TY - JOUR
T1 - Hillslope Hydrology Influences the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Remotely Sensed Ecosystem Productivity
AU - Tai, Xiaonan
AU - Anderegg, William R.L.
AU - Blanken, Peter D.
AU - Burns, Sean P.
AU - Christensen, Lindsey
AU - Brooks, Paul D.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Dr. John Sperry (University of Utah) for providing feedbacks on an earlier version of the manuscript. Funding from National Science Foundation (NSF) through grant IOS 1450650 is acknowledged. W. R. L. A. acknowledges funding from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, NSF Grants 1714972 and 1802880 and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Research Initiative grant no. 2018‐67019‐27850. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is sponsored by NSF. The statements made in this manuscript reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank Dr. John Sperry (University of Utah) for providing feedbacks on an earlier version of the manuscript. Funding from National Science Foundation (NSF) through grant IOS 1450650 is acknowledged. W.?R.?L.?A. acknowledges funding from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, NSF Grants 1714972 and 1802880 and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Research Initiative grant no. 2018-67019-27850. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is sponsored by NSF. The statements made in this manuscript reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - Prediction of ecosystem responses to a changing climate is challenging at the landscape to regional scale, in part because topography creates various habitats and influences ecosystem productivity in complex ways. However, the effects of topography on ecosystem function remain poorly characterized and quantified. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a framework to systematically quantify and evaluate the effects of topographic convergence, elevation, aspect, and forest type on the long-term (1986–2011) average and interannual variability of remotely sensed ecosystem productivity. In a forested watershed in the Rocky Mountains, spanning elevations from 1,800 to 4,000 m, we found a prevalent and positive influence of topographic convergence on long-term productivity. Interannual growing season productivity was positively related to precipitation, with higher sensitivity in low elevation and highly productive areas and lower sensitivity in convergent areas. Our findings highlight the influence of topographic complexity on both long-term and interannual variations of ecosystem productivity and have implications for understanding and prediction of ecosystem dynamics at hillslope to regional scales.
AB - Prediction of ecosystem responses to a changing climate is challenging at the landscape to regional scale, in part because topography creates various habitats and influences ecosystem productivity in complex ways. However, the effects of topography on ecosystem function remain poorly characterized and quantified. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a framework to systematically quantify and evaluate the effects of topographic convergence, elevation, aspect, and forest type on the long-term (1986–2011) average and interannual variability of remotely sensed ecosystem productivity. In a forested watershed in the Rocky Mountains, spanning elevations from 1,800 to 4,000 m, we found a prevalent and positive influence of topographic convergence on long-term productivity. Interannual growing season productivity was positively related to precipitation, with higher sensitivity in low elevation and highly productive areas and lower sensitivity in convergent areas. Our findings highlight the influence of topographic complexity on both long-term and interannual variations of ecosystem productivity and have implications for understanding and prediction of ecosystem dynamics at hillslope to regional scales.
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U2 - 10.1029/2020WR027630
DO - 10.1029/2020WR027630
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85096497167
VL - 56
JO - Water Resources Research
JF - Water Resources Research
SN - 0043-1397
IS - 11
M1 - e2020WR027630
ER -