Do forests have high evapotranspiration?

While several observation-based studies show the higher evapotranspiration rates of forests at midlatitudes (e.g., Zhang et al., 2001; Li et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2018; Duveiller et al., 2018), some studies exhibit an opposite behavior of forests with reduced evapotranspiration rates compared to grasslands (e.g..

What is evapotranspiration in ecology?

evapotranspiration, Loss of water from the soil both by evaporation from the soil surface and by transpiration from the leaves of the plants growing on it.

Which type of forest has the lowest evapotranspiration?

In clear-cut areas evaporation is lowest (60% of evaporation from mature 100-year-old forest). Young and middle-aged forests transpire 10 to 20% more water than mature forests and 20 to 30% more than old 140-year-old forests.

What forest products do humans depend on?

Millions of people rely directly on forests for food, medicine, fuel and shelter through small-scale agriculture, hunting and gathering, and harvesting forest products. Poorly managed forests deprive such communities of healthy livelihoods.

Is evapotranspiration good for crops?

Evapotranspiration provides a relatively objective and reliable estimate of the water requirements of actively growing plants in a farm situation. Evapotranspiration information can be used by irrigators to more accurately schedule irrigations to help achieve top yields and improve water productivity.

What is evapotranspiration in the Amazon?

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key component of the surface water and energy balance, through which the Amazon forest transfers a large volume of water from the land surface to the atmosphere. Therefore, any change of ET over Amazonia may affect climate at the regional and global scales (Maeda et al., 2017; Spracklen et al., 2012 ).

Does forest density affect forest evapotranspiration?

The implication for forest restoration is that reductions in forest density by management actions or wildfire should reduce forest evapotranspiration, as remaining vegetation is not water limited ( Saksa et al., 2019 ).

Is evapotranspiration a useful metric for measuring forest water balance?

The response of evapotranspiration to disturbance and interannual changes in temperature and precipitation is relatively muted compared to runoff, making it a potentially convenient metric for changes in water balance from forest management.

What is the evapotranspiration like in the USSR?

In the central part of the European USSR, evapotranspiration from fields and forest is the same, on average, whereas in the south, forests evaporate about 5-10% more than the surrounding open land.