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Temporal Dynamics of Aerodynamic Canopy Height Derived From Eddy Covariance Momentum Flux Data Across North American Flux Networks
Author(s) -
Chu Housen,
Baldocchi Dennis D.,
Poindexter Cristina,
Abraha Michael,
Desai Ankur R.,
Bohrer Gil,
Arain M. Altaf,
Griffis Timothy,
Blanken Peter D.,
O'Halloran Thomas L.,
Thomas R. Quinn,
Zhang Quan,
Burns Sean P.,
Frank John M.,
Christian Dold,
Brown Shan,
Black T. Andrew,
Gough Christopher M.,
Law Beverly E.,
Lee Xuhui,
Chen Jiquan,
Reed David E.,
Massman William J.,
Clark Kenneth,
Hatfield Jerry,
Prueger John,
Bracho Rosvel,
Baker John M.,
Martin Timothy A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl079306
Subject(s) - eddy covariance , environmental science , canopy , atmospheric sciences , flux (metallurgy) , vegetation (pathology) , grassland , climatology , ecosystem , geology , geography , ecology , medicine , materials science , archaeology , pathology , metallurgy , biology
Aerodynamic canopy height ( h a ) is the effective height of vegetation canopy for its influence on atmospheric fluxes and is a key parameter of surface‐atmosphere coupling. However, methods to estimate h a from data are limited. This synthesis evaluates the applicability and robustness of the calculation of h a from eddy covariance momentum‐flux data. At 69 forest sites, annual h a robustly predicted site‐to‐site and year‐to‐year differences in canopy heights ( R 2 = 0.88, 111 site‐years). At 23 cropland/grassland sites, weekly h a successfully captured the dynamics of vegetation canopies over growing seasons ( R 2 > 0.70 in 74 site‐years). Our results demonstrate the potential of flux‐derived h a determination for tracking the seasonal, interannual, and/or decadal dynamics of vegetation canopies including growth, harvest, land use change, and disturbance. The large‐scale and time‐varying h a derived from flux networks worldwide provides a new benchmark for regional and global Earth system models and satellite remote sensing of canopy structure.