Prentice, I. C., Barton, C. V., Crous, K. Y., De Angelis, P., Freeman, M., and Wingate, L.: Reconciling the optimal and empirical approaches to modelling stomatal conductance, Glob. Change Biol., 17, 2134–2144, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02375.x, 2011.
Mitra, S., Wassmann, R., and Vlek, P. L. G.: An appraisal of global wetland area and its organic carbon stock, Curr. Sci., 88, 25–35, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24110090 (last access: 22 June 2025), 2005.
Morison, M., van Beest, C., Macrae, M., Nwaishi, F., and Petrone, R.: Deeper burning in a boreal fen peatland 1-year post-wildfire accelerates recovery trajectory of carbon dioxide uptake, Ecohydrology, 14, e2277, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2277, 2021.
Nardini, A. and Salleo, S.: Limitation of stomatal conductance by hydraulic traits: sensing or preventing xylem cavitation?, Trees, 15, 14–24, https://doi.org/10.1007/s004680000071, 2000.
Nelson, J. A.: Code and examples of how to estimate transpiration from eddy covariance data, GitHub [code], https://github.com/jnelson18/ecosystem-transpiration (last access: 14 July 2025), 2020.
Nelson, J. A., Carvalhais, N., Cuntz, M., Delpierre, N., Knauer, J., Ogée, J., Migliavacca, M., Reichstein, M., and Jung, M.: Coupling Water and Carbon Fluxes to Constrain Estimates of Transpiration: The TEA Algorithm, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 123, 3617–3632, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jg004727, 2018.
Nelson, J. A., Perez-Priego, O., Zhou, S., Poyatos, R., Zhang, Y., Blanken, P. D., Gimeno, T. E., Wohlfahrt, G., Desai, A. R., Gioli, B., Limousin, J. M., Bonal, D., Paul-Limoges, E., Scott, R. L., Varlagin, A., Fuchs, K., Montagnani, L., Wolf, S., Delpierre, N., Berveiller, D., Gharun, M., Belelli Marchesini, L., Gianelle, D., Sigut, L., Mammarella, I., Siebicke, L., Andrew Black, T., Knohl, A., Hortnagl, L., Magliulo, V., Besnard, S., Weber, U., Carvalhais, N., Migliavacca, M., Reichstein, M., and Jung, M.: Ecosystem transpiration and evaporation: Insights from three water flux partitioning methods across FLUXNET sites, Glob. Chang Biol., 26, 6916–6930, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15314, 2020.
Novick, K. A., Oren, R., Stoy, P. C., Siqueira, M. B. S., and Katul, G. G.: Nocturnal evapotranspiration in eddy-covariance records from three co-located ecosystems in the Southeastern U.S.: Implications for annual fluxes, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 149, 1491–1504, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2009.04.005, 2009.
Pacheco-Cancino, P. A., Carrillo-López, R. F., Sepulveda-Jauregui, A., and Somos-Valenzuela, M. A.: Sphagnum mosses, the impact of disturbances and anthropogenic management actions on their ecological role in CO2 fluxes generated in peatland ecosystems, Glob. Change Biol., 30, e16972, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16972, 2024.
Pérez-Priego, O. and Wutzler, T.: Partitioning eddy covariance ET using optimal approaches, GitHub [code], https://github.com/oscarperezpriego/ETpartitioning (last access: 14 July 2025), 2018.
Pérez-Priego, O., Katul, G., Reichstein, M., El-Madany, T. S., Ahrens, B., Carrara, A., Scanlon, T. M., and Migliavacca, M.: Partitioning eddy covariance water flux components using physiological and micrometeorological approaches, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 123, 3353–3370, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004637, 2018.
Priestley, C. H. B. and Taylor, R. J.: On the Assessment of Surface Heat Flux and Evaporation Using Large-Scale Parameters, Mon. Weather Rev., 100, 81–92, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1972)100<0081:OTAOSH>2.3.CO;2, 1972.
Proctor, M.: Physiological ecology: water relations, light and temperature responses, carbon balance, in: Bryophyte ecology, Springer, 333–381, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5891-3_10, 1982.
Reich, E. G., Samuels-Crow, K., Bradford, J. B., Litvak, M., Schlaepfer, D. R., and Ogle, K.: A Semi-Mechanistic Model for Partitioning Evapotranspiration Reveals Transpiration Dominates the Water Flux in Drylands, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 129, e2023JG007914, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023jg007914, 2024.
Reichstein, M., Camps-Valls, G., Stevens, B., Jung, M., Denzler, J., Carvalhais, N., and Prabhat: Deep learning and process understanding for data-driven Earth system science, Nature, 566, 195–204, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-0912-1, 2019.
