Unveiling evapotranspiration patterns and energy balance in a subalpine forest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:observations and analysis from an eddy covariance system

Evapotranspiration is an important parameter used to characterize the water cycle of ecosystems.To under-stand the properties of the evapotranspiration and energy balance of a subalpine forest in the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,an open-path eddy covariance system was set up to monitor the forest from November 2020 to October 2021 in a core area of the Three Parallel Rivers in the Qing-hai-Tibet Plateau.The results show that the evapotranspira-tion peaked daily,the maximum occurring between 11:00 and 15:00.Environmental factors had significant effects on evapotranspiration,among them,net radiation the greatest(R^(2)=0.487),and relative humidity the least(R^(2)=0.001).The energy flux varied considerably in different seasons and sensible heat flux accounted for the main part of turbulent energy.The energy balance ratio in the dormant season was less than that in the growing season,and there is an energy imbalance at the site on an annual time scale.

A Study on the Assessment and Integration of Multi-Source Evapotranspiration Products over the Tibetan Plateau

Evapotranspiration(ET)is a crucial variable in the terrestrial water,carbon,and energy cycles.At present,a large number of multi source ET products exist.Due to sparse observations,however,great challenges exist in the evaluation and integration of ET products in remote and complex areas such as the Tibetan Plateau(TP).In this paper,the applicability of the multiple collocation(MC)method over the TP is evaluated for the first time,and the uncertainty of multisource ET products(based on reanalysis,remote sensing,and land surface models)is further analyzed,which provides a theoretical basis for ET data fusion.The results show that 1)ET uncertainties quantified via the MC method are lower in RS-based ET products(5.95 vs.7.06 mm month^(-1))than in LSM ET products(10.22 vs.17.97 mm month^(-1))and reanalysis ET estimates(7.27 vs.12.26 mm month-1).2)A multisource evapotranspiration(MET)dataset is generated at a monthly temporal scale with a spatial resolution of 0.25°across the TP during 2005-15.MET has better performance than any individual product.3)Based on the fusion product,the total ET amount over the TP and its patterns of spatiotemporal variability are clearly identified.The annual total ET over the entire TP is approximately 380.60 mm.Additionally,an increasing trend of 1.59±0.85 mm yr^(-1)over the TP is shown during 2005-15.This study provides a basis for future studies on water and energy cycles and water resource management over the TP and surrounding regions.

SimET: An open-source tool for estimating crop evapotranspiration and soil water balance for plants with multiple growth cycles

Accurate estimation of crop evapotranspiration(ETc) and soil water balance, which is vital for optimizing water management strategy in crop production, can be performed by simulation. But existing software has many deficiencies, including complex operation, limited scalability, lack of batch processing, and a single ETc model. Here we present simET, an open-source software package written in the R programming language. Many concepts involved in crop ETc simulation are condensed into functions in the package. It includes three widely used crop ETc models built on these functions: the single-crop coefficient,double-crop coefficient, and Shuttleworth–Wallace models, along with tools for preparing model data and comparing estimates. SimET supports ETc simulation in crops with repeated growth cycles such as alfalfa, a perennial forage crop that is cut multiple times annually.

Evaluation of Actual Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficient in Carrot by Remote Sensing Methodology Using Drainage and River Water to Overcome Reduced Water Availability

Searching for alternative methods for traditional irrigation is World trend at days due to a reduction in water and increased of drought due to climate changes therefore farmers need use modern methods of scheduling water and minimizing water losses while also increasing yield. To meet the future increasing demands water and food there is a need to utilize alternative methods to reduce evaporation, transpiration and deep percolation of water. Any countries use recycled water (drain and sewage) and desalination water from the sea or drains to irrigate crops plus computing actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc) so as to calculate the amount of water to apply to a crop. The paper aims to assess the actual evaporation and evaporation coefficient of carrots, by planting carrots in a field and the crop was exposed to several sources of water (DW and RW) and comparing ETc, Kc and production among plots of three sites (A, B and C). The study used two types of irrigation water (drain water (DW) and river water (RW)). The results were to monthly rate and accumulated actual evapotranspiration to C (irrigation by RW only) more than A (67% RW and 33% DW) and B (17% RW and 83% DW) via 7% and 58%, respectively. The yield to C more than A and B by 17% and 75%, respectively. In conclusion the use of DW can cause a reduction in crop consumptive of carrot crops also causes a reduction in yield, crop length, root length, root size, canopy of crop, number of leaves and biomass of the plant therefore, the drainage water needs to treated before irrigating crops And making use of it to irrigate the fields and fill the shortfall in the amount of water from the river. The drain water helped on filling the water shortage due to climate changes and giving production of carrot crop but less than river water.

