Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale
<p>This study explores the causal relationships between catchment water availability, vapor pressure deficit, and gross primary productivity (GPP) across 341 catchments in the contiguous US. Seasonal climatic, hydrological, and vegetation characteristics were represented using the Horton index...
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Copernicus Publications
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/1847/2025/hess-29-1847-2025.pdf |
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| author | G. W. Abeshu H.-Y. Li M. Shi L. R. Leung |
| author_facet | G. W. Abeshu H.-Y. Li M. Shi L. R. Leung |
| author_sort | G. W. Abeshu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>This study explores the causal relationships between catchment water availability, vapor pressure deficit, and gross primary productivity (GPP) across 341 catchments in the contiguous US. Seasonal climatic, hydrological, and vegetation characteristics were represented using the Horton index, ecological aridity index, evaporative fraction index, and carbon uptake efficiency. Statistical methods, including circularity statistics, correlation analysis, and causality tests, were employed to determine the complex interactions between catchment wetness, atmospheric dryness, and vegetation carbon uptake. The results revealed a maximum lag of 2 months in the intra-annual variability of catchment water supply–productivity and atmospheric water demand–productivity relationships, with hysteresis patterns varying with the catchment's hydrological characteristics. In catchments not permanently under water-limited or energy-limited conditions, vegetation experiences hydrological stress during the peak growing period, coinciding with the highest gross primary productivity and carbon uptake efficiency being out of phase with the Horton index and in phase with the evaporative fraction index. Causality analysis highlights strong temporal continuity in GPP seasonal characteristics, with a cause–effect relationship between catchment water supply, atmospheric demand, and vegetation productivity spanning a maximum of 2 months. These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive functional framework that integrates catchment water supply, atmospheric demand, and vegetation productivity to enhance our understanding and predictive capabilities with regard to ecosystem responses to climate change.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2fee982a02b34decbda8ae16cc141f03 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-2fee982a02b34decbda8ae16cc141f032025-08-20T02:08:57ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382025-04-01291847186410.5194/hess-29-1847-2025Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scaleG. W. Abeshu0H.-Y. Li1M. Shi2L. R. Leung3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USAPacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAPacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA<p>This study explores the causal relationships between catchment water availability, vapor pressure deficit, and gross primary productivity (GPP) across 341 catchments in the contiguous US. Seasonal climatic, hydrological, and vegetation characteristics were represented using the Horton index, ecological aridity index, evaporative fraction index, and carbon uptake efficiency. Statistical methods, including circularity statistics, correlation analysis, and causality tests, were employed to determine the complex interactions between catchment wetness, atmospheric dryness, and vegetation carbon uptake. The results revealed a maximum lag of 2 months in the intra-annual variability of catchment water supply–productivity and atmospheric water demand–productivity relationships, with hysteresis patterns varying with the catchment's hydrological characteristics. In catchments not permanently under water-limited or energy-limited conditions, vegetation experiences hydrological stress during the peak growing period, coinciding with the highest gross primary productivity and carbon uptake efficiency being out of phase with the Horton index and in phase with the evaporative fraction index. Causality analysis highlights strong temporal continuity in GPP seasonal characteristics, with a cause–effect relationship between catchment water supply, atmospheric demand, and vegetation productivity spanning a maximum of 2 months. These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive functional framework that integrates catchment water supply, atmospheric demand, and vegetation productivity to enhance our understanding and predictive capabilities with regard to ecosystem responses to climate change.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/1847/2025/hess-29-1847-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | G. W. Abeshu H.-Y. Li M. Shi L. R. Leung Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale |
| title_full | Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale |
| title_fullStr | Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale |
| title_short | Causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale |
| title_sort | causal relationships of vegetation productivity with root zone water availability and atmospheric dryness at the catchment scale |
| url | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/1847/2025/hess-29-1847-2025.pdf |
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