Environmental factors driving evapotranspiration over a grassland in a transitional climate zone in China

• Main Authors: Li, H. (Author), Wang, J. (Author), Wang, Y. (Author), Yue, P. (Author), Zhang, H. (Author), Zhang, L. (Author), Zhang, Q. (Author), Zhao, F. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: John Wiley and Sons Ltd 2022
• Subjects: Continuous observation; environmental factors; Environmental factors; evapotranspiration; Evapotranspiration; Heat flux; Key links; Land-atmosphere couplings; Multiple factors; Net radiation; Normalized difference vegetation index; Soil moisture; Surface evapotranspiration; transitional climate zone; Transitional climate zone; Vapor pressure deficit; Vegetation; Wind
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 The surface evapotranspiration (ET) process is the key link in the interaction between land and atmosphere. However, the influence of different environmental factors on ET over transitional climate zones and the physical pattern of the interaction between multiple factors remain unclear. Therefore, based on the continuous observation data during the vegetation growing season of a typical grassland in the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observation of Lanzhou University (SACOL) station from 2007 to 2012, the influence pattern of multiple environmental factors on ET over China's transitional climate zone was analysed. Each environmental factor exhibited significant seasonal and interannual variations. The mean value of ET was 1.67 mm day−1. Although the maximum values of sensible heat flux and vapour pressure deficit occurred in April and June, respectively, the maximum values of other environmental factors appeared from July to August. Net radiation, soil moisture, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were the main controlling factors of ET over the grassland, with correlation coefficients of 0.54, 0.52, and 0.46, respectively. The analysis of multiple environmental factors showed that when soil moisture, wind speed, net radiation, and NDVI reached 0.2 m3 m−3, 2 m s−1, 100 W m−2, and 0.2, respectively, ET varied in contrast with vapour pressure, vapour pressure deficit, and air temperature under the influences of weather processes, land–atmosphere coupling, and drought stress. These findings deepen our understanding of the role of ET in the land–atmosphere coupling process over the transitional climate zone in China. © 2022 The Authors. Meteorological Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Meteorological Society.