Responses of vegetation yield to precipitation and reference evapotranspiration in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia,China

Drought,which restricts the sustainable development of agriculture,ecological health,and social economy,is affected by a variety of factors.It is widely accepted that a single variable cannot fully reflect the characteristics of drought events.Studying precipitation,reference evapotranspiration(ET_(0)),and vegetation yield can derive information to help conserve water resources in grassland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions.In this study,the interactions of precipitation,ET_(0),and vegetation yield in Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner(DMJB),a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China were explored using two-dimensional(2D)and three-dimensional(3D)joint distribution models.Three types of Copula functions were applied to quantitatively analyze the joint distribution probability of different combinations of precipitation,ET_(0),and vegetation yield.For the precipitation–ET_(0)dry–wet type,the 2D joint distribution probability with precipitation≤245.69 mm/a or ET_(0)≥959.20 mm/a in DMJB was approximately 0.60,while the joint distribution probability with precipitation≤245.69 mm/a and ET_(0)≥959.20 mm/a was approximately 0.20.Correspondingly,the joint return period that at least one of the two events(precipitation was dry or ET_(0)was wet)occurred was 2 a,and the co-occurrence return period that both events(precipitation was dry and ET_(0)was wet)occurred was 5 a.Under this condition,the interval between dry and wet events would be short,the water supply and demand were unbalanced,and the water demand of vegetation would not be met.In addition,when precipitation remained stable and ET_(0)increased,the 3D joint distribution probability that vegetation yield would decrease due to water shortage in the precipitation–ET_(0)dry–wet years could reach up to 0.60–0.70.In future work,irrigation activities and water allocation criteria need to be implemented to increase vegetation yield and the safety of water resources in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia.

Estimating Evapotranspiration Using Chloride Mass Balance in a New Mexico Paired Basin Study 2009-2019

A paired basin study in the upper Santa Fe River watershed following forest thinning and prescribed burns successfully measured water budget components in a treated and an untreated (control) basin. The paired basin study was established to investigate questions that have arisen regarding changes in water yield from forest treatments. Precipitation, stream flow, soil moisture, and chloride concentrations in precipitation and stream flow were measured to quantify the water budget components. The results from eleven years of data collection and analysis have a high degree of confidence with respect to measuring the water budget components based on the mass balance of water and chloride. The differences in the geologic structure and topography between the two paired basins appeared to impact the water budgets more than the forest treatments, except during periods when winter precipitation and snowmelt represented a significant component of inflow. Although this paired basin study was not able to portray a simple relationship between forest thinning and water yield, the chloride concentration methodology used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) was successful. These detailed observations of chloride deposition and transport characteristics may be relevant for other researchers working in forested basins with substantial ET. ET rates were estimated by examining the cycle of chloride entering and exiting each basin over six integration periods. ET was estimated to be about 90% to 94% of precipitation in the treated basin and 77% to 86% in the control basin. The higher ET in the treated basin both before and after forest treatments may be due to the much greater area of west-facing hillslopes in the treated basin, which receive warm afternoon sun, and the greater area of rock cover in the control basin. Variation in the chloride concentration of collected precipitation samples from different sites indicates that horizontal precipitation of chloride in the tree canopy is an important consideration when using the chloride mass balance approach to calculate water budget components.

Estimation of the Actual Evapotranspiration by the SEBAL Method in the Irrigated Rice Perimeter of Zatta (Yamoussoukro—Côte d’Ivoire)