Reichstein, M., Falge, E., Baldocchi, D., Papale, D., Aubinet, M., Berbigier, P., Bernhofer, C., Buchmann, N., Gilmanov, T., Granier, A., Grünwald, T., Havránková, K., Ilvesniemi, H., Janous, D., Knohl, A., Laurila, T., Lohila, A., Loustau, D., Matteucci, G., Meyers, T., Miglietta, F., Ourcival, J. M., Pumpanen, J., Rambal, S., Rotenberg, E., Sanz, M., Tenhunen, J., Seufert, G., Vaccari, F., Vesala, T., Yakir, D., and Valentini, R.: On the separation of net ecosystem exchange into assimilation and ecosystem respiration: review and improved algorithm, Glob. Change Biol., 11, 1424–1439, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.001002.x, 2005.
Rigden, A. J., Salvucci, G. D., Entekhabi, D., and Short Gianotti, D. J.: Partitioning Evapotranspiration Over the Continental United States Using Weather Station Data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 9605–9613, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gl079121, 2018.
Rouse, W. R.: The energy and water balance of high-latitude wetlands: controls and extrapolation, Glob. Change Biol., 6, 59–68, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2000.06013.x, 2000.
Scanlon, T. M. and Kustas, W. P.: Partitioning carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes using correlation analysis, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 150, 89–99, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2009.09.005, 2010.
Scanlon, T. M., Schmidt, D. F., and Skaggs, T. H.: Correlation-based flux partitioning of water vapor and carbon dioxide fluxes: Method simplification and estimation of canopy water use efficiency, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 279, 107732, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107732, 2019.
Scott, R. L. and Biederman, J. A.: Partitioning evapotranspiration using long-term carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 6833–6840, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074324, 2017.
Speranskaya, L., Campbell, D. I., Lafleur, P. M., and Humphreys, E. R.: Peatland evaporation across hemispheres: contrasting controls and sensitivity to climate warming driven by plant functional types, Biogeosciences, 21, 1173–1190, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1173-2024, 2024.
Stapleton, A.: ETPartitioning, GitHub [code], https://github.com/AdamStapleton/ETPartitioning (last access: 22 June 2026), 2022.
Stapleton, A.: ETPartitioning, GitHub [code], https://github.com/AdamStapleton/ETPartitioning (last access: 22 June 2026), 2022.
Stapleton, A., Eichelmann, E., and Roantree, M.: A framework for constructing machine learning models with feature set optimisation for evapotranspiration partitioning, Appl. Comput. Geosci., 16, 100105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acags.2022.100105, 2022.
Stoy, P. C., El-Madany, T. S., Fisher, J. B., Gentine, P., Gerken, T., Good, S. P., Klosterhalfen, A., Liu, S., Miralles, D. G., Perez-Priego, O., Rigden, A. J., Skaggs, T. H., Wohlfahrt, G., Anderson, R. G., Coenders-Gerrits, A. M. J., Jung, M., Maes, W. H., Mammarella, I., Mauder, M., Migliavacca, M., Nelson, J. A., Poyatos, R., Reichstein, M., Scott, R. L., and Wolf, S.: Reviews and syntheses: Turning the challenges of partitioning ecosystem evaporation and transpiration into opportunities, Biogeosciences, 16, 3747–3775, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3747-2019, 2019.
Strack, M., Davidson, S. J., Hirano, T., and Dunn, C.: The potential of peatlands as nature-based climate solutions, Current Climate Change Reports, 8, 71–82, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-022-00183-9, 2022.
Strack, M., Cagampan, J., Fard, G. H., Keith, A., Nugent, K., Rankin, T., Robinson, C., Strachan, I., Waddington, J., and Xu, B.: Controls on plot-scale growing season CO2 and CH4 fluxes in restored peatlands: Do they differ from unrestored and natural sites?, Mires Peat, 16, https://doi.org/10.19189/MaP.2015.OMB.216, 2016.
Street, L. E., Subke, J. A., Sommerkorn, M., Sloan, V., Ducrotoy, H., Phoenix, G. K., and Williams, M.: The role of mosses in carbon uptake and partitioning in arctic vegetation, New Phytol., 199, 163–175, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12285, 2013.
Streich, S. C. and Westbrook, C. J.: Hydrological function of a mountain fen at low elevation under dry conditions, Hydrol. Process., 34, 244–257, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13579, 2020.
Sulman, B. N., Roman, D. T., Scanlon, T. M., Wang, L., and Novick, K. A.: Comparing methods for partitioning a decade of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes in a temperate forest, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 226/227, 229–245, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2016.06.002, 2016.
Thomas, C., Martin, J. G., Göckede, M., Siqueira, M., Foken, T., Law, B. E., Loescher, H., and Katul, G.: Estimating daytime subcanopy respiration from conditional sampling methods applied to multi-scalar high frequency turbulence time series, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 148, 1210–1229, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.03.002, 2008.
van Beest, C.: Deeper Burning Increases Available Phosphorus, Promotes Moss Growth, and Carbon Dioxide Uptake in a Fen Peatland One-Year Post-Wildfire in Fort McMurray, AB, University of Waterloo, http://hdl.handle.net/10012/14429 (last access: 22 June 2026), 2019.
