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The future of evapotranspiration: Global requirements for ecosystem functioning, carbon and climate feedbacks, agricultural management, and water resources
Author(s) -
Fisher Joshua B.,
Melton Forrest,
Middleton Elizabeth,
Hain Christopher,
Anderson Martha,
Allen Richard,
McCabe Matthew F.,
Hook Simon,
Baldocchi Dennis,
Townsend Philip A.,
Kilic Ayse,
Tu Kevin,
Miralles Diego D.,
Perret Johan,
Lagouarde JeanPierre,
Waliser Duane,
Purdy Adam J.,
French Andrew,
Schimel David,
Famiglietti James S.,
Stephens Graeme,
Wood Eric F.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1002/2016wr020175
Subject(s) - environmental science , evapotranspiration , biosphere , water resources , climate change , ecosystem , environmental resource management , agriculture , global warming , ecosystem management , water resource management , ecology , biology
The fate of the terrestrial biosphere is highly uncertain given recent and projected changes in climate. This is especially acute for impacts associated with changes in drought frequency and intensity on the distribution and timing of water availability. The development of effective adaptation strategies for these emerging threats to food and water security are compromised by limitations in our understanding of how natural and managed ecosystems are responding to changing hydrological and climatological regimes. This information gap is exacerbated by insufficient monitoring capabilities from local to global scales. Here, we describe how evapotranspiration (ET) represents the key variable in linking ecosystem functioning, carbon and climate feedbacks, agricultural management, and water resources, and highlight both the outstanding science and applications questions and the actions, especially from a space‐based perspective, necessary to advance them.