In this study, the SEBAL (Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land) model was used to map the spatio-temporal distribution of actual evapotranspiration in the Yamoussoukro department (Côte d’Ivoire). Like other regions of the country, the Yamoussoukro district is confronted with the phenomenon of evapotranspiration (ET). This is a very important component that comes into play in the water balance but also in the calculation of the water needs of agricultural crops. Consequently, its estimation is of paramount importance in research related to the rational management of water resources, particularly agricultural water. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatio-temporal distribution of actual evapotranspiration (AET) as a function of land cover and land use. The methodology used is based on the SEBAL model which uses remote sensing (Landsat 8_OLI/TIRS) and climatic data to estimate actual evapotranspiration and analyze the spatio-temporal distribution of AET. The results reveal that the AET varied from 0 to 5.44 mm/day over the period from December 2019 to February 2020 with an average value of 4.92 mm/day. The highest average values occurred for water bodies (4.90 mm/day) and flooded vegetation (4.88 mm/day) while the lowest values occurred in residential areas (2.04 mm/day). Furthermore, the results show that the difference between the SEBAL model and the FAO-Penman-Monteith method is minimal with an average RMSE of 0.36 mm/day for all the satellite images. This study demonstrates the considerable potential of remote sensing for the characterization and estimation of spatial evapotranspiration in the Zatta irrigated rice-growing area.

Correlation Analysis between the Evapotranspiration Quantity and Climatic Factors of Artificial Grassland in Three River Sources Areas

Based on observation data from the mini-type automatic weather station,the evapotranspiration quantity of reference crops from artificial grassland in three river sources areas was estimated by the method of FAO Penman-Monteith.The actual evapotranspiration quantity of grassland was calculated according to the synthetic crop coefficients referenced by FAQ-56,and the change of the actual evapotranspiration quantity of artificial grassland in three river sources areas as well as the relationship between the evapotranspiration quantity and climatic factors were studied.The results suggested that the seasonal change of actual evapotranspiration quantity in grassland was expressed in a single peak curve with the peak in the middle August,and daily transpiration quantity in summer was significantly larger than that in winter.The evapotranspiration was significantly correlated with air temperature,solar radiation and relative humidity,but not significantly correlated with wind speed.Effects of climatic factors on the evapotranspiration quantity of artificial grassland were ordered as follow:air temperature(T)>solar radiation(Ra)>relative humidity(RH)>wind speed(u2).

Forest Evapotranspiration in Pearl River Delta based on Remote Sensing Technology

Evapotranspiration ratio of six major forest types in the Pearl River Delta was studied in this paper, and the six forest types included eucalyptus forest, fruit forest, coniferous forest, shrub forest, coniferous forest, and broad-leaved mixed for- est. The mechanism of PT-T model was analyzed based on Priestley-Taylor ex- tended model, and the result showed that land surface temperature or temperature difference between day and night could be used to evaluate the evapotranspiration factor. The evapotranspiration of 6 forest types was estimated with MODIS data and TM data and weather information during 2008-2009. The result suggested that water consumption of different forest differs insignificantly, and the EF of eucalyptus is not high.

Temporal and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Potential Evapotranspiration and Its Sensitivity to Meteorological Factors in Guizhou Province

[Objective] The study aims to discuss the changes of potential evapotran- spiration and its sensitivity to meteorological factors in Guizhou Province, so as to provide important references for assessment of water resources, research of agri- cultural water conservancy and climate change. [Method] Temporal and spatial dis- tribution characteristics of potential evapotranspiration in Guizhou Province from 1961 to 2010 were analyzed, and the sensitivity of potential evapotranspiration to meteo- rological factors in Guizhou Province was studied through correlation analysis. [Re- sult] On the whole, potential evapotranspiration in Guizhou Province was higher in the southwest and the west compared with the northeast and the east. In various seasons, it was the highest in summer, followed by spring and autumn, while it was the lowest in winter. In recent 40 years, annual potential evapotranspiration showed an obvious decreasing trend in most stations of Guizhou Province. The main meteo- rological factors influencing changes of potential evapotranspiration in Guizhou Province were sunshine duration, daily maximum temperature, and daily average relative humidity. [Conclusion] Daily average temperature was not the main meteoro- logical factor affecting changes of potential evapotranspiration in Guizhou Province, while sunshine duration, daily maximum temperature, and daily average relative hu- midity had important effects on potential evapotranspiration in Guizhou Province.

Estimation of Cucumber Evapotranspiration in Solar Greenhouse in Northeast China

The solar greenhouse without heating system has been widely used for vegetable production in Northeast China since the 1980s. The experiment was conducted in the solar greenhouse to study the relationship between evapotranspiration （ET） of cucumber and climatic factors. Reference evapotranspiration （ET0） and pan evaporation （Ep） were applied to determine cucumber evapotranspiration by regression methods. Results showed that the ET of cucumber increased with the increasing of solar radiation, air temperature and vapor pressure. The solar radiation was the most important factor that influences ET among environmental parameters. The determination coefficient （R2） was 0.865 between ET and Ep, higher than that between ET and ET0 （application of a constant vegetation coefficient, R2 = 0.46）. The pan coefficient （kp, determined from the ratio of ET to Ep） and the crop coefficients （kc, determined from the ratio of ET to ET0） showed considerable variability and no obvious systematic pattern could be described throughout the study period. Ep was linearly related to ET and 20 cm pan can be well used to determine the water requirement of cucumber under subsurface drip irrigation in this type of solar greenhouse.