Walker, A. P., Carter, K. R., Gu, L., Hanson, P. J., Malhotra, A., Norby, R. J., Sebestyen, S. D., Wullschleger, S. D., and Weston, D. J.: Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 122, 1078–1097, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003711, 2017.
Wang, Y.: Uncovering the understudied role of microtopography and ground cover on evapotranspiration partitioning in high-elevation wetlands in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Doctoral dissertation, University of Waterloo, https://hdl.handle.net/10012/21395 (last access: 22 June 2026), 2025.
Wang, Y. and Petrone, R. M.: Effects of microforms on the evaporation of peat-bryophyte-litter column in a montane peatland in Canadian Rocky Mountain, Ecohydrology, 16, e2516, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2516, 2022.
Wang, Y., Petrone, R. M., and Van Huizen, B.: The dependence of evaporative efficiency of vegetated surfaces on ground cover mass fractions in vegetated soils in mesic ecosystems, Hydrol. Process., 37, e15036, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.15036, 2023.
Warren, R. K., Pappas, C., Helbig, M., Chasmer, L. E., Berg, A. A., Baltzer, J. L., Quinton, W. L., and Sonnentag, O.: Minor contribution of overstorey transpiration to landscape evapotranspiration in boreal permafrost peatlands, Ecohydrology, 11, e1975, https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1975, 2018.
Weaver, K. F., Morales, V., Dunn, S. L., Godde, K., and Weaver, P. F.: Pearson's and Spearman's Correlation, in: An Introduction to Statistical Analysis in Research, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 435–471, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119454205.ch10, 2017.
Webb, E. K., Pearman, G. I., and Leuning, R.: Correction of flux measurements for density effects due to heat and water vapour transfer, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 106, 85–100, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49710644707, 1980.
Wei, Z., Yoshimura, K., Wang, L., Miralles, D. G., Jasechko, S., and Lee, X.: Revisiting the contribution of transpiration to global terrestrial evapotranspiration, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 2792–2801, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL072235, 2017.
Wu, J., Kutzbach, L., Jager, D., Wille, C., and Wilmking, M.: Evapotranspiration dynamics in a boreal peatland and its impact on the water and energy balance, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 115, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JG001075, 2010.
Xu, S., Ma, T., and Liu, Y.: Application of a multi-cylinder evapotranspirometer method for evapotranspiration measurements in wetlands, Aquat. Bot., 95, 45–50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.03.009, 2011.
Zahn, E.: Processing Eddy-Covariance Data: Five ET Flux Partitioning Methods (2.0.0), GitHub [code], https://github.com/einaraz/PartitioningMethods/releases/tag/v2.0.0 (last access: 7 May 2025), 2024.
Yu, L., Zhou, S., Zhao, X., Gao, X., Jiang, K., Zhang, B., Cheng, L., Song, X., and Siddique, K. H.: Evapotranspiration partitioning based on leaf and ecosystem water use efficiency, Water Resour. Res., 58, e2021WR030629, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021WR030629, 2022.
Zahn, E.: Processing Eddy-Covariance Data: Five ET Flux Partitioning Methods (2.0.0), GitHub [code], https://github.com/einaraz/PartitioningMethods/releases/tag/v2.0.0 (last access: 7 May 2025), 2024.
Zahn, E., Ghannam, K., Chamecki, M., Moene, A. F., Kustas, W. P., Good, S., and Bou-Zeid, E.: Numerical investigation of observational flux partitioning methods for water vapor and carbon dioxide, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 129, e2024JG008025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JG008025, 2024.
Zahn, E., Bou-Zeid, E., Good, S. P., Katul, G. G., Thomas, C. K., Ghannam, K., Smith, J. A., Chamecki, M., Dias, N. L., and Fuentes, J. D.: Direct partitioning of eddy-covariance water and carbon dioxide fluxes into ground and plant components, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 315, 108790, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108790, 2022.
Zhang, S., Zhang, J., Liu, B., Zhang, W., Gong, C., Jiang, M., and Lv, X.: Evapotranspiration partitioning using a simple isotope-based model in a semiarid marsh wetland in northeastern China, Hydrol. Process., 32, 493–506, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11430, 2018.
Zhou, S., Yu, B., Huang, Y., and Wang, G.: Daily underlying water use efficiency for AmeriFlux sites, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 120, 887–902, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015jg002947, 2015.
Zhou, S., Yu, B., Zhang, Y., Huang, Y., and Wang, G.: Partitioning evapotranspiration based on the concept of underlying water use efficiency, Water Resour. Res., 52, 1160–1175, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015wr017766, 2016.
Short summary
Wetlands lose water through evaporation and plant transpiration, but separating these processes remains challenging. We compared ten methods across four Canadian moss-covered wetlands and found that no single method or methodological group consistently performed best. Performance also depended on the reference data used for evaluation. Our findings suggest comparing multiple methods to identify uncertainty and highlight the need for wetland-specific evapotranspiration partitioning approaches.
Wetlands lose water through evaporation and plant transpiration, but separating these processes...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint