Towards an Integrated Understanding of Terrestrial Evapotranspiration

Terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET), the second-largest component of the terrestrial water cycle, links water, energy, and carbon cycles and influences the productivity and health of our ecosystems. Despite the importance of ET, the dynamics of ET across a spectrum of spatiotemporal scale and their controls are uncertain. During an international ET workshop held in November 2021 by AmeriFlux, the scientific community identified key challenges to improve our understanding of ET dynamics. Participants underscored the need for an integrated understanding of ET across the different research disciplines: in-situ measurements, remote sensing, and modeling. Here, we propose the synthesis of the three research areas to advance the current state of ET science. Through the proposed synthesis activities, we aim to link the different perspectives on ET research that have mostly been covered separately. Ultimately, we expect to build a stronger cross-disciplinary network of ET scientists and facilitate more integrated ET knowledge in the future. This Powell Center Working Group is collaboratively supported by the NSF Critical Zone Network Hub and the U.S. Geological Survey. 





Principal Investigators

Gabrial Senay (USGS)

Joshua B. Fisher (Chapman University)

Kosana Suvočarev (UC-Davis)

Lixin Wang (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)