Environmental and canopy conditions regulate the forest floor evapotranspiration of larch plantations

Background:Integrated forest-water management focusing on forest-water coordination is an important way to alleviate water use conflicts among forests and other sectors in vast dryland regions.Forest floor evapotranspiration(FE),which is an important component of forest evapotranspiration,accounts for a large proportion of the water consumed in arid forests.Elucidating how environmental and canopy conditions impact FE has important significance for guiding integrated forest-water management in a changing environment.Methods:The microlysimeter(ML)-measured evapotranspiration(FE_(ML)),reference evapotranspiration(ET_(o)),volumetric soil moisture(VSM),and canopy leaf area index(LAI)were monitored in a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation located in the semi-humid Liupan Mountains of Northwest China in 2019(June–September)and 2021(May–September).The response functions of the FE coefficient(the ratio of daily FEML to ET_(o))to the individual factors of VSM and LAI were determined using upper boundary lines of scatter diagrams of measured data.The framework of the daily FE(FE_(ML))model was established by multiplying the response functions to individual factors and then calibrated and validated using measured data to assess the FE response to environmental and canopy conditions.Results:(1)The FE coefficient increased first rapidly and then slowly with rising VSM but decreased slowly with rising LAI.(2)The simple daily FE(FE_(ML))model developed by coupling the impacts of ET_(o),LAI,and VSM in this study performed well for predicting FE.(3)The impacts of ET_(o),LAI,and VSM were quantified using the FE(FE_(ML))model,e.g.,at a given VSM,the impact of ETo on FE increased obviously with decreasing LAI;at a given ET_(o),the impact of LAI on FE increased with rising VSM.(4)In the two study years,when directly using the microlysimeter measurement,the real FE on the forest floor was overestimated when the VSM in microlysimeters was above 0.215 but underestimated below 0.215 due to the difference in VSM from the forest floor.Thus,the VSM on the forest floor should be input into the FE model for estimating the real FE on the forest floor.Conclusions:The daily FE of larch plantation is controlled by three main factors of environmental(ET_(o) and VSM)and canopy conditions(LAI).The variation in daily FE on the forest floor can be well estimated using the simple FE model coupling the effects of the three main factors and by inputting the VSM on the forest floor into the model to avoid the errors when directly using the microlysimeter measurement with different VSMs from the forest floor.The developed FE model and suggested prediction approach are helpful to estimate the FE response to changing conditions,and to guide forest management practices when saving water by thinning is required.

Analysis of Reference Evapotranspiration Change and Its Impact Factors in Australia

[ Objective] To discuss regional response of reference evapotranspiration （ ETo ） to global climate change and its influencing factors. [Method] Penman-Monteith equation was adopted to calculate ET0 in Australia from 1998 to 2007. Spatiotemporal change characteristics were analyzed by using GIS spatial analysis tools and relationships between ETo and main climate factors were also analyzed. [ Resultsl The results showed that multi-year average ET0 increased from the east and south part to the northwest part and inland, and its distribution was consistent with climate zones. Multi-year average ETo of the whole region was 1 750 mm, obtaining minimum and maximum values in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Regional ETo decreased in the order of summer, spring, autumn and winter; January and December got the highest monthly ET0, while June got the lowest value 79.55 mm. ETo positively correlated with mean temperature and solar radiation, R2 for each were 0.83 and 0.94, while the relationship between ETo and average relative humidity was negative, and precipitation had no significant relationship with ET0. [ Conclusion] This research could provide important reference for crop water requirement study and making irrigation method for Australia.

Study on Artificial Neural Network Model for Crop Evapotranspiration

Based on potted plant experiment, BP-artifieial neural network was used to simulate crop evapotranspiration and 3 kinds of artificial neural network models were constructed as ET1 （meteorological factors）, ET2（ meteorological factors and sowing days） and ET3 （meteorological factors, sowing days and water content）. And the predicted result was compared with actual value ET that was obtained by weighing method. The results showed that the ET3 model had higher calculation precision and an optimum BP-artificial neural network model for calculating crop evapotranspiration.

Study on Evapotranspiration Regularity of 3 Forages in Eastern Qinghai Province

The transpiration rate and transpiration quantity＇of whole plants and foliages of Bromus innerrnis, Medicago sativa and Agropyron cristatum are measured by using improved quick and continuous weighting after being cut off method （QCWC）. The results show that transpiration rate of branches and foliages of Agropyron cristatum is highest in 3 forages, Medicago sativa is second and Bromus innermis is lowest. From July to September, the average transpiration quantity of whole plants and foliages of 3 forages is highest in August, September is second and July is lowest.

Application of Spatially Distributed Calibrated Hydrological Model in Evapotranspiration Simulation of Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China:A Case Study in the Madu River Basin

Evapotranspiration(ET)is the key to the water cycle process and an important factor for studying near-surface water and heat balance.Accurately estimating ET is significant for hydrology,meteorology,ecology,agriculture,etc..This paper simulates ET in the Madu River Basin of Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China during 2009-2018 based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)model,which was calibrated and validated using the MODIS(Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)/Terra Net ET 8-Day L4 Global 500 m SIN Grid(MOD16A2)dataset and measured ET.Two calibration strategies(lumped calibration(LC)and spatially distributed calibration(SDC))were used.The basin was divided into 34 sub-basins,and the coefficient of determination(R^(2))and NashSutcliffe efficiency coefficient(NSE)of each sub-basin were greater than 0.6 in both the calibration and validation periods.The R2 and NSE were higher in the validation period than those in the calibration period.Compared with the measured ET,the accuracy of the model on the daily scale is:R^(2)=0.704 and NSE=0.759(SDC results).The model simulation accuracy of LC and SDC for the sub-basin scale was R^(2)=0.857,R^(2)=0.862(monthly)and R^(2)=0.227,R^(2)=0.404(annually),respectively;for the whole basin scale was R^(2)=0.902,R^(2)=0.900(monthly)and R^(2)=0.507 and R^(2)=0.519(annually),respectively.The model performed acceptably,and SDC performed the best,indicating that remote sensing data can be used for SWAT model calibration.During 2009-2018,ET generally increased in the Madu River Basin(SDC results,7.21 mm/yr),with a multiyear average value of 734.37 mm/yr.The annual ET change rate for the sub-basin was relatively low upstream and downstream.The linear correlation analysis between ET and meteorological factors shows that on the monthly scale,precipitation,solar radiation and daily maximum and minimum temperature were significantly correlated with ET;annually,solar radiation and wind speed had a moderate correlation with ET.The correlation between maximum temperature and ET is best on the monthly scale(Pearson correlation coefficient R=0.945),which may means that the increasing ET originating from increasing temperature(global warming).However,the sub-basins near Shennongjia Nature Reserve that are in upstream have a negative ET change rate,which means that ET decreases in these sub-basins,indicating that the’Evaporation Paradox’exists in these sub-basins.This study explored the potential of remote-sensing-based ET data for hydrological model calibration and provides a decision-making reference for water resource management in the Madu River Basin.

Spatial and temporal variations and controlling factors of potential evapotranspiration in China:1956-2000

Based on the climatic data of 580 stations in China during 1956 and 2000, potential evapotranspiration are calculated using the Penman-Monteith Method recommended by FAO. The spatial and temporal distributions of the potential evapotranspiration over China and the temporal trends of the regional means for 10 major river basins and whole China are analyzed. Through a partial correlation analysis, the major climate factors which affect the temporal change of the potential evapotranspiration are analyzed. Major results are drawn as follows： 1） The seasonal and annual potential evapotranspiration for China as a whole and for most basins show decline tendencies during the past 45 years; for the Songhua River Basin there appears a slightly increasing trend. 2） Consequently, the annual potential evapotranspirations averaged over 1980-2000 are lower than those for the first water resources assessment （1956-1979） in most parts of China. Exceptions are found in some areas of Shandong Peninsula, western and middle basins of the rivers in Southwest China, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as well as the source regions of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, which may have brought about disadvantages to the exploration and utilization of water resources. 3） Generally, sunshine duration, wind speed and relative humidity have greater impact on the potential evapotranspiration than temperature. Decline tendencies of sunshine duration and/or wind speed in the same period appear to be the major causes for the negative trend of the potential evapotranspiration in most areas.

Evapotranspiration and Soil Moisture Balance for Vegetative Restoration in a Gully Catchment on the Loess Plateau, China

Evapotranspiration, soil moisture balance and the dynamics in a gully catchment of the Loess Plateau in China were determined with 6 land use treatments including natural grassland, shrubs （Caragana rnicrophylla）, two woodlands （Prunus armeniaca var. ansu and Pinus tabulaeformis）, cultivated fallow, and farmland （Triticum aestiuum L.） in order to obtain a better understanding of soil moisture balance principles and to improve vegetation restoration efficiency for ecological rebuilding on the plateau. Average runoff from cultivated fallow was very high, reaching 10.3% of the seasonal rainfall. Evapotranspiration under T. aestivurn was not significantly different from natural grasslands. Compared with natural grass, evapotranspiration was significantly greater （P 〈 0.05） in 2002 and there was an increase in soil moisture depleted in the 1-3 m soil under P. armeniaca, P. tabulaeformis and C. microphylla. During the two years of the study the average soil moisture （0-100 cm soil profile） of T. aestivurn was generally the highest, with P. armeniaca, P. tabulaeformis and C. rnicrophylla usually the lowest. Thus, according to the soil moisture balance principle for this area the planned reforestation project was not ecologically reasonable. Reducing human disturbance and restoration with grass could be more effective.

Evapotranspiration of an oasis-desert transition zone in the middle stream of Heihe River, Northwest China

As a main component in water balance, evapotranspiration is of great importance for water saving and irrigation-measure making, especially in arid or semiarid regions. Although studies of evapotranspiration have been conducted for a long time, studies concentrated on oasis-desert transition zone are very limited. On the basis of the meteorological data and other parameters（e.g. leaf area index（LAI）） of an oasis-desert transition zone in the middle stream of Heihe River from 2005 to 2011, this paper calculated both reference（ET0） and actual evapotranspiration（ETc） using FAO56 Penman-Monteith and Penman-Monteith models, respectively. In combination with pan evaporation（Ep） measured by E601 pan evaporator, four aspects were analyzed：（1） ET0 was firstly verified by Ep;（2） Characteristics of ET0 and ETc were compared, while the influencing factors were also analyzed;（3） Since meteorological data are often unavailable for estimating ET0 through FAO56 Penman-Monteith model in this region, pan evaporation coefficient（Kp） is very important when using observed Ep to predict ET0. Under this circumstance, an empirical formula of Kp was put forward for this region;（4） Crop coefficient（Kc）, an important index to reflect evapotranspiration, was also analyzed. Results show that mean annual values of ET0 and ETc were 840 and 221 mm, respectively. On the daily bases, ET0 and ETc were 2.3 and 0.6 mm/d, respectively. The annual tendency of ET0 and ETc was very similar, but their amplitude was obviously different. The differences among ET0 and ETc were mainly attributed to the different meteorological variables and leaf area index. The calculated Kc was about 0.25 and showed little variation during the growing season, indicating that available water（e.g. precipitation and irrigation） of about 221 mm/a was required to keep the water balance in this region. The results provide an comprehensive analysis of evapotranspiration for an oasis-desert transition zone in the middle stream of Heihe River, which was seldom reported before.

Evapotranspiration and Its Energy Exchange in Alpine Meadow Ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

To understand the water and energy exchange on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we explored the characteristics of evapotranspiration （ET） and energy fluxes from 2002 to 2005 over a Kobresia meadow ecosystem using the eddy covariance method. The ratio of annual ET to precipitation （P） of meadow ecosystem was about 60%, but varied greatly with the change of season from summer to winter. The annual ET/P in meadow was lower than that in shrub, steppe and wetland ecosystems of this plateau. The incident solar radiation （Rs） received by the meadow was obviously higher than that of lowland in the same latitude; however the ratio of net radiation （Rn） to Rs with average annual value of 0.44 was significantly lower than that in the same latitude. The average annual ET was about 390 mm for 2002-2005, of which more than 80% occurred in growing season from May to September. The energy consumed on the ET was about 44% of net radiation in growing season, which was lower than that of shrub, steppe and wetland on this plateau. This study demonstrates that the Kobresia meadow may prevent the excessive water loss through evapotranspiration from the ecosystem into the atmosphere in comparison to the shrub, steppe and wetland ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.