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Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Jung

    (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)

  • Markus Reichstein

    (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)

  • Philippe Ciais

    (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environment (LSCE), Joint Unit of Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and l'Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin (UVSQ))

  • Sonia I. Seneviratne

    (Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich)

  • Justin Sheffield

    (Princeton University)

  • Michael L. Goulden

    (University of California)

  • Gordon Bonan

    (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

  • Alessandro Cescatti

    (European Commission — Directorate General Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Climate Change Unit)

  • Jiquan Chen

    (University of Toledo)

  • Richard de Jeu

    (Faculty of Earth and Life Scienes, Vrije Universiteit)

  • A. Johannes Dolman

    (Faculty of Earth and Life Scienes, Vrije Universiteit)

  • Werner Eugster

    (Institute of Plant Sciences, ETH Zurich)

  • Dieter Gerten

    (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Research Domain of Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities)

  • Damiano Gianelle

    (Istituto Agrario San Michele all'Adige, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Environment and Natural Resources Area)

  • Nadine Gobron

    (European Commission – DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Global Environmental Monitoring Unit)

  • Jens Heinke

    (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Research Domain of Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities)

  • John Kimball

    (Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana)

  • Beverly E. Law

    (Oregon State University)

  • Leonardo Montagnani

    (Forest Services and Agency for the Environment, Autonomous Province of Bolzano)

  • Qiaozhen Mu

    (Numerical Terradynamic Simulations Group, College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana)

  • Brigitte Mueller

    (Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich)

  • Keith Oleson

    (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

  • Dario Papale

    (University of Tuscia)

  • Andrew D. Richardson

    (Harvard University)

  • Olivier Roupsard

    (Cirad-Persyst, UPR 80, Fonctionnement et Pilotage des Ecosystèmes de Plantations)

  • Steve Running

    (Numerical Terradynamic Simulations Group, College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana)

  • Enrico Tomelleri

    (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)

  • Nicolas Viovy

    (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environment (LSCE), Joint Unit of Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and l'Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin (UVSQ))

  • Ulrich Weber

    (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)

  • Christopher Williams

    (Graduate School of Geography, Clark University)

  • Eric Wood

    (Princeton University)

  • Sönke Zaehle

    (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)

  • Ke Zhang

    (Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana)

Abstract

A question of water supply An acceleration of the global hydrological cycle, evapotranspiration included, is regarded as a key indicator of the impact of global warming on Earth's system. Evapotranspiration refers to the water that moves from Earth's land surface to the atmosphere through the combined effects of evaporation and plant transpiration. Martin Jung and colleagues use a data-driven machine-learning technique and a suite of process-based models to show that, between 1982 and 1997, evapotranspiration increased steadily with global warming. But since 1998, the increasing trend has flattened, probably as a result of limitations in soil-moisture supply in the Southern Hemisphere — particularly Africa and Australia. It remains to be seen whether this is part of a natural climate variation or a climate-change signal in which land evapotranspiration becomes more supply-limited in the long term.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Jung & Markus Reichstein & Philippe Ciais & Sonia I. Seneviratne & Justin Sheffield & Michael L. Goulden & Gordon Bonan & Alessandro Cescatti & Jiquan Chen & Richard de Jeu & A. Johannes Dolman, 2010. "Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply," Nature, Nature, vol. 467(7318), pages 951-954, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:467:y:2010:i:7318:d:10.1038_nature09396
    DOI: 10.1038/nature09